"Weeks And Months" Before Nokia Windows Phone Hardware Reveal

Microsoft and Nokia have declined to say when the first Nokia-developed Windows Phone 7 smartphone will be announced, only saying that there will be more news in the "next weeks and months." According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the two companies have "reached out to chipset manufacturers and others" as they develop devices.

That leaves the exact specifications of devices still in the air. So far, Nokia's high-end Symbian smartphones – such as the E7 – have used relatively low-power processors, such as the 680MHz ARM11 core. That's led to advantages with battery life over rival systems.

Windows Phone 7, however, has a minimum specification requirement currently of a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a higher resolution, WVGA display. That suggests Nokia will have to work hard if it wants to maintain its lead in device longevity.