Early details emerge on Windows 8 tablet features

A new report has shed light on the tablet features and developer platforms for Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

Bloggers Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera said that the company is planning to adopt a platform called Appx, which could be the basis for applications which will run on Windows 8 tablet hardware and Phone 7 handsets.

According to the report, the AppX format provides developers with a common platform for crafting and delivering mobile applications for tablets and handsets.

"AppX is a new type of packaged application model in Windows 8, and it very closely resembles Windows Phone 7 application packages," Thurrot and Rivera wrote.

"For this reason, we surmise that the AppX application type could be common to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 (codenamed Apollo), providing developers with a way to write applications that target and can transition between a variety of devices, including traditional PCs, tablets and phones."

Microsoft has largely remained quiet on future plans for Windows 8, which will be the first version of the Windows platform to fully support the tablet market currently dominated by Android and iOS.

While some hardware manufacturers have considered running tablets based on Windows 7, most have opted to develop systems based on Apple and Android. HP recently said that it will sell Windows tablets, once a suitable version of the operating system is available.

Nokia, which has recently committed to using Windows Phone 7 on its smartphone handsets, has reportedly been among those considering the use of Android on its tablets rather than waiting for Windows 8.