Windows Phone 8 coming in November

Windows Phone 8 is coming in November, closely following Windows 8 when it launches at the end of October. It's the winter of Windows!

The new mobile phone software will be released to phone makers in September, before going public in new phones in November. HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung will build Windows blowers packing Windows Phone 8.

That date means new Windows Phones will arrive hot on the heels of Windows 8, which goes on sale on 26 October and also heralds the arrival of Microsoft's first iPad challenger, the Microsoft Surface.

With new software and hardware in the phone, tablet and computer sectors, Microsoft is launching a three-pronged attack on consumer technology ahead of the holidays. Could this be a Windows wonderland or will the iPhone 5 and rumoured iPad mini make this another Apple Xmas?

Windows Phone 8 is not without controversy: current Windows Phones, including the Nokia Lumia 800 and 900, won't be able to run the latest version of the operating system. Nor will they be able to run apps developed for Windows Phone 8, leaving them stranded on the older software -- something Microsoft always secretly planned. That's a real blow, as Windows Phone 8 is set to address the lack of apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace because it can share apps with its bigger brother, Windows 8 for laptops and computers.

There's a longer wait for Office 2013, however. Microsoft's next generation of business software will arrive in February 2013. There will however be a preview version of Office workware on the Microsoft Surface.

Are you looking forward to the winter of Windows? Is Microsoft about to transform the technology industry with its three-pronged attack on phones, tablets and computers? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.