Looks like prototype images of the two rumored Project Pink phones have leaked out of Microsoft. Gizmodo posted both the Pure and Turtle devices, confirmed they’ll be made by Sharp, and that they’re going to be aimed at the Sidekick market. So while these won’t be “Sidekicks” per-say, they are the devices that Microsoft expects you current Sidekick users to be interested in. So, what do you think?

via Gizmodo

It’s looking more and more like the next “Sidekicks” won’t really be the Sidekick we know and love. With the purchase of Danger by Microsoft, the team behind the Sidekick has been moved over to a project codenamed Pink. I’ve mentioned this project before, but 9to5mac has some new info on Pink. They’re reporting that the first two devices to come out of Project Pink will be landing in early 2010. The devices will be sliders, so the familiar screen flip will be gone, but they will be manufactured by Sharp like the current ‘kicks. There are two devices rumored to be coming out. Their code names are “Turtle” and “Pure”.

Turtle will be a “squircle” shaped device with a slide out keyboard. The image you see above is a supposed drawing of it. The slide out keyboard will also have a mic so you’ll need to have the keyboard open when you’re making a phone call. The Pure device is more along the lines of a standard candy-bar slider style device. So far no pics of Pure have leaked out yet.

They’re both rumored to be setup to use an App Store model of application delivery and I wouldn’t be surprised if behind the scenes it was the same technology running Danger’s Download Catalog. However probably most controversial news to die-hard Sidekickers: It’s looking like the new devices might be running on Windows Mobile 7. What do you think? Does Microsoft have a chance to jump back in the market or is it too late as everyone jumps ship to iPhones and Android devices.

When Microsoft bought Danger, the speculation of the future of the company and the Sidekick began. It seems like over the last couple of months we’ve started to see some of the direction things may go in. We do know that a lot of the old Sidekick crew has left Microsoft, but we also know that Microsoft was hiring to replace those positions, but nobody really knew for what purpose. Would there be a new Sidekick? A completely different device? Would the technology get rolled into something else? Well, we’ve got some more clues.

According to ZDNet, Microsoft has selected an ad agency for their codenamed project known as “Pink“. From the ZDNet article:

Pink — last I heard — is the codename for a Microsoft-branded phone and set of accompanying premium consumer services being developed largely by the Danger team that Microsoft acquired last year. Pink will build on top of the core Windows Mobile 7 platform, my sources have said, but will look different from other third-party Windows Mobile 7 phones.

They also say:

Microsoft has been keeping close to the vest details about Pink. I’ve heard from my tipsters that there will be one Pink phone manufacturer. Some are saying it’s Motorola or possibly Sharp, both of which have manufactured Danger-based phones. Pink’s “user experience”/user interface, which is codenamed “Purple,” is meant to appeal to an audience not so different from the traditional Sidekick audience.

We can’t imagine how the Windows Mobile will appeal to the “traditional Sidekick audience” but we’re hoping Microsoft does pull it off. What do you think? Would you use a Windows Mobile device if it was similar enough to the Sidekick we know and love?