Reports are emerging that Microsoft's 'Project Pink' smartphone project is in trouble, with rumours that the team's employees "hate the product" and that most of the original Danger/Sidekick team acquired by Microsoft in 2008 have now either left or been fired.
Project Pink is (or perhaps, was) meant to be Redmond's first move into the smartphone hardware market, to take on the current market domination of Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry and Palm's Pre.
TechCrunch reports that they were "recently contacted by a source with a seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Microsoft's Project Pink, and what they've shared with us doesn't sound good" noting that, while their source has maintained absolute anonymity, they have "since verified enough of the details with independent sources to believe what they've shared to be true."
The source claims that most of the original Danger/Sidekick team that Microsoft bought for its phone expertise has now either left or been fired, leaving "no braintrust that understands how to build a project."
Staffers using iPhones
They add that many of the remaining team members use iPhones and "hate the product" that they are working on, which is apparently two years behind schedule. The remaining team members also do not have the experience necessary to build a workable third party app store.
Talking about the 'Turtle', the smaller of Microsoft's two devices in development, the source said that its touchscreen was virtually unusable because "your finger covers 50 per cent of the screen".
Of course, it should be restated this is all currently rumour and speculation and could well be the work of a disgruntled ex-staffer.
Via TechCrunch
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healeydave
October 6th 2009
1. Microsoft is a software company period. In recent years they seem to get very twitchy of any tech company that show's signs of success and dominance in a particular field, like they own the monopoly on that.
Microsoft also comes across as a company that runs around like headless chickens tying to stem the growth of any other company by trying to delve into similar products.
They didn't like the likes of Sony & Nintendo dominating in gaming, so they poked their noses in that arena with some success in the Xbox.
They have failed in other attempts like trying to attack ipod with zune.
It looks like they are trying to do the same thing with Smart Phone industry now although thankfully if this article is accurate, they are also failing dismally here too.
What was the other story earlier this year that made us all laugh....Oh yeah that was it, Microsoft opening stores (like Apple).What the hell would they put in there??? Microsoft, repeat after me "we are not a hardware company".
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