ZDNet: "Pink" could be a Microsoft-branded phone

ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley reports that Microsoft has chosen well-known ad agency McCann Erickson to develop a campaign for its "Pink Project," which Foley says is a code name for a Microsoft-branded phone. McCann Erickson is responsible for the company's current Windows Mobile ad campaign.

The device, Foley suggests, is being developed largely by the group from Danger, which Microsoft acquired in April of 2008, and is based on Windows Mobile 7 but will look different than other Windows Mobile 7 devices. Foley's tipsters tell her that Motorola and Sharp are both possible manufacturing partners and that the device will appeal to fans of the Danger Sidekick.

Considering all of Microsoft's denials as to it having any plans to build its own phone, it seems more than possible that the "Microsoft branding" of this supposed device could be no more than what we've seen on the T-Mobile G1 and other "with Google" branded Android handsets. For example, the device could, in theory, be called the "Motorola Pink, powered by Microsoft" or with some similar wording, and that would still qualify as being Microsoft branded without being a device built and sold directly by the company.

In any case, all of this is complete speculation at this point.