Save the Date: Windows Phone 8 event planned for Oct. 29, alongside Windows 8 OS release

It looks like Microsoft is gearing up to officialy unveil the new Windows Phone 8. The tech giant has begun to send invitations to members of the press to "Meet Windows Phone 8" on October 29, 2012 during an event being held in San Francisco at 10:00 am PT.

Although the big reveal is October 29, Microsoft isn't expected to to begin selling the new phone until November. We'll likely hear all of the details about the phone and what we can expect from the new operating system.

Speaking of operating system, Microsoft is also hosting another event just four days before in New York City to "celebrate Windows 8", their upcoming operating system for PCs. The event will be dedicated to the launch of the Windows 8 operating system on October 26, although we'll probably also be celebrating the release of Microsoft's new Surface tablet as well which is also planned for October 26.

Given that the Windows Phone 8 and the operating system for PCs both share common features like networking, security, media, and Internet Explorer 10, it's not a surprise that the two dates are so close together. And these events are hardly surprising since everyone already knows these products are coming. It definitely looks to be a big holiday season for Microsoft.