New Nokia, Samsung WP7 handsets have been uncovered

And the great Mango hardware rollout continues. Today, caught in reporting from Windows Phone game developer Occasional Gamer, two new handsets that presumably run the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile software popped up: The Samsung Monument and the Nokia Lumia 800.

Speculation is already underway about the two devices. Previously, mentions of a Nokia device called the Sun were found. As the word Lumia has its roots in the word for light, some are deeming this new Nokia handset to be the Sun itself, or perhaps a variant.

As to the Monument, it could be a brand new phone that we know nothing about, a code-named Focus S, or perhaps something else altogether. For now, all we can do is guess.

We’ve always made the point here at TNW Microsoft that while the Windows Phone operating system is quite strong, the hardware that it has been forced to run on is lackluster. Our views on the matter might change as more Windows Phone devices are released, including Nokia’s first phones. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but there appears to be potential.

In our view what Microsoft needs is a ‘halo’ device, a handset that is so good that it casts light onto the rest of the line of WP7 phones. It is possible that the Nokia ‘Sea Ray’ device might be just that, but until it gets into the hands of the world’s review squads, we will not know. But we have our eyes peeled on the hardware side of the WP7 platform, as it could be the key to its success this holiday cycle.