Microsoft's big push with Windows Phone 7's Mango update is scheduled to go up to a new level later today. The company, along with its hardware and software partners is scheduled to officially announce the Toshiba-Fujitsu IS12T smartphone. According to a story on Liveside.net, the phone will be revealed via a press event in Japan at 10 am local time on Wednesday. That's equal to 9 pm Eastern time today. The outside world will be able to check out the press conference via a live video stream on the uStream service.
In addition to the introduction of the smartphone itself, the article states that the press event will also show off a number of new Windows Phone 7 applications that have been made specifically for the Japanese market. That includes apps that will work with mixi, which is Japan's biggest social networking web site, and Hot Pepper, which gives Japanese users access to coupons for shops and restaurants.
The phone itself is expected to be released in Japan sometime in August. The Toshiba-Fujitsu IS12T smartphone is rumored to have features like a 3.7 inch screen, a Qualcomm based processor and the ability to be water resistant. The smartphone is not expected to be put on sale outside of Japan. The first Western smartphones with the Windows Phone 7 Mango update are still scheduled to be released later this fall. That includes the first Windows Phone 7 devices from Nokia which is basically betting the company's entire mobile future on the success of its WP7 strategy.
For clarity, the invitation says July 27, but for many of us, the event will take place late on July 26.
Image Credit: Liveside.net
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