Originally a rumor downplayed by many, Microsoft’s Pink seems to be shaping up to be a bigger deal that might be closer than we imagine. Even after Ballmer himself repeatedly denied them, news about the smartphone just keeps coming up. Earlier, ZDNet got heavy into the action, publishing what they are surmising will be the guts of the upcoming unit.
They’re calling it the Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1 and will be the first device to house Microsoft’s expected update to their mobile platform. ZDNet couldn’t confirm whether it will be a phone or a Zune follow-up, although an earlier Twitter message from a Microsoft rep indicates a potential competition to the iPhone and Palm Pre.
According to ZDNet, the upcoming handset will likely be sporting an ARM V6+ processor, Open GL ES 2.0-capable GPU (which most people are assuming to be the Nvidia Tegra) and 256MB of RAM. Display is expected to be a touchscreen affair, with 3.5 inches of screen real estate and 800 x 480 resolution. Other specs include 3.2 megapixel optics (plus a possible second camera for video calling), GPS, light sensor (for adjusting the display based on ambient lighting), 3-axis compass, accelerometer, USB and 3.5 mm audio jack.
Since this is a Windows Mobile 7 release, I don’t expect the handset anytime soon – we don’t even have a single phone running on 6.5, after all. Despite earlier unofficial announcements of a possible July unveiling, I think most people are being too optimistic. While I do expect Microsoft to roll out a Zune Phone or “Pink” or whatever it will be called, don’t pin your hopes up on it coming until after 2009 is over.
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