Microsoft's June 20 unveiling of its Windows NT Kernel-based Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system underscores the company's vision for the future of its mobile OS; with the new software marking a notable improvement over its predecessor, Windows Phone 7.

The upgrading of Windows Phone 8 from the legacy CE kernel implies that the users of Windows-based devices will experience the same smooth functioning of the software across an array of products, including PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

According to the information shared by Microsoft, the impressive Windows Phone 8 OS supports dual- and quad-core devices, and has the ability to scale to up to 64 cores whenever that landmark is hit by mobile devices.

Some of the other attractive features of Windows Phone 8 include near-field communication (NFC) technology; a smarter Start Screen; potential HD update; remote device management; deeper Skype integration; built-in Nokia Maps mapping solution; and on-device encryption, among others.

With Windows Phone 8 boasting the capability of running multi-core processors and benefiting from higher-quality graphics, Wayne Lam - senior analyst in wireless communications at IHS - said about the new OS it gives a clear indication of Microsoft's "clarity and focus to their mobile OS ecosystem," and added that it "kind of resets everything."

Lam further added that Microsoft finally "has a coherent ecosystem behind Windows Phone 8 as well as Windows 8," and said that "the overall (Windows) platform will start to accumulate momentum."