We Microsoft watchers already knew October was going to be a crazy month, given Windows 8's general availability date is October 26.
But until this week, I didn't realize just how jam-packed that month is really going to be.
A source of mine privy to Microsoft's event plans, who asked not to be named, just shared with me dates and tentative locations for a number of Microsoft's upcoming launches. Some of these we suspected; a few we knew.
Windows Phone 8's build-up to launch started today, with Samsung showing off what's officially the first Windows Phone 8 device (but offering no pricing or availability details). September 5, Nokia is expected to show off some of its planned Windows Phone 8 devices, with AT&T rumored to be the lead carrier for them. And HTC is expected to be next out of the gate with Windows Phone 8 handset(s) -- around mid-September, I hear.
But October -- specifically late October -- is when things really ramp up.