Microsoft’s Pink “Turtle” crawls its way through FCC

An amphibious creature has been caught sneaking in the Federal Communication Commissions by ZuneBoards.com which has been identified to be strikingly similar to a device that’s hot in the minds of everyone following Windows Mobile 7 and the Zune, the rumored Project Pink “Turtle” phone.

Using CSI-caliber pixel forensics, the details from the FCC filing diagram match feature-for-feature to the renders of the device leaked by Gizmodo last year. Sharp who has submitted this application and is also manufacturing the device was also responsible for producing the Danger Sidekick device which Microsoft acquired.

Besides the device being identified as a “slide dual-band CDMA phone with Bluetooth/WLAN” and having passed FCC authorization so it won’t melt the brains of its users, not much else can be gathered from this sighting, like it’s USB ID. Nevertheless, I’m sure Microsoft will have more to say about this pebble phone in the days to come.

19 insightful thoughts

  1. Please tell me they’ll also release something resembling the ZuneHD, because that think looked ugly.

    Long, do you know if the Australian hiptops are also owned by Microsoft?

    Either way though, the hiptop’s do really well here – I see many more of them then iPhones. If Microsoft market it right, they could be onto another winner here (Not that its probably going to be any good)

    1. @Tom, I realised that after posting it.

      They were still pretty big when they came out (but that could have been the free myspace/facebook) and if this can provide a similar plan, well its probably going to be just as big – which could pose a threat to the iPhone.

      Especially if this comes with a full version of Windows Mobile 7. It’ll run all of the apps, suck the teenagers in, then went it comes to getting a new phone – they’ll stick with the Windows Mobile brand so as they get to keep their farmville score or whatever the trend will be.

      Personally, I thought the hiptop was rubbish feature wise and there’d be no way I’d get one. Obviously I haven’t used this phone yet, and the exact size is a little hard to comprehend thanks to the skewing of the image, but it remind’s me of this Nokia phone:

      http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h628.htm

      There’s just something offputting about squarish phones

  2. if this is truly a phone marketing to young and physicially mobile users, its shape is appropriate as it will easily fit in a pocket. in good design, form should follow function. what is considered ugly or beautiful depends on how much you like it, which is determined by the significance it has for you, which depends on what it does for you/how you use it, rather than some arbitrary standard.

    if the plans for windows phone are what they seem to be, it means msft 1. will go after a new and growing market with this youth phone 2. already has the cloud services (the relevant live. services) users can connect to.

    1. Herd Mentality. If everyone els says its uly then others will follow. 😉

      I, personally think it could be appealing to teens. Afterall, all it has to be is fun, cuz I doubt their needs for Exchange/Sharepoint support and if it comes with some parental tools like xbox/win7 has, then aall ms needs is some marketing.

      c’mon folks think ouside the box and step out of your arrogant/snobby selves. Elitism is so Apple.

  3. Another design disaster… who the fugly wants a slide out keyboard when touch screen keyboards are so sharp and responsive? like apple and htc/android NOT to mention the shape!!! Come on Microsoft.. I had really high hopes this time round with WinMo7 and online renders of the ZuneHD styled phone. Job’s must be laughing?. I understand trying to make something different but this isn’t it. I hope this is just to throw us ALL off the real “Pink” project. If NOT another Microsoft launch eats the dust of freight train moving Apple and Android.

  4. A MWC has just that posted a picture of white stickers covering Windows promo stage materials in Barcelona. With the aid of some photoshop wizardry they have uncovered it to say “series” i.e. Windows 7 “series” hopefully the phone displayed above will have something alot better to accompany it on the big day. http://www.engadget.com/

  5. This is a flat out design disaster. Peter, even if it is great for mobile users (fits in the pocket just perfect) most will never know, because they won’t ever buy one.

    The thing that is disappointing about this design is that it really appears to be a design that I think would be considered near universally ugly. And it already seems dated. It was like they couldn’t afford a designer for this project and just dusted off an old design.

    I’m generally an MS supported (still using a Treo 800w until I see the WinMo7 phones), but this has me utterly disappointed. Not in a small “this isn’t right for me”, but in a big “MS looks like they really don’t get it”.

    1. I think you’re a snob. How’s that for judgement? ;0)

      Seriously, you act like this IS wm7 because you somehow got a sneak peek or something? You know nothing about this. Are you suggesting that Turtle/Pure are the only wm phones to exist moving forward?

      The current rumors is that it’s mainly geared towards teens… i don’t think their tastes are going to be as refined and elegant as yours… I don’t think they’ll be as elitist as you as long as it’s FUN. (well, of course, they’ll have to be inexpensive and parents are willing to buy them).

      Outdated? I’ve only really seen a Palm version currently being marketed to women. Who cares. Don’t buy it and wait for the other form factors and models to be revealed before you declare “MS Doesn’t Get it”

      I think people just love crapping on MS even before there’s a real reason to do so. The turtle/pure phones look like they’ll be simple and if there’s something the MS E&D division has been doing with their stuff is allowing us to customize it. Xbox faceplats, Zune Originals.. so, maybe they’ll be something for the tweens to look forward to.

      Sheesh!!! Relax people. Don’t buy that there turtle.. m’kay.

      (personally, I may buy the pure if there’s an FM tuner/Zune and gaming to tide me over until the alleged mega-pocket supercomputers are readily available)

  6. @anongrumpdude im young enough to know that teens have iPhones and even the ones that cant possibly afford iPhones have touchscreen whether it be LG or another manufacturer. “Turtle’s” pull out keyboard and design is DATED there are NO if’s or buts about it.

    Yes I agree this is aimed at a specific market and a younger one maybe (you do not 100% know this) but this really is from what I see and 90% post responses show here are that its FUGLY regardless of its target audience.

    As for hating on MS. I am a MS Professional and work with many of there products professionally and personally and would go as far to say I am an MS evangelist and really like the quality transformation in the last 3 years. I like my opinion and to truly say when ” i feel” they have it wrong. Most readers of istartedsomething (awesome blog, good job Long Zheng) are MS fans not haters. Unlike iFanbois we dont all bow our heads immediately.

    1. “”Turtle’s” pull out keyboard and design is DATED there are NO if’s or buts about it.”

      Ah, it’s good that we finally have decisive word from a recognised authority on this.

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