Microsoft is building its own smartphone, a new report suggests. It’s currently in the testing phase with Asian component suppliers, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites “people familiar with the situation.”
In an interview with Mashable this week at Microsoft’s Build developer conference, Todd Brix, senior director for Windows Phone Marketplace, said, “We have nothing to talk about our own phone. We’re very happy with all of our partners.”
Microsoft building its own phone makes sense in the context of the Surface, a Microsoft-designed and -manufactured tablet the company unveiled in the summer. Microsoft also managed to keep the Surface a total secret until right before the launch.
Other people involved with Microsoft’s Windows Phone division told Mashable that if the company was indeed working on a phone, that it was being kept even more top secret than the Surface.
Microsoft’s introduction of the Surface has irked some of the company’s hardware partners, and some have even publicly voiced their displeasure over Microsoft becoming a competitor. With regard to mobile, a Microsoft-branded phone has the potential to jeopardize the company’s relationship with Nokia and HTC, both of which have developed hardware specifically for Windows Phone. Nokia has, in fact, tied its very survival to Windows Phone (HTC also makes Android devices).
SEE ALSO: Microsoft Building Its Own Phone? Not So FastThe Journal report says the phone Microsoft is rumored to be testing has a screen that measures between 4 and 5 inches. The anonymous parties who shared this information said the phone may actually be a testing model, with no plans for it to go into production.
It’s not a crazy idea. Microsoft sets much tighter hardware guidelines for Windows Phone than Google does for Android, where varied design and interface overlays are commonplace. Microsoft may be building a phone to serve as a template for the next generation of Windows Phone software rather than a device it actually intends to market.
What do you think about the rumor of a Microsoft-branded Windows phone? Share your thoughts in the comments.
View As Slideshow »HTC has said that the 8X was inspired by the Windows Phone Start Screen, and is designed to look like a live tile if a tile was a physical thing.
With that thought in mind, the phone will be available in a number of different colors – Flame Red, California Blue, Limelight Yellow and Graphite Black – colors that match some of the tile color options available in Windows Phone 8.
Made of polycarbonate, the phone has rounded corners and a curved back, making it easy to hold, and if fact slightly remincient of what a tile might be like. Thinner than a lot of phones on the market, the 8X easily slips in and out of pockets, and at 4.6oz is light enough that it won’t weigh you down.
The corners on the 8X have rounded edges, making the device easy to hold.
The lock screen on the phone can be populated from a number of different places , including your Facebook photos.
The rear of the phone is one uniform pice of polycarbonate with a raisted HTC logo and a small gray icon for Beat audio.
The tiles on the Windows Phone Start screen can be changed on-the-fly to a number of different colors.
Some apps on Windows Phone 8 are currently not optimized for the screen, resulting ina bit of black space on the top of the display.
The new wallet app helps you find deals in your area from places like LivingSocial and Groupon. When you find a deal you like, you can save it to your virtual wallet to easily find and use later.
Tiles can be resized by pressing and holding down on the tile icon. Tapping the arrow on the bottom right of the tile will allow you to resize it, and tapping the push pin icon on the top right will allow you to remove it from Start Screen altogether.
The small icon size is ideal for apps that don't offer live tile information, while the larger size is perfect for apps such as weather and sports that update with live information.
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