Nokia Windows Phone 7 Handset to Be Unveiled on August 17?

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Nokia’s first Windows Phone 7 handset is supposed to be the Sea Ray, at least that’s what we know so far thanks to Nokia’s CEO letting the device slip back in June. But until today we had no idea when Nokia will officially announce it, and, even more importantly, when it will start selling it.

Nokia made its rumored partnership with Microsoft official a few months ago, at MWC 2011, and since then plenty of reports suggested that the first WP7 handset coming out of Espoo’s laboratories will only hit markets in late 2011, with more such devices to be launched next year. So today’s invitation to a Nokia and Microsoft joint even is pretty intriguing.

Is Nokia ready to make the first WP7 handset official? In which case can we assume the Sea Ray will start selling earlier than anticipated?

The Nokia and Microsoft party is scheduled to take place on August 17, therefore in just over two weeks from now and the invitation doesn’t specifically mention a WP7 handset until you reach its end. That’s where we’re able to see a special raffle that includes the following prizes:

• 3x Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect
• 3X Nokia with Windows Phone (as soon as available)

Next to the raffle the logos of Nokia and Windows Phone are present and it’s pretty clear that Nokia and Microsoft have high hopes for their joint adventure since they’re already willing to throw in free smartphones for those attending. These are unannounced devices, which make the raffle all the more interesting, as winners may end up picking their prizes a lot later than expected.

What’s also puzzling is the possibility of Nokia and Microsoft launching the new device at a gaming trade shown, the GameCom scheduled for August 18-21 in Koln, Germany. On the other hand, smartphones are also an important game portal nowadays and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is supposed to be an even more gaming-friendly OS considering its Xbox 360 features’ integration, so having the Sea Ray come out a day ahead of the actual start of a gaming show may not be such a bad idea.

Anyone interested in buying a Nokia Windows Phone 7 handset?