Microsoft performed its first Windows Phone 8 striptease this morning at a glitzy developer and press event in San Francisco, revealing eight key features for the Windows Phone 8 platform. Microsoft corporate vice president Joe Belfiore took the stage to talk about the new features for Windows Phone 8.

The first and one of the most interesting announcements was that Windows Phone will contain strong ties to Windows for the desktop and “will ship with a shared core inside the common code between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8,” said Belfiore. “It changes what the platform is about… that core technology has its heritage in the Windows kernel.”

 

 

Additionally, the company revealed eight key platform features:

1. Support for “the latest and greatest hardware,” including multi-core chipsets, a range of three screen resolutions (800 x 480, 1280 x 768, and 1280 x 720), and removable MicroSD.
2. Internet Explorer 10, complete with malware blocking, faster JavaScript performance, and double the HTML5 feature support of Windows Phone 7.5.
3. Native game development based on DirectX for “killer games” and big, beautiful, powerful apps with platform and drivers in common between the Windows 8 desktop and Windows Phone 8.
4. Better support for native NFC — not just on the phone, but also between phones and laptops, tablets, and other PCs.
5. “The most complete wallet experience on any smartphone this fall,” including credit and debit cards, loyalty and membership cards, deals and coupons, and NFC tap-to-pay features.
6. Nokia mapping technology, with NAVTEQ data, offline support, map control for developers, and turn-by-turn directions.
7. “Windows Phone 8 for Business” ready to go for BYOD use in the enterprise: encryption and secure booting, LOB app deployment, device management, and familiar Microsoft business apps like Office.
8. An all-new start screen, featuring the Metro-style, customizable tiles with real-time updates from calendars, inboxes, social media, gaming networks, sports data, and images from around the web and within the device. With the new live tiles, you can set the apps, tile size, number of tiles, and more. You can even assign tiles to individuals to keep track of the most important people in your life.

[Via http://venturebeat.com/]