Microsoft bringing secret Project Pink phones to Verizon

Rumors have been circling about Microsoft’s covert Project Pink phones for the past year or so, but with the announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series, many of us following the mobile industry considered the project dead and gone. Now we have word from Gizmodo that Pink lives on — Microsoft is apparently in preparations to launch the platform on Verizon, according to leaked marketing materials.
Only one phone was shown in the materials — the “Turtle” — which resembles an unholy union of the Palm Pre and a Sidekick. A second Pink phone leaked to Gizmodo last September was nowhere to be seen, but it will probably show up sometime after launch. Verizon looks to be a launch partner for the device, and is likely an exclusive carrier. The phone isn’t running Windows Phone 7 Series, may have apps of its own, and appears to be focused on social networking.
To recap: Project Pink was rumored to be an attempt by Microsoft to recapture the glory of Danger’s Sidekick device, which was incredibly popular among young people. MS purchased Danger in 2008, and since we’ve yet to see anything fruitful come from that union, it wasn’t difficult to imagine that they were working on something covertly.
The original assumption was that Project Pink was Microsoft’s iPhone/Android killer smartphone platform — but Windows Phone 7 Series has gone on to serve that function. Judging by the looks of the device, it appears that Microsoft is still aiming for the young Sidekick demographic with Pink.
I can’t help but think that this platform is at least two to three years late for Microsoft. It would have made a bigger impact several years ago — before Android was launched, and before we saw a noble (but perhaps futile) attempt at taking on the iPhone with the Palm Pre. Unless the Pink devices are incredibly cheap, and offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model, there’s little reason for anyone to jump on the platform instead of the iPhone, Android, or Palm’s WebOS devices.
[Image via Gizmodo]
Tags: Project Pink
Companies: microsoft, Verizon