Microsoft will be releasing their own phone version, Pink, from Verizon. This is not connected to Microsoft Phone 7 system which was announced earlier in February 2010. In the expected release the Turtle shows up and so does Pure. The screen size comes to 320×240 for the Turtle’s screen, and Pure’s is 480×320, the same size as the iPhone.
The Pink Phones - Turtle and Pure
Turtle and Pure are likely to be just codenames used in the firmware, does it mean that those will be the shipping names for the product, probably not. In a similary fashion, there are also code names for the “Pride” and “Lion” handsets. This may just be the international versions of the Turtle and Pure phone systems, respectively.
Verizon is expected to be a launch partner for the device, and maybe the exclusive carrier. The branding and marketing for the phone system suggests a joint Microsoft/Verizon launch, butthe opportunity for another carrier to be present isn’t completely out of the question.
The phones aren’t running Windows Phone 7. Maybe they will if it’s hidden behind a different interface. However, almost all rumors around the Pink platform implied that it would be running Windows Phone 7 but again, this appears to be something fundamentally different.
The OS is thought to be based on the Windows Embedded Compact, or Windows CE. This prevailing view would mean Windows Mobile 6.5 or an entirely different OS, even Windows7. Given that the Windows7 OS has proven to be so technicall adept that is not out of the question. Another phone system that could be the basis is Danger. Danger was a phone system which Microsoft acquired in 2008, and it ran a Java-based DangerOS. The Turtle and the Pure phones could be the next-generation handsets of Danger smartphones, also known as Sidekicks.
Source: Gizmodo and The Microsoft Blog
