Nokia W7 and W8 likely to be its first Windows Phones

Nokia is still keeping mum on when its first Windows Phones will go on sale, with speculation that their debut could slip into 2012. But what will those phones be? Industry blogger Eldar Murtazin claims to know, predicting that Nokia's first two Windows Phone devices will be the W7 and W8.

Eldar who? The Russian blogger has been something of a thorn in Nokia's side over the years, with regular leaks of new phones. In July last year, Nokia even involved the Russian authorities in trying to seize back prototype devices that had fallen into his possession.

The point is he's regularly had an inside track on new Nokia devices, which is why this new rumour has credibility. Murtazin tweeted it yesterday: "In one words -- W7, W8 will be the first Nokia WP7 phones :) W7 like HTC Mozart, W8 -- N8 variant (chipset TBD)". Which is actually 21 words and an emoticon, but we'll let it slide.

Engadget puts some flesh on the bones of this tweet, suggesting the W7 will -- as its name implies -- be not entirely dissimilar to the just-unveiled Nokia X7 Symbian handset, while the W8 will be an evolution of the existing N8. Its report claims both devices will be built using Qualcomm chipsets to conform to Microsoft's specs standards.

Engadget also claims that according to Murtazin, Nokia is planning to release 12 Windows Phone devices in 2012 with various specs and form factors, using Microsoft's Mango update to the Windows Phone OS -- shown off this week at its MIX11 conference in Las Vegas.

Earlier this year, a leaked photo of some Nokia Windows Phone prototypes (above) emerged that looked like someone had been Photoshopping WP7 screenshots on to the Nokia C7, but using the X7 and N8 as the basis for the first commercial handsets makes sense. The N8's bullet-proof hardware teamed with the smooth Windows Phone software would be a strong combination indeed.

We're hopeful that Nokia's first two Windows Phones will be affordable, too. In February, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop looked forward to a time when Windows Phones would reach "a very low price point", and said this had been a key discussion point in Nokia's negotiations with Microsoft before signing up to use its OS.