There are well over 6,000 references to MinWin in the next major version of Windows, Windows 8, at least according to a recent news article from Softpedia. This is 60 times more than the amount of references to MinWin in Windows 7, which only has around 100.

But what is MinWin, you ask? It is the very core of Windows – but it’s not just the Windows NT kernel. MinWin is Microsoft’s effort “to create the smallest, standalone, bootable, core of Windows, that’s still usable,” says Marius Oiaga. This core of Windows contains the executive subsystem, memory management, networking, file system drivers, and of course the NT kernel, according to Mark Russinovich. That all means that the core of Windows (MinWin) makes no references to the rest of the Windows operating system as we know it, along with that MinWin can be modified without having any affects on the rest of the operating system.

Did I mention that MinWin is about 40MB? Softpedia mentions that work was being done to get it down to 30 to even 25MB – not bad.

It is no surprise that MinWin is becoming more and more significant (even though small in relation to the rest of Windows), especially with Windows coming to new form factors such as tablets.

I personally find MinWin fascinating because this shows that Microsoft is serious about having “Windows everywhere.” With MinWin being about 40MB it can be used on a slew of devices – tablets, media centers (televisions, set-top boxes, etc.), and even phones.

How awesome would that be for the next version of Windows and Windows Phone to be running under the same “core”? Even the next Xbox could use MinWin as well. The major difference between each of these would be pretty much the interfaces – which we can see all also starting to merge ala Windows 8 and the next Xbox Dashboard update. While there could certainly be differences in the API’s offered, they might not have to be either thanks to the .NET Framework – except for stuff such as cellphone features. This is all in my imagination, of course.

But still, just thought it was interesting…

Not much is known about the phones Nokia will create which will run the Windows Phone 7 operating system, but recently ST-Ericsson’s CEO, Carlo Bozotti, told Elizabeth Woyke of Forbes that some Nokia phones will be powered by their chips.

The first Windows Phones using ST-Ericsson’s technology will use the U8500 chipset. This U8500 chip offers full HD (1080p) support, high-res support, Wi-Fi, aGPS, Bluetooth, FM tuner, built-in USB 2.0 and HDMI out, HSPA+ modem. Oh, did I forget to mention it is also dual-core? Currently the Windows Phone 7 specifications only allow a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, or a lesser 800MHz processor, but I am sure those will change in the near future.

The other interesting part is that the U8500 chipset has NFC (Near Field Communication) support, which could allow mobile payments and other “cool things” with the mobile phone. There is also a built-in compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer.

Sadly, this is just a rumor, and not confirmed. I even made an attempt to see if Microsoft would say anything about such a rumor, and to no surprise a Microsoft spokesperson replied: “Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.” I contacted Microsoft because they are working very closely with Nokia, so Microsoft would also know “what’s up” as well as Nokia.

However, a Nokia spokesperson did confirm to a Reuters reporter that the first Windows Phones Nokia manufactures will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset.

“Our aim is to build a vibrant ecosystem around Nokia and the Windows Phone OS
and with that intent we are naturally continuing discussions with a number of
chipset suppliers for our future product portfolio,” the spokesperson told Reuters.

The possibility of dual-core Windows Phones is certainly not out of the question, and it would be a great way for Nokia to differentiate their phones from current manufacturers.

Intel says that Microsoft will make four different versions of Windows 8 which will run on ARM processors, according to Bloomberg. But don’t worry, as from what Renee James said, there won’t be four different versions of Windows 8 for the ARM processor (Starter, Premium, Professional, Ultimate, etc.), but different versions of Windows 8 which will work with four different types of ARM processors (different manufacturers).

The downside of Windows 8 on ARM (System on a Chip) will be no backwards compatibility, meaning existing applications could not run on the platform. This has caused some to believe this will be bad for the Windows ecosystem — but in reality, it isn’t.

Why, you ask? If there will only be one version of Windows 8 that will run on ARM processors (but work on four different types of ARM processors) it will be Windows for Tablets, meaning there will be a completely different user interface. This is a good thing, as it would require developers to ensure their applications look and work correctly on the new form factor. After all, how would you like it if someone tried to take a Windows 7 application and just try to shove it on Windows Phone 7? If it was possible, it wouldn’t be very pretty.

All I am getting at is: this isn’t a big deal. Besides, Windows 8 for the desktop will continue to run older versions of Windows applications.

Recently a rumor started to swirl around the Internet about the possibility of Microsoft acquiring Nokia’s mobile unit. Not long after this rumor was spread by none other than Eldar Murtazin, who said Nokia would use Windows Phone 7, the rumor was quickly denied.

Mark Squires (UK Communications Director of Nokia) replied to these rumors, saying “We typically don’t comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar’s rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment.”

Squires went on to reply to another inquiry about the rumors, saying “Yesterday’s rumour from Eldar has no basis in fact.”

Makes No Sense

Why would Microsoft want to buy Nokia now? Sure, they could brand these as Microsoft phones, and have much more control, but Nokia is certainly seen as a ”premier” device manufacturer for Windows Phone now. They wouldn’t gain much from purchasing the company itself.

Another example would be Yahoo!, it would be pointless for Microsoft to acquire them now, as Microsoft got what they were after: search. Microsoft got what they wanted from Nokia: phones, and to prevent anyone else from manufacturing Android phones.

As the saying goes, why buy the cow when the milk is free?

Credit: wpcentral.com

There is yet again another leak regarding Windows Phone “Mango” consumer-oriented features, and the Windows Phone Dev podcast was the one who did it once again. If you want to see some confirmed features Microsoft announced today, check that out here, keep in mind those announced today are business-oriented.

So what was leaked this time?

Windows Live Messenger, Facebook Chat, and AOL Instant Messenger – All of these would be integrated into the phone operating system, and supposedly when sending a message to someone on your contact list, Windows Phone will use the best route to get the message to your contact quickly. Meaning if your contact is currently on Windows Live Messenger, it is likely the message would be sent over that messaging service instead of SMS.

Office 365 and Windows Live SkyDrive – Allows you to sync your documents to and from these services, this is confirmed, as today Microsoft announced this during TechEd.

Group Messaging – Native support for SMS and email groups, so instead of having to list of the same people each and every time, you can create a group and use that as the To: address.

Artist art on Lock screen – When you are playing music, the artist’s art will appear on the lock screen, much like the Zune software does when you let the software idle for a bit.

Games Hub face lift – The Games Hub will get a face lift, along with a peculiar option labeled “Automatic Sync” for Xbox LIVE.

Facebook Places integration – Facebook Places appears to be integrated into the phone, and it is possible there will be a plugin architecture which will allow other services to be integrated as well (such as Foursquare, Gowalla, etc.).

Visual voicemail to use OMTP – We already heard the rumor of visual voicemail, but from the latest information it appears that it will use the Open Mobile Terminal Platform which is also used by the iPhone and Android.

Battery savings/settings – Under the Settings area will be a slew of options for battery management and battery savings.

Wi-Fi Hotspot support – This wouldn’t be surprising, but would be welcomed: the ability to create Wi-Fi hotspots with the phone. It would use Network Communication and Information Systems (NCIS) technology, which is implemented in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

In episode 16 of the Windows Phone Dev Podcast the hosts said they received many more images than they posted, but they said to expect the rest to be posted shortly once they get time to go through them all. So there could still be some more leaks waiting to happen!

There is still no official release date for Windows Phone “Mango,” however Microsoft will “Lift the Curtain” on the next major update for Windows Phone 7 on May 24th. It is expected Microsoft will detail most, if not all, features coming to Windows Phone later this year, and hopefully a date.

Source: Facebook/AIM chat, Group Messaging and more coming to Windows Phone 7.5 | wpcentral