Huawei to Release Ascend Model With Windows Phone 8

A day after Microsoft offered its first in-depth look at its next mobile operating system release, Windows Phone 8, Chinese device manufacturer Huawei has announced that it will be introducing a handset running it.

This will be the first Windows Phone from Huawei -- this company's other smartphones run Google's Android OS.

Details on Huawei's Windows Phone 8 handset, which will be a part of?its Ascend family of models, are nonexistent. After all, the next version of Microsoft's mobile OS was only just shown off yesterday and won't see a release until the fall, so this is very much an advance announcement. Nevertheless, the company sent out a press release earlier this morning announcing that it's to be brought into the fold of selected vendors that carry Windows Phone 8 devices. The Ascend with Windows Phone will be released in Europe, China, and the United States first, with releases in other markets to follow.

Curiously, Huawei notes in the press release that the Ascend will be "marketed through a series of promotional activities in conjunction with key mobile operators around the world." No further details are given, but it would be interesting to see if those promotional activities extend to the United States, where Huawei has virtually no brand-name recognition to most consumers.