Microsoft's 'Pink' emerges from Danger's shadow

Microsoft dreams of conquering the phone business, but it knows that 'pink' is just one hue in a very broad palette.

The leaked photos that emerged on Gizmodo on Wednesday, while genuine, paint just one part of the picture of how Microsoft hopes to get back into the phone game.

According to sources familiar with the company's plans, the designs shown on Gizmodo are are more the evolution of the Sidekick than they are an effort to take on the mass market or even Apple's iPhone. The devices themselves won't be built by Microsoft itself and are unlikely to arrive before next year, the sources said. A Microsoft representative declined to comment on the Gizmodo report.

(Credit: Gizmodo)

Microsoft has been working for years now on plans to revitalize its phone business after ceding ground to Apple, Research In Motion, and others. The software maker has been working on a major overhaul of its operating system--Windows Mobile 7, which was supposed to be in phone makers' hands by early this year but has suffered a number of delays.

The new devices draw heavily on the company's 2008 acquisition of Danger, the maker of the T-Mobile Sidekick. Although they use Windows Mobile at their core, they are geared at the same kind of consumer who bought a Sidekick--one who is heavily into social networks, instant messaging, and other online services.

Microsoft is counting on Danger for more than just its cachet with teens and young adults, though. Danger also specialized in delivering much of its technology via services. Indeed, the Sidekick evolved as a device where nearly all of the data lived in the cloud as opposed to being managed by the phone itself.

That will be an important component of Microsoft's phone push, even beyond the range of these devices.

In outlining the future of its phone strategy, Microsoft is trying to keep the breadth of its existing Windows Mobile ecosystem, while at the same time developing a few, closer partnerships that could yield more worthy rivals to the most popular handsets.

Microsoft has signed deals with a few phone makers, such as LG, that are expected to offer Windows Phones designed more closely with Microsoft.

However, this project appears to be in addition to that effort, expanding on the legacy of the Sidekick. Sources wouldn't provide any exact timing, but I'd think about a year or so, given what I have heard. That also appears to be the current timing for Windows Mobile 7.

For this year, Microsoft is focused on a more modest evolution of Windows Mobile--Windows Mobile 6.5--as well as efforts to re-brand products using its operating system as Windows Phones.

Microsoft also continues to shift executives and other resources to strengthen its phone efforts.

Former server executive Andy Lees now runs the phone business, while former Mac Business unit chief Roz Ho heads a "premium mobile experiences" team responsible for some of the Pink work. The software maker has also tapped folks from its Tellme unit to help bring improved voice recognition capability into Windows Mobile.

In a July interview with CNET News, Entertainment and Devices unit president Robbie Bach acknowledged that Microsoft also just needs to pick up the pace.

"If your point is we haven't advanced Windows Mobile as fast as we like, I think the answer is that's true," Bach said. "You are going to see that change."

[slickuser]

Microsoft's Copycats emerge from Danger's shadow

[solicitehere]

Just like windows did to Mac originally, iphone copied phones out there bust just did it better. the iPhone is a smart phone for those who didn't have smartphones to begin with. We'll call it the Wii of the Smartphones. Not particularly great at business functionality, but appealing to the masses who were intemidated by the current smartphones. Apps existed pre-iphone. Microsoft has been working on this project longer than iPhone has been in existance, so i wouldn't call it copy per say. Just slower.

[AppleSuxLeo]

I like Palm , and the investors do too , but that phone has a better keyboard than the Pre.
It`s like the Pre done right.

[muskratboy]

sure, based on a tiny photo of a keyboard you've never touched... yup, you seem pretty believable to me.

now tell us how awesome OTHER stuff is that you have no idea about. fun!

[penn77]

the turtle lookes like the palm pre, with all of its baby fat on...i think the design is adorable. they dont look like they are designed for the same demographic as the iphone and co.

[Random_Walk]

Design-wise, it does look like it would accessorize a convertible VW beetle just perfectly... all it needs are some embedded rhinestones, arranged to spell the word "Diva!" on the back.

[solicitehere]

I agree, it "looks" like a better keyboard than the pre. By far better than any touchscreen keyboards out there that bring productivty to a halt (aka, iPhone and LG incite)

[renGek]

prototypes can be anything you want.
Pictures of non existing products can be made to look like anything appealing as well otherwise, why would they make it public.

[man_in_la2000]

how is it going to be different than all the WinCE devices that led to iPhone and Android

[Seaspray0]

We won't know until more details are released.

[Goodbye Helicopter]

hmm... pretty hideous design.
who the **** would honestly walk around with that birth control pill case???

Agreed haha, though I was kinda hoping for toggle switches & not buttons :-P

[Hep Cat]

Yes, Microsoft has only had a decade to perfect WinCE/Windows Mobile/Whatever.

Let's give them the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

[topgunb2]

and apple still hasn't perfected anything after 30 yrs of existence, what's your point?

[shycelticwitch]

very stupid and uninformed comment there, topgun... forget to take your medicine today?

[SiliconValleyJoe]

"Pink"? Did Apple engineers with some history migrated to MSFT? How funny MSFT would choose a name with some history in the valley.

MSFT is doing what it can to defend its space just like Nokia and RIM and Motorola and others. The smart phone space and mobile computing device space are wide open right now. It will be a long while yet before someone emerges as a true leader. And the leadership will be about a tightly integrated but useful ecosystem surrounding that device.

It is an interesting time watching all these companies racing to innovate after iPhone burst onto the scene. It will be interesting as well to see if Apple continues to innovate the iPhone technology. WHoever fails to be creative will fall behind and that will include Apple.

[Random_Walk]

...ain't disruptions grand? :)

[Mark_Anderson]

I realise that Apple buyers aren't familiar with the concept of choice but you do realise that MS are likely to offer a range of phones - that means they'll be *gasp* different from each other - right?

[Random_Walk]

You mean like that huge range of design options that the Zune and xbox came out with, right?

[Lennron]

Yeah, I like Microsoft as much as everybody else with more than a fraction of a brain does. But I agree with Random_Walk. The reason for the wide variety of choice with Windows is due to all of the different hardware manufacturers that support Windows. So your argument can be made on the variety of phones made by other companies that carries Windows Mobile, but, until we see more, not the Microsoft's phone itself. They may end up doing like Apple does with the iPhone and release the same stupid phone over and over again only with minor changes that barely brings it up to speed with the rest of the market. When is the iPhone going to allow picture messaging anyways? I'm sure all they Macboys will be in line with their $700 to buy it once it's finally here.

[solicitehere]

I'll agree with the iLemmings comment. Or maybe iSheep with SteveO as the sheppard, either way. Also, the original iPhone to any current version of iPhone rip off must have sucked for consumers who can't use their originaly bricks as something functionaly anymore.

[Mark_Anderson]

@Random

Xbox, Xbox 360 Arcade, Pro and Elite

Was there anything else?

[codynews]

Odd that MS would change the name of the OS to "Windows phone" as cell phones are moving more and more away from being just "phones". Seems to be a step backwards in branding.

If anything, if MS had used "Windows Phone" as the OS name up to this point, I'd suggest they change to "Windows Mobile" to better capture all the stuff these devices do OTHER than make calls.

Cody

[solicitehere]

They're all branded pretty much. Palm OS, Windows Mobile or Phone now I guess, Apple OSX is clearly what they market as a platform too. As well as Safari, Opera, IE etc... The program names will always exist.

[fearcourses]

yay, are those leaked images of pink? but in fairness, it looks good, wonder how much will it cost?


http://fearofflyingcourses.com

[The_happy_switcher]

Hello Kitty accessories sold separately.

[solicitehere]

Maybe they want to copy the hello kitty king, aka....iPhone.

[solicitehere]

Looks like a cool new design. Hopefully it will have Mobile 7 on it which is leapyears beyond the iPhone as a smartphone but still behind the Pre and Blackberry. I'm not slamming Apple, because I'm sure there's an app for that.

[shycelticwitch]

When I stop laughing I'll comment.... "Pink"?????????? I am sure it will be a hit on the west coast with all the divas... of both sexes.... ROFL. They will make a fortune if they make one with a rainbow case...

[mgheff]

that looks horrendous

[Eingoluq]

I don't think the phones look too bad to be honest. The turtle may need to be slimed a bit. the pure on the other hand looks more like a slider Iphone than the sidekicks of the past.

At times I think that Microsoft just specifically tries to beat Apple and Sony's products instead of making their products relate to each other more.

Their music strategy is weird:
1, The Zune HD is out (as an Xbox fan I may get one) and these things have the Zune software on it but it doesn't look like they would be able to dock with any Zune hardware like the Iphone does to the ipod. (LAME)
2, Having the Zune video market place on the Xbox is cool, but is a very weak integration. Why not the whole Zune market place to handle both music and video, not last.fm. (at least not alone)
3, In fact the Zune software should handle the music and video content on the Xbox.

Back to these phones, I'm suprised that there is no talk about Xbox gaming here (maybe its a secret). and I don't mean touch games only, that's for the casual gamer, I'm talking about games for the true gamer. great release titles.These things need actual gaming buttons as opposed to a keyboard like the PSP Go.Hell maybe they can even develop a cool keypad where the keys raise and fall revealing gaming buttons then a keyboard. Or lighted buttons that swith, similar to the new Rokr.

I just find it funny that microsoft has WinMo phones, the Zune HD and now project pink and they are still wondering what is the best way to get into the portable gaming. (SUPPER LAME)

Imagine if you had to choose between the Zune HD, Project pink, a windows mobile phone that probably has no Zune software and a separate Xbox portable (X-pad might be a cool name).... which would you choose? if that crap happens and not a true, fully integrated device, I'm buying a Mac-book, Iphone, I-TV and hope they include gaming capabilities to it.......................errrr maybe not. lol

[cattbv]

wow !
nice looking

[joebrohoe]

DO NOT GET TMOBILE THEY SUCKKKKKKK