Ready for even more rumors about Windows Mobile 7 and Microsoft's mysterious "Pink" smartphone project? Good, cause we've got a few -- and the first is potentially huge. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley says her best understanding of "Pink" is now that it's a Microsoft-branded phone running a custom UI on top of Windows Mobile 7, developed by what's left of the Danger team and targeted at the Sidekick market. Yep, Microsoft-branded -- as in, the exact thing Microsoft has been denying for ages now. What's more, Redmond wouldn't be letting third parties use this new UI -- Pink would be manufactured only by Sharp or Motorola, who've made Sidekicks in the past. It all makes sense, even if it does feel a bit like MS is knifing its partners in the back -- companies like HTC and Samsung have been equally aggressive in layering their own UIs like TouchFLO 3D and TouchWiz on top of WinMo, but it's another thing entirely to compete against Microsoft itself, especially now that AdWeek says Microsoft's selected an agency to develop a Pink ad campaign. Yeah, things are starting to get a little wild -- we haven't even mentioned the open questions of whether the Zune HD is running Tegra because it's based on Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, or whether Pink will launch on Verizon, or whether Zune will appear on other phones, or... you get the idea. Hey Microsoft -- you want to clear any of this up by shipping some products?

Read - ZDNet
Read - AdWeek

T-Mobile's Sidekicks have been cult favorites stretching all the way back to the original grayscale model -- a device with a design only a mother could love, may we add -- when it launched nearly seven years ago. Though the unusual form factor with the addictive spring-loaded pivoting swivel has largely prevented it from attracting a mainstream audience, the countless teens and twenty-somethings who've latched on to the Hiptop ecosystem have cited many of the same reasons for loving it since day one: an easy, foolproof UI, push email, high-quality customizability, decent web browsing capabilities, and a stellar messaging-optimized layout (remember that QWERTY was little more than a twinkle in most manufacturers' eyes back in 2002).

At its launch, the first-generation Sidekick LX represented a new high end for the franchise -- big shoes to fill for the 2009 model of the same name. Does it live up to the hype? More importantly, could this be the first Sidekick complete enough and robust enough to reach new audiences? Read on.

You still can't order it unless you got in on the pre-sale, but T-Mobile has now confirmed pricing for new customers wishing to pick up a fresh 2009-vintage Sidekick LX: $249. That'll be an after-rebate price on a two-year contract, while existing T-Mobile subscribers will continue to pay the $199 they've enjoyed during the pre-sale so far. Loyalty occasionally pays, it seems.

Sure, T-Mobile said May 13 for the Sidekick LX 2009's official date with destiny, but if they want to start drop-shipping units a few days early, we don't think anyone's going to complain. In-the-wild unboxings certainly seem to back up stories that devices are already being shipped to those who've pre-ordered it ahead of release -- and call us crazy, but we think we prefer these shots to that creepy viral video unboxing from a while back. Enjoy the shots, and if you didn't (or couldn't) pre-order, we might suggest viewing them very, very slowly so they last through to the 13th.

[Thanks, Ed]

Fake corporate-marketing unboxing videos aren't anything new -- some of them are even pretty amazing -- but this latest one from T-Mobile is definitely the skeeziest we've ever seen. Follow along as a sex-crazed Sidekick LX attempts to limit access to his bubbly new owner's "spring break photos," pushes her into watching her "hot friends" play beach volleyball, and lament that he's ended up in the purse rather than her pocket -- yep, the Sidekick LX is the creepy little brother you wish you never had. No wonder she stashes it next to the pepper spray. Video after the break.

Sound familiar? Indeed, this isn't the first time T-Mobile has offered a Sidekick LX -- but much like last year's simply-named Sidekick, the carrier is once again carrying forward branding while totally revamping the hardware. The 2009 edition of the Sidekick LX is thoroughly new and pretty much nails every item on every Sidekick fan's wishlist: GPS, 3G data, an absolutely glorious 3.2-inch full wide VGA display, and super-tight integration with Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. You've also got a 3.2 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, microSD expansion (T-Mobile throws a 1GB card in the box), video recording and playback (including YouTube access), stereo Bluetooth, quadband EDGE, and HSDPA 2100 for high-speed coverage when you're galavanting around Europe. The ace up T-Mobile's sleeve, though, might be Exchange ActiveSync support, which will be coming via the on-device software catalog shortly after launch. It's available for pre-sale to current T-Mobile customers starting today -- everyone else will have to wait until May 13 -- but either way, you'll be paying $199.99 after rebate on contract in your choice of "carbon" or "orchid" finishes. Check out all the snazzy photography below -- and follow the break for our quick first impressions of the phone.

The device itself has already been blessed with an FCC approval of its own, but it turns out that new Sidekick T-Mobile subscribers are patiently waiting for has a secret deep within its pretty shell: the radio guts are sourced directly from Option. We learn from filed documentation that the Belgian wireless specialist has crafted a custom module for the new phone called "Deimos," featuring an onboard Qualcomm MSM7201A core, 128MB of RAM, 256MB of ROM, AGPS, Bluetooth, microSD slot, and a stereo headset jack; HSDPA comes on the 850, 1700, and 2100MHz bands in addition to quadband EDGE, making it a perfect device for globetrotters and domestic 3G lovers alike. Interestingly, Deimos will be compatible with Sidekicks featuring Sharp's choice of 2 and 3 megapixel cameras and either 3- or 3.18-inch displays, but really, once you get above the magical 3-inch mark, who's counting? [Warning: PDF link]

[Thanks, Geert]

Occasionally, Sharp will pass a Japanese domestic market handset through the FCC for global roaming certification, but not this time. No, instead, we're seeing the PV300 -- and as any rabid Sidekick fan knows, Sharp's Sidekicks are referred to as "PV" followed by a three-digit number internally, so yeah, we're thinking this is probably the real deal. Of course, we've had no shortage of legit-sounding rumors in the past few months that there's a new high-end Sidekick on the way to T-Mobile shelves, and indeed, it should come as no surprise that this one is certified for AWS 3G -- the very kind T-Mobile uses -- along with the usual assortment of GSM / EDGE bands. Anyhow, see you shortly, dear Sidekick. Hopefully.

We still don't know whether to call it the Sidekick 2009 or the Sidekick Blade, but either way, T-Mobile's upcoming hiptop has finally been caught on camera, looking just as it did in a survey from last month and later via render. Unfortunately, we can't glean any specs from the image, but the aforementioned questionnaire listed 3G, a 3.2-inch WVGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, and GPS with turn-by-turn navigation. Alright, Danger, you've made us believers -- now give us some official press shots to gaze upon lovingly.

Those Sidekick-crazed hipsters over at Hiptop3 have posted some impressions from a tipster who's purportedly used the Sidekick 2009 / LX 2009 / Blade. Apparently the handset -- which is actually called the "Montreal" by the guys in magenta -- looks just like those leaked images we've spotted before, and has a "more grown up feel" and flush keyboard.The keyboard-centric device is running DangerOS 5.0 (which may or may not be NetBSD based), and has a specialized app to access T-Mobile account info quickly. USB / headphone jacks reside on the bottom of the device, and there's also some new mood lighting. T-Mo will supposedly be marketing this one as the "Sidekick 2009," but that's unfortunately all the intel on sales so far. If the aforementioned deets have your fingers tingling, hit up the read link for even more, and start thinking of ways to pawn off that LX or Slide.

Outside of that dark, grainy, somewhat blurry slide detailing the Sidekick LX 2009, we've had no other images -- renders or otherwise -- to wrap our minds around. Now, we've got this (pictured above, clearly), which is a so-called mockup of the leaner, more streamlined new hiptop. Of course, we aren't about to bet the farm on something as unsubstantiated as this, but couple it with an in the wild shot and you just might make believers out of us.

We're just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable annoucements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather as Redmond attempts to win back the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of consumers infatuated with Android, WebOS, and whatever Apple's got cookin'. Like these supposed 6.5 screenshots above, this time showing what looks like a Marketplace store a la the Zune. We also have CNET reporting today that Microsoft quietly split its Zune team in two on January 22nd: software and services under Enrique Rodriguez, and hardware under Tom Gibbons who just happens to head-up hardware design at Microsoft's Windows Mobile unit. According Rodriguez, "Zune the service needs to transcend Zune the device" adding, "The goal is to make non-gaming entertainment a first-class citizen within Microsoft's business." That includes expanding the Zune service beyond the Zune and onto more devices than just Microsoft's. Or, "a little further out than just in Redmond," to quote Rodriguez directly. While he wouldn't say specifically when it was coming to Windows Mobile, he did say to expect products other than the Zune player to be using the Zune service sometime this year. Now, armed with those Zune-centric WinMo 6.5 screenshots and project Pink leaks, it's not too much a stretch to expect a Zune-like WinMo experience to be detailed in Barcelona. Besides, isn't it about time that Danger made good on that estimated $500 million acquisition?

Read -- CNET interview
Read -- Latest WinMo 6.5 screenshos

If Danger's going to switch up its Hiptop platform strategy in the era of Microsoft ownership, you think that it might be to... oh, we don't know, something even remotely Microsoft-related. Granted, shoehorning Windows Mobile 6.1 onto a Sidekick LX sounds like a match made in hell, but at the very least, they could start with a Windows CE base and attach a bunch of Danger-specific stuff with wood glue until the end result looked familiar to users. Alas, Hiptop3 is reporting its own sources in combination with some telling open job positions and notes from Danger employees to suggest that the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009 -- possibly to be known as the Sidekick Blade -- will actually feature an entirely new kernel based on NetBSD. Our only guess is that this fancy little project started well before the acquisition completed, and in the interest of getting a thoroughly modern, 3G- and GPS-equipped Sidekick into the market as quickly as possible, maybe Redmond begrudgingly greenlighted the remainder of the project. Good on you, Microsoft.

We guess PCD's deal is that they just don't care about the traditional secrecy surrounding product pipelines. The company -- which does nothing more than run interference between carriers and second-tier manufacturers -- chronically leaks its own gear with booth graphics at trade shows, and now they've casually mentioned that there'll be a "couple" new Sidekicks coming to T-Mobile in 2009. It's about time that Danger and Sharp got together to make one of these things with 3G and / or WiFi, so that'd be cool. Also name-dropped is a new version of the Quickfire for AT&T, which seems a bit odd considering the first version just launched and already features 3G, a big touchscreen, and full QWERTY, so it's a bit unclear what they could bring to the table here. Next year, PCD expects to offer some WinMo- and Linux-based stuff (as always) and roll out some of the first devices packing LTE. PCD, we still don't entirely understand your raison d'être, but if you can seriously give us some LTE gear early next year, you've sold us.

[Via Hiptop3]

Belgium's own Omega Pharma is setting out to do something phenomenal -- it's looking to sell a chip that it claims will "counter potentially damaging radiation from mobile phones." The outfit currently sells all sorts of non-prescription products (wart treatments, pregnancy tests, snake oil, etc.) to pharmacists, and it's hoping the E-waves phone chip will totally get the company name on the worldwide map. Reportedly, testing of the device showed that it "lessened symptoms such as headaches and loss of concentration that might be associated with mobile phone use," and if you believe that, it'll also lessen the amount of cash in your wallet by around $50. It seems the unit will launch strictly in Europe at first, but the outfit is ready and willing to produce as many millions as it needs to satisfy the sure-to-be-crazy demand.

[Via phonescoop]