Invites Go Out For Microsoft’s U.K. Windows Phone 8 Event: WP8 To Get ‘Big Reveal’ On October 29

Invites have just gone out for a Microsoft press event to introduce its new Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system. An end of October unveiling for the next generation of WP had been expected but today the date has been confirmed as October 29 — or at least that’s when a London press event will be held.

Microsoft has previously given strictly limited demos of WP8, keeping its powder dry ahead of the ‘big reveal’ (at one U.K. HTC press briefing for its new line-up of WP8 devices journalists were not allowed to navigate beyond the lock screen during their ‘hands on’ time). Microsoft has also hinted there will be features tying the mobile OS into its desktop OS Windows 8 but not yet given specific details of how exactly that will work. 

Back in July, during a demo of the new, more flexible WP8 (and WP7.8) homescreen, Microsoft’s WP senior product manager Greg Sullivan told me to expect some “cool stuff” when the wraps finally come off Windows Phone 8. “There are a whole series of… new capabilities and features that will come that we haven’t talked about and there’s integration with Windows 8 that we’ll demo closer to the date,” he said.

However last month a leaked SDK of WP8 popped up on WP Central — and didn’t appear to show any notable differences to features Microsoft had already demoed or which are included in its Windows Phone 7+ OS.

The invite itself doesn’t give much away — it’s just a save the date marker, so there’s no accompanying text to flesh out the invite. The graphic depicts a Windows Phone handset with a full battery icon, LTE connectivity, one missed call and a missed message icon displayed on it, along with the date and time of the London event.