Nokia Windows Phone coming this year, Elop insists

Those looking for their fill of Nokia-Windows Phone goodness won't have to wait much longer, according to Nokia chief Stephen Elop. He confirmed in an interview that Nokia's first phone running the Microsoft software will ship before the year's out.

A Nokia exec in Australasia had hinted the company's first Windows Phone handset wouldn't go on sale until 2012, but Elop insisted that was because it'll launch country by country, with some nations slipping to 2012.

Speaking to a Chinese publication, Elop said Nokia's first Windows Phone devices "will be in the market in the world in Q4." The rollout will be staggered, so the handsets will be available "in one country after another after another over time." The Nokia CEO said he was in China to speak to operators to decide the right timing for a Chinese release.

Though there's no official word on a UK release, we can only assume from his comments we'll be seeing Sea Ray this year. Let's hope Nokia doesn't put one over on us like it did with the N9.

"We believe it [Windows Phone handset] will be very successful because of the unique capabilities we are bringing from Nokia, the quality of the design, the strength of our organisation, including here in China, so we're very excited about some aggressive sales targets for these products," he said.

He said Nokia would stay a standalone company and wouldn't be acquired by Microsoft. He also described Google's acquisition of Motorola as an "interesting change in the environment," adding "it's very uncertain at this point, and clearly it creates a great deal of uncertainty for the Android ecosystem that I'm sure is of great concern to many of the Android participants." Jealous much?

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