Microsoft's Build 2012 developer conference starts today and is expected to reveal more about the technical background of Windows 8 and Windows Phone. Tickets for the event sold out in about an hour, but you can watch the keynote and many of the technical sessions via a live stream on the Build 2012 website.

The keynote starts at 4pm GMT (9am PST, 12:00am EST) today. The event as a whole, which will cover topics including Windows 8, Windows Azure, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012 and Visual Studio 2012, runs from October 30th to November 2nd.

Microsoft will be hoping to build developer interest and understanding in Windows 8, especially around the Metro design language, the Windows RT framework and related technologies. Part of that will undoubtedly include Windows Phone 8, which enjoys greater developer commonalities with desktop Windows than Windows Phone 7.5. 

You can view a full list of Windows Phone 8 related sessions here.