Microsoft Launches Own-Brand Smartphones April 12

Microsoft is about to introduce its very own attempt at smartphone, its own-branded phones, hitherto developed by the top secret Project Pink team. We’re learning that the phones are set to be introduced next week, though they won’t be called Pink. They are being described as robust QWERTY-enabled messaging devices with social networking features that will be aimed at younger users. Expect them to be called Turtle and Pure. We think the two Project Pink phones will make use of some of the technologies Microsoft acquired when it got its claws on Sidekick manufacturer, Danger. Reuters tells us the new Microsoft phones will be made by Sharp, who also used to make Danger’s devices. These phones are also likely to use Zune software for media management and run on some form of Windows Mobile OS, but we have to ask, will these devices seriously be good enough to regain the mobile OS market from Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android or Research In Motion’s BlackBerry? As Reported By: Reuters