Windows Phone 8 Release Date For AT&T Allegedly Revealed: Verizon Wireless Confirms Nokia Handsets For Q4

The tentative release date for Nokia's Windows Phone 8 flagship device is Nov. 2 for AT&T subscribers, the Verge reported Friday. Sources familiar with Nokia's plans have said that the company is working with Microsoft and AT&T to undergo numerous tests required to approve the Windows Phone 8 handset within that time frame.

As AT&T tests Nokia's Lumia 920 in its labs, Microsoft is said to be preparing to launch its own Windows Phone 8 devices on Oct. 29, just a few short days before the Lumia 920's expected release date. Of course, the Nov. 2 date has yet to be set in stone by any official source directly working with the phone, such as Nokia, Microsoft, or AT&T.

Reuters also points to a November release date for Nokia's Windows Phone 8 device in Europe as well, citing sources at European telecoms operators on Friday. This launch window comes approximately two months after Apple is expected to launch its highly anticipated iPhone 5, which is expected to be announced on Sept. 12.

Microsoft and Nokia held a joint press event on Wednesday to unveil the Lumia 920, which received some noteworthy spec upgrades from its predecessor, the Lumia 900. Nokia's next Windows Phone 8 device will feature a 1.5GHz processor, a larger 4.5-inch display and the brand-new Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system. Nokia has also emphasized that the device will come in "vibrant colors" and features a one-piece polycarbonate body.

"We are super proud of the display on the Lumia 920," Kevin Shields of Nokia said at the press event. "In our opinion this is the fastest LCD display ever shipped on a smartphone."

Nokia's Competition In the Windows Phone 8 Market

Nokia may be the first manufacturer to publicly unveil its plans for Windows Phone 8, but another smartphone-maker says they can provide better carrier support than the Lumia 920 creator.

HTC President of Sales and Marketing Jason Mackenzie said that the manufacturer has plans to "go big on Windows 8," according to Reuters. And the company doesn't seem to be sweating Microsoft's close relations with Nokia, as Mackenzie said that HTC has better carrier relations.

"I feel very strongly we've got concrete carrier support in every region around the world, including the United States and I'm not talking about just one carrier," Mackenzie said to Reuters. "Our plan is to go big on Windows 8."

The HTC executive did not elaborate further on the release date of its planned Windows Phone 8 smartphone or which carrier would publish it.

During the Sept. 5 keynote, Nokia did not mention any news about which carrier would be offering its new Windows Phone 8 handsets. However, Verizon has confirmed that the carrier will be selling multiple Windows Phone 8 handsets in Q4 of 2012, according to CNET. Verizon's COO Marni Walden told the website that the carrier plans to work with Nokia, but did not give any specific release dates or time frames.

"We continue to have healthy conversations with Nokia," Walden told CNET.

In terms of Windows Phone competition with Android, Mackenzie said that other manufacturers which produce both Windows Phone devices and Android smartphones tend to give their best designs to Google's branded gadgets.

"[They] haven't typically given their A plus designs to Windows phones," he said to the news wire service. "They've been designing those to Android."

No specific details on a Windows Phone 8 device from HTC have been revealed at this time.