The initial crop of Windows Phone 7 devices, whose hardware specifications were tightly controlled by Microsoft, all featured Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 or 8650 processors. Both chipsets feature "Scorpion" application processors, but the QSD8250 supports only GSM, GPRS, EDGE and HSPA networks, whereas the QSD8650 supports both these and CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO 0/A/B networks, according to the chipmaker.

A new Windows Phone 7 hardware specification unveiled at Microsoft's MIX11 conference last week adds support for additional Snapdragon CPUs: the MSM7x30 and the MSM8x55. While still single-core devices, these processors allow OEMs to offer a wider range of clock speeds (from 800MHz on the MSM7x30 to 1.4GHz on the MSM8x55, according to Qualcomm), and they also provide Adreno 205 graphics -- said to offer over twice the performance of the Adreno 200 included with the earlier QSD8x50.

As discussed by Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Istvan Cseri -- a one-hour video recorded at MIX11 is available here -- Redmond is sticking with its requirement that all Windows Phone 7 devices offer a single resolution, 800 x 480 pixels. But certain sensors such as gyroscopes are now optional, he adds.

Nokia previously released this mockup of forthcoming devices
(Click to enlarge)

Meanwhile, in his posting for Mobile-Review.com, Eldar Murtazin claims that Nokia and Qualcomm are "antagonists" due to years of litigation. Nonetheless, the Finnish vendor will be forced to use Qualcomm SoCs (systems-on-chip) for its forthcoming Windows Phone 7 devices, just as Microsoft as mandated.

According to Murtazin, Nokia's first Windows Phone 7 handset will be based on the vendor's recently announced X7, but will use the Qualcomm QSD8250 and sport an eight megapixel autofocus camera. This model, which may be called the W7, could appear late this year or during the first quarter of 2012, he adds.

A mockup of Nokia's "W7"
(Click to enlarge)

Another forthcoming model cited by Mobile-Review.com will be "designed to make it the most powerful Windows Phone 7 smartphone," and could, it's claimed, appear during the second quarter of 2012. The device will provide a 12 megapixel camera, Murtazin writes, adding that it will also feature a dual-core Qualcomm processor and Adreno 320 graphics (this would be despite the fact that, as suggested earlier in this story, Microsoft hasn't yet added such parts to a Windows Phone 7 chassis specification).

Murtazin adds claims about two additional phones. One, he says, will probably be a variant of a model initially designed for Symbian, and will be a "candy bar" phone with a metal body and a QWERTY keypad. The other will be an "affordable" variant of the W7 mentioned above, using cheaper body materials and a fixed-focus camera, he says.

Mobile-Review.com further suggests that Nokia will not be allowed to add its own customizations to Windows Phone 7 software, because if Microsoft permitted these for one vendor, it would have to permit them for all. But Murtazin claims Nokia will nonetheless craft a "unique selling point" for corporate users in the form of a cloud-based service whose details have yet to be revealed.

We've previously reported that Microsoft's "Mango" update to Windows Phone 7 -- Mango, first promised in February by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, enables application multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer, and fast application switching. Holding a phone's back button down will reportedly provide a card-like view (right) of all running applications.

While Mangos ultimate release date remains unclear, Angry Birds will apparently make an appearance in May, about the same time as updated Windows Phone Developer Tools. Skype and a Spotify music application will roll out in an autumn timeframe.

Jonathan Angel can be followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.

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