Out of the blue, Microsoft announced today it has bought Nokia’s core phone business for $7.17 billion. The announcement got everyone wondering what it means for future Nokia devices. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that they’ll continue to license Windows Phone to other OEMs, and that they’ll probably have shorter names for future devices. The company’s operations system group’s Vice President, Terry Myerson, hinted during a conference call today that the Xbox’s famed Kinect technology might be integrated into future Windows Phone devices.
Speaking with analysts and journalists, Myerson said that “In the area of imaging, the Nokia Lumia 1020 has no equal. We are excited to bring this together with our Kinect camera technology to delight our customers.” It is unclear right now when Microsoft intends on integrating this technology and exactly what it will be capable of doing on a mobile device since Myerson didn’t give any more details during the conference call. Previous rumors suggest that the technology might be used to enable users to control their devices through gestures and voice. It may also allow for deeper integration with Xbox consoles and offer a more immersive gaming experience on Windows Phone devices. If we’re going to see Kinect technology being integrated into the next round of Windows Phone devices, it is likely that we’ll get to hear more about this integration, both from official and unofficial sources.
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