Analyst thinks MS to intro own phone

Jefferies & Co. analyst Katherine Egbert today claimed in an investment note that Microsoft is on the verge of showing its own. The researcher's checks within the industry would have a "Zune-like phone" due within the next two months and is likely to show at a major event, either at Mobile World Congress in February or the CTIA spring show in March. It would actually be manufactured by another company, similar to the rebranding behind the HTC-made Google Nexus One, and would have 720p playback, a 5-megapixel camera and a music store.

No other information is gleaned by Egbert from her contacts, such as carrier deals or pricing.

The note, while confident, appears to contradict both Microsoft's public stance as well as other more detailed leaks. Publicly, it has long insisted that its partnerships with other hardware makers has been one of its greatest assets. Rumors have also had Microsoft simply backing key flagship phones like the HTC Obsession, whose description most closely matches Egbert's phone, but refusing to "bless" one phone as its own.

These slips have also reinforced the belief that the Zune interface will be a major component of the next mobile Windows OS.

Microsoft has tried the self-developed hardware route with the Zune player but has indicated unhappiness with the strategy as it has done little to increase the company's influence on portable media players. [via All Things D]

By Electronista Staff