Internal documents obtained by GeekOnGadgets reports that Microsoft will be killing off its "Windows Phone" and "Nokia" names for less confusing "Windows" and "Microsoft" replacements in time for the holidays. However, other terms, such as the Nokia created "Lumia" brand seems safe for now.
The Verge has also confirmed that the leaked documents regarding the name change are accurate.
On the slide below, the right sidebar reads "as part of our planned transition, we will drop the manufacturer names from product references during the Holiday campaign." Microsoft wanting to nix the Nokia name makes a lot of sense and will probably cut back on some branding confusion.
As for the name "Windows Phone," Microsoft plans to accompany devices with just the normal Windows logo, and an insider tells GeekOnGadgets that the branding move is part of larger strategy to ditch the Windows Phone name completely. This will most likely mean that the final naming convention they decide for the upcoming "Windows 9" release will be the same name for the mobile OS as well. This falls in line with recent Lumia commercials that refer to it Windows Phone as simply "Windows" and the new HTC's new One M8 for Windows also conveniently leaves off the "Phone" part of the equation.
All this might seem like minuscule changes, but dropping the Windows Phone distinction is really just delivering on Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's "One Windows" plan, which he commented on during an earnings call in July, by creating "one single converged operating system for screens of all sizes." Unifying the names might just be the first piece of evidence of that plan coming together. [GeekOnGadgets via The Verge]