Microsoft’s next generation smartphone platform, Windows Phone 8, has been in the spotlight, after details were released in what was purported to be a video for its partners at Nokia.

According to reports originating from website Pocketnow, the new release, codenamed Apollo, will apparently provide additional hardware options, including support for multi-core processors – an area where the platform lags Android. It also enables the use of four different screen resolutions, adds support for a microSD expansion card, and will gain NFC radio, for contactless commerce and “touch to share” applications.

Windows Phone 8 will also feature a tighter integration with Skype, following Microsoft’s acquisition of the company last year. By being more closely aligned with the core platform, Skype will be able to act identically to the standard telephony implementation. However, it was noted that this is still a separate app and therefore “optional,” meaning operators can presumably specify devices without it included when shipped.

The platform will also be more closely aligned to the Windows 8 computer platform, enabling developers to share large amounts of code between the operating systems. Areas of overlap include the kernel, networking stacks, security, and multimedia support.

Microsoft is also set to add a feature called DataSmart to allow users to easily monitor data consumption. This will also see WiFi connections prioritised over mobile networks, including the ability to connect to operator-owned hotspots, with the Local Scout feature of Bing Maps enabling the real-time location of sites.

Pocketnow reported that Microsoft is planning to introduce a proxy server for web browsing, which will compress web pages to reduce the amount of data sent over the network. This architecture has been used previously by companies such as browser vendor Opera Software.

It was also suggested that Microsoft will drop integration with the Zune desktop client in favour of a dedicated sync app; and that Skydrive support will enable seamless sharing of content between Windows-powered devices.

Having ceded business market share earned through its earlier Windows Mobile platforms, Microsoft has also added some features designed to appeal to this market, including native data encryption, and the ability for businesses to deploy proprietary applications behind the firewall which can be extended to mobile users.