It appears Microsoft's Windows Phone interface is set for a slight readjustment, if Reddit user ChinaMan28 latest eBay purchase is any indication.
What did he buy? A second-hand Nokia Lumia 920, featuring the Windows Phone 8 operating system. But ChinaMan28's version of Windows Phone 8 is slightly different. For example, it features a notification center akin to Apple's - something Windows Phone fans have requested for some time. It appears ChinaMan28's new phone is running an unreleased version of Windows Phone 8.
There are a few new features that ChinaMan28's version of Windows Phone has which suggests he may have the next iteration of the operating system. Among those changes are new UI enhancements, allowing users to kill and sort applications from on multitasking screen, the aforementioned notification center and a new calendar interface with weekly views.
Microsoft has perviously stated that it wasn't able to install a good deal of these features on Windows Phone 8 because it had run up against its own deadline.
The leaked OS also appears to have test applications loaded onto the device, each starting with the letter "Z." One application in particular, The Verge notes, mentions the term "beta Blue."
The Verge reached out to Microsoft for comment, but the company said it doesn't comment on rumor or speculation. Independent sources, however, have told the publication that the leaked images are of an early version of Windows Phone Blue.
The leaked operating system, identified as 12084.WPMAIN(wpbldlab).20130509-1407, appears to be a build from early May.
But, according to TechCrunch, Windows Phone users may not see all of the features in the leaked build - like the notification center. Sources tell Chris Velazco that the notification center, for unknown reasons, was removed from the latest builds of Windows Phone Blue.
The leaked images come shortly before Apple is set to take the stage at the Mascone Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, making some Redditors question if the leaked images aren't a part of some elaborate ruse to steal Apple's spotlight. Apple is expected to make some big announcements on Monday, including its new operating system, iOS 7, which supposedly has been drastically redesigned.
Other expected announcements include a newer, cheaper, phone, updates to its Macbook Air line, its rumored iRadio music streaming service, and, possibly, the highly anticipated iWatch.
If ChinaMan28's eBay purchase is indeed legitimate, we could see Windows Phone Blue on devices sometime this year.
