Microsoft set for Windows Phone 8 launch to follow Windows 8

Samsung, HTC and Nokia all readying high-end devices running on platform

Microsoft is set to lift the lid on its Windows Phone 8 system on Monday at an event in San Francisco late on Monday, just a few days after it officially launched its desktop and tablet system, Windows 8.

The firm has a lot riding on the success of Windows Phone 8 in the smartphone market, where it has struggled to gain ground on rivals using Android from Google and Apple's hugely successful iPhone device.

However, reviews of the platform have been broadly positive, and with Windows Phone 8 the firm has introduced several new features including the ability to resize live-tiles, support for dual-core processors, and NFC support.

It also features the same core kernel in its code base as its Windows 8 release, so developers can develop applications for both platforms. Microsoft hopes to attract developers by making it easier to create apps for both platforms.

Meanwhile manufacturers Nokia, HTC and Samsung are all throwing their weight behind the system, unveiling a number of handsets that will be made available shortly after the launch of the platform.

All these firms have several high-end devices set to launch running the system, such as Nokia's Lumia 920 and HTC's WP8 phone, marked as the flagship device for the platform (pictured), featuring a 4.3in screen and weighing 130g.

V3 also had a chance to see the Ativ S in action last week at an event hosted by Samsung, and we were impressed with the device and the revamped operating system from Microsoft.

For Nokia, it could also be its last chance at smartphone success as it struggles to regain market share from its former position of dominance in the mobile market in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with recent financials underlining the extent of the battle facing the Finnish firm.

Microsoft's event was set to clash with a launch from Google of its next-generation Nexus devices from Samsung and LG, but the approach of Hurricane Sandy to New York has forced the firm to postpone the event.