Nokia Windows Phone 7 to be launched on August 17, 2011

GSM Arena that they received an invitation for a Microsoft-Nokia event to be held on August 7, 2011 in Cologne, Germany. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what the event will be for. The Nokia Windows Phone 7 device is almost here. Details of the Nokia Windows Phone 7 handset, code named "Sea Ray" have been floating around the entire month of July. 

What should we expect? I do not expect it to be lesser than Nokia's Meego powered N9, so we should expect a 4-inch or so 800 x 480 AMOLED display,  1GB of RAM, at least 16GB of internal storage and an  8 MP auto focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash... basically, a pretty good phone, but what is probably the subject of most of the speculation is the processor. Forbes, reported awhile back that it will be sporting a dual core processor from ST-Ericsson, a joint venture between Geneva-based STMicroelectronics and Swedish telecom equipment and services supplier Ericsson.

Even with the new notification system and cloud services, Apple iOS is starting to feel old. An app launcher for a user interface is not something I have ever been interested in. My old Symbian and Windows Mobile devices had more informative home screens. I love my HTC Android with its HTC Sense UI, but rather than one integrated device, it still does feel a bit like a hodgepodge of applications like my personal computer. Windows Phone 7 feels like a powerful phone, rather than a computer OS transplanted to a mobile device. 

Windows apps are over 25,000 in number, Mango is here and now Nokia is joining the party. Has Windows Phone 7 day arrived?

Did I mention I am a big Halo fan?

August 4, 2011 update: No Mango-flavored smartphones are to be unveiled at the Nokia Microsoft party. Oh well...