Microsoft offers sneak peek at Windows Phone 8 "shared core"
(CBS News) Microsoft revealed new details of the highly-anticipated Windows Phone 8 Wednesday at the Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco.
Full coverage of Microsoft at Tech Talk
Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Windows Phone, announced that the next generation of Windows device will feature a "shared Windows core." Meaning, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 will have common code, making the user experience more seamless between desktop computer and Windows Phone 8.
Belfiore stressed that Microsoft would not reveal any end-user experience previews, rather focus on the platform.
The Windows Phone 8 platform will also feature a "native game development platform based on DirectX." Video game developers will be able to write the same code for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.
Microsoft introduced the new Windows 8 operating system in September 2011. The new operating system is a departure from previous versions of Windows. Among the biggest design difference is full touch-screen support, signaling that the company plans to unify the Windows user interface across desktop and mobile devices.
Other updates include the Nokia mapping technology, native NFC coding, encryption and secure boot and a new Windows Phone 8 start screen. Users will be able to further customize the tiles on the Windows Phone.
It's been a busy week for the Redmond, Wash. company. On Monday, Microsoft announced theSurface tablet, which runs on Windows 8.
The Microsoft Surface features a 10.6-inch display, a full version of the Windows 8 operating system, Gorilla Glass, a built in kickstand and a tactile multi-touch keyboard.
Windows Phone 8 will ship on phones this fall.
