More Windows Phone 7.8 details leaked, release could come in early 2013

A new leak has provided further details on Windows Phone 7.8, including several new features, however there's a chance the update won't be available until early next year.

We last talked about Windows Phone 7.8 at the end of October, just after Windows Phone 8 made its official debut, where we focussed on a potential release date. At the time, there wasn’t much information on that or the possible features either, but Microsoft did promise “more information in the coming weeks.”

Software updates wait for no man though, and the Chinese blog winp.cn has been handed a slide said to be from a Nokia presentation kit, which reveals a few more potential features of Windows Phone 7.8.

Now, do remember this is a leaked slide written in a language I can’t read, which was published on a blog that Google Translate had to cast its magic powder over before I could understand it. The salt is on the table, and generous pinches have been taken.

Anyway, moving on. The slide once again confirms that older Windows Phones will be getting the new Windows Start screen, with a choice of three different sizes of Live Tile, plus a choice of 20 different colors. It continues to say that stored music can be edited into ringtones, the lock screen can use the current Bing wallpaper, and Internet Explorer will be getting a series of security upgrades. Because of this, it’s unlikely Windows Phone 7.8 will come with IE 10.

Nokia will further enhance Windows Phone 7.8 by adding Bluetooth file sharing and the easy transfer of contacts to another phone, but expect these to only work on Lumia devices. All this joins other potential features such as Xbox SmartGlass, Xbox Music and the chance of the new Rooms hub for sharing calendars with friends.

Finally, a tweet from Windows Phone Brazil has indicated devices in that region won’t be seeing WP7.8 until sometime between January and March next year. This may not apply to the rest of the world, but it does fit in with the rumor that Windows Phone 7.8 will be applied to brand-new phones first, before being sent out to older phones as an update.