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Microsoft has released information about the next version of its mobile operating system, Windows Phone 8. The major news was that Windows Phone 8 will use the same technology core as Windows 8, making the platform much more attractive to developers by introducing a common development environment across the two platforms.

Microsoft’s mobile platform is still struggling to see significant interest from consumers. However, with the enhancements announced and greater familiarity to come from wider use of the Metro UI on all Microsoft’s platforms, the company still has a chance of making inroads into the mobile market.

Microsoft brings phone and desktop environments together with shared core technology

The most significant update in Windows Phone 8 will be to the core technology, as the new platform will use the same kernel and core APIs as Windows 8 (Windows Phone 7.x uses the Windows CE kernel). This means that Windows Phone 8 will have full C and C++ support, which is potentially a great boon for developers as it should dramatically simplify the process of porting applications from Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 and vice versa. Not only should this increase the number of applications built for Windows Phone (which currently number 100,000); it should also reduce the time for development. Microsoft has confirmed that existing Windows Phone 7.x applications will run on Windows Phone 8, although applications written for native Windows Phone 8 will not be backwards compatible with Windows Phone 7.x

This move cements Ovum’s opinion that Microsoft currently has the most convincing multi-screen proposition, as it has managed to unify all of its software platforms with the common Metro user interface across phone, tablet, desktop, and Xbox – and now has a common application runtime across Windows Phone and Windows. However, there are still some gaps which Microsoft needs to fill, as there is still no single runtime which is compatible across all Microsoft environments, and the WinRT framework which will be used for Windows 8 Metro apps isn’t currently compatible with Windows Phone or the Xbox. It will need to address these gaps if it wants to provide a truly seamless multi-screen experience for developers.

Update brings a range of new features and enhancements

In addition to introducing a new technology core, the Windows Phone 8 update brings a raft of other new features. The most visible change will be a new start screen, which allows for live tiles to be re-sized. The new platform also supports multi-core processors, and will be able to use more than the single 800×480 screen resolution (new resolutions are 1280×769 and 1280×720). The OS will also feature a digital wallet application with NFC support, in addition to support for MicroSD cards. Microsoft-owned Skype will be finally integrated into the OS’s phone application, and third-party VoIP apps will also be offered similar access. The update introduces in-app payments, and applications will be given greater freedom to run in the background. Additionally, the update will include a number of enterprise-focused features, such as BitLocker encryption, enterprise app deployment without Windows store, and device management.

Due to the hardware requirements of Windows Phone 8, current Windows Phone 7.x devices will not be able to upgrade to the new software. However, Microsoft has offered some consolation to existing Windows Phone customers, providing them with a separate Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade which provides a small subset of the features found in Windows Phone 8, including the new start screen.

Adoption of Nokia Maps on Windows Phone 8 further strengthens ties between the two companies

In Windows Phone 8, Microsoft will be replacing Bing Maps with Nokia’s mapping technology, which is currently only available on Nokia’s Lumia devices. While this will remove a unique differentiator for Nokia, it will result in more consumers and developers using the mapping platform, which is run as a separate business within Nokia. This move further illustrates the close ties between the two companies and gives Microsoft another reason to ensure that Nokia stays in business.