Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has just confirmed that the first round of Windows Phone 8 devices, including the Nokia Lumia 920 and Samsung Ativ S, will be available this weekend in Europe and will continue to rollout throughout the world in November. Of the company's domestic carrier partners, Verizon will be offering the HTC 8X for $199 and the Nokia Lumia 822 for $99 with a two-year service contract, with release planned by Thanksgiving. T-Mobile, on the other hand, will be offering the HTC 8X for $149 and the Lumia 810 for $99 on November 14th, while AT&T will be carrying the Nokia Lumia 820 and 920, as well as the HTC 8X sometime later next month.

In addition to the first launch details for Windows Phone 8, Microsoft detailed new software features and apps, such as its new Data Sense utility. Microsoft also announced that Pandora would arrive on the platform sometime early next year, and that new and updated versions of Facebook, Twitter, and Skype were in the works.