Oops. Those two pics looks similar, eh? And if we’re not mistaken, Microsoft’s Pink phone is rumored to be made by Sharp. This wireframe for model PB10ZU just hit the FCC looking every bit the “Turtle” device that was leaked last year. Of course, seeing Sharp behind Pink is only natural since it was one of Danger’s manufacturers of choice for the Sidekick — a team wholly ingested by Microsoft a few years ago. Looking through the FCC docs we see that it’s a slider with dual-band CDMA, EVDO Rev. A, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g WiFi. We also see reference to a second model, the PB20ZU (aka, “pure“?), although that model is lacking any detail whatsoever. The tastiest of FCC docs are being withheld by request until March 29th — right in line with a rumored spring launch. Hopefully Microsoft will have more to say about Project Pink and Windows 7 devices here in Barcelona so stay tuned.

[Thanks, Jeremy F.]

Microsoft’s PB10ZU (turtle) and PB20ZU Project Pink phones outed by FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 07:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We weren’t sure things could get any more interesting with Microsoft’s mobile rumor mill, but along comes Zune Boards with some tantalizing findings in the latest Zune software update. First up is the eEndpointFamily files, which lists all the compatible hardware — ZuneHD, for example. Also found, however, were entries for “PmxPure” and “PmxTurtle.” PMX, if you recall, seems to be a reference to Microsoft’s
Premium Mobile eXperiences group, the remnants of the Danger acquisition who have been whispered to be working on Project Pink. As for Pure and Turtle, let’s go back all the way to September 2009, when we first heard those names as the initial Pink duo — there were some supposed renders, too. If that’s not enough, two PMX table entries pointed to a snippet of text stating that “Studio members” can “View and manage pictures and videos taken with your phone at the Studio,” followed by a link that for now redirects to Zune.net. Could the mysterious Project Pink and the oft-rumored “Zune phone” be one in the same, with some “Studio” service for uploading media to the cloud? Is this all some red herring perpetuated by some amused Microsoft staffers? We don’t know, but it’s mean to tug at our heart strings like that, Microsoft, and worse that it makes Mobile World Congress even more painful to wait for. #tmdp

Zune software references rumored Project Pink devices, a video upload service? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pure’s radio range has been taunting would-be US buyers for a while now, so it’s good to see that the company is finally bringing some models over to North America.  We grabbed some playtime with the Pure Sensia at CES 2010, first announced in Europe back in September 2009 and now delivering its 5.7-inch touchscreen, WiFi b/g and FM radio, web-widgets and more to the US market.

Egg-shaped, the Sensia is reminiscent of a grown-up Chumby, with two 15W RMS 3-inch speakers flanging the full-color LCD touchscreen.  The display runs at 640 x 480 resolution and uses a capacitive touch-layer; in practise it’s responsive, bright and easy to use.  Pure also include an RF remote control in the box, which doesn’t require line-of-sight in order to work.

30W couldn’t do much to dominate the CES Unveiled show floor, given the background noise, so we’ll wait until we get a review unit in to judge audio quality.  Where the Euro version gets DAB digital radio, the US Sensia doesn’t get the rough equivalent – HD Radio – though you do still get FM RDS support along with room for 40 FM presets and unlimited internet radio presets.

It’s bigger in the plastic than the press shots might suggest, measuring a full 11-inches across (almost as much as a rugby ball, in fact) and is pretty distinctive with its high-gloss finish; Pure offer black, white, red or yellow variants.  Access to websites like Facebook and Twitter is handy, but we’re not entirely convinced that they’re more usable in this form – despite the larger display – than a similar interface you’d see on a cellphone or smartphone.

The Pure Sensia will arrive in the US later in 2010, priced at $349.

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