Microsoft "Pink" specs leak out: Tegra, Snapdragon, OMAP 3, oh my?
By Nilay Patel 
posted May 12th 2009 3:39PM
posted May 12th 2009 3:39PM
Ready for some more delicious Zune / Windows Mobile rumors after today's June Zune letdown? Well buckle up -- the always-sharp Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says she's got specs for Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, the heart of that rumored "Pink" smartphone, and they're pretty wild. According to the list, Chassis 1 phones will all have 3.5-inch or larger multitouch displays with ARM v6+ processors and OpenGL ES 2.0-compatible graphics hardware, 256MB or more of RAM and 1GB or more of storage, as well as at least a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a compass, and accelerometer. Oh, and glory be -- a 3.5mm headphone jack is required. Here's the kicker, though: NVIDIA's Tegra platform is specifically listed as meeting the core CPU requirements, as well as TI's OMAP 3 platform and "Qualcomm 8k," which sounds to us like Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips. If you've been following along, you know that all three of these (Tegra in particular) have been bandied about as potential Microsoft phone platforms, so it makes perfect sense to us that Microsoft's giving its hardware partners a choice of currently-available high-powered platforms for Chassis 1 -- especially since we've been hearing lots of whispers of hardware based on these chips in the works.Here's the thing, though: we've also always been told that "Pink" is the codename for Zune software and services on Windows Mobile, so something tells us that Chassis 1 phones running Windows Mobile 7 will feature a strong dose of Zune flavoring -- a plan Steve Ballmer's repeatedly confirmed in the past year. So how do we think this all fits together? Well, we'll slightly revise our previous totally crazy, off-the-wall prediction: we think "Pink" is the codename for a new consumer-focused version of Windows Mobile that integrates Zune services, running not only on a touchscreen Zune HD, but on several third-party phones. Are we crazy? Yes, absolutely -- but you've got to admit the pieces are coming together.
Can anyone say DRM, DRM, Hordes of DRM restrictions & limitations everywhere..
Yes...
iPhone
Didn't Balmer say a while back that the key to making a better WinMo smartphone is restricting the number of device manufacturers? With this recent nugget of information that leads me to conclude (speculate) that they will reach an exclusivity agreement with a certain OEM or develop the phone in-house (a la Cupertino) for the Zune branded smartphone all while continuing to allow the regular crop of OEMs for regular WinMo phones. "Pink" will appeal to a wider audience allowing Microsoft to regain some market share. Also, don't expect pink to be fully backward compatible with existing CE - 6.5 apps. Something tells me Redmond's looking to make a fresh start - hmmm....maybe raising capital to purchase an OEM, Motorola's phone devision perhaps?
Don't worry. With all the hype, this "pink" phone will probably SUCK just as much as the current Zune, or anything else made my Microsoft.
If you think the current Zunes suck, then a lot of PMPs must really suck.
Big deal. It will be at least a year from now, before a winmo7 phone is released.
Ahh the fabled "Pink" project details conveniently leaked to the masses after that embarrassing fiasco earlier. MJF, the Einstein of all things Microsoft most likely received an emergency call to leak this information as a way to pacify the embarrassed Zune fans, yes all 12 in Canada and the hundred or so that you can count on Engadget. The specs alone is another affirmation that Microsoft will never deviate from their DNA of being the biggest "me too" company on the entire planet!!!
I swear these guys are all the same person. Engadget should just ban tbh
hows the TEGRA on the iphone?
full of aids, i know.
It feels like forever that I've been waiting for a Tegra Anroid phone. Microsoft might just be able to lure me in if this stuff ships soon.
Whatever it is, it won't be Zune branded. Or at least, it shouldnt be.... http://bit.ly/zunerumor
they should make the os such that it cannot run on low end hardware. then the phone makers would HAVE to make awesome phones! lol
I'm a "Mac guy" and a happy iPhone owner, but honestly--if there was a windows app store that was on par with the iPhone app store (don't see that happening any time soon), I would MUCH rather develop with C#/XNA that Objective-C. XNA is a great framework with crappy distribution (looking at community games, too), while the iPhone SDK is a crappy framework with great distribution.
This will supposedly be based off the Sidekick/Danger platform.
#"and they're pretty wild."
Whats wild? a large touchscreen? ARM11 (ARMv6) or greater CPU? 256MB RAM? Sounds fairly average for future high-end smartphones competing with the likes of the 3GS, Pre, OmniaHD, etc.
# "Here's the kicker, though"
What kicker? It says the device needs to have an ARM11 or better processor, so of COURSE T.I's OMAP3, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, and Nvidia's Tegra would qualify, just as every other ARM11 or ARM Cortex based SoC platform. So what? It means nothing..