A very reliable source confirmed that a number of Microsoft Smartphones are hitting the streets soon. The Excalibur, like the Q, will run the Smartphone OS with landscape QVGA screen and a QWERTY keyboard in a slim form factor. However the Excalibur will be a quad-band GSM/EDGE phone with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Like the Q, the Excalibur also features side navigation for one handed use, only instead of a jog dial, it possesses an innovative touch sensitive scroll pad with home and back keys. The Excalibur is rumored to be available in the US later this year, however it has not been officially announced, or even confirmed, so a launch date and price, as well as carrier, are still unknown.

Here are some details about the phones:

• ALL of the MS Mobile QWERTY Smartphones that you've heard rumors about will hit the U.S. this year
• The "Excalibur" is definitely a Q-killer. It's smaller than the Q and features quad-band and Wi-Fi. Check out the touch/jogstrip for scrolling and some interestingly placed buttons on the QWERTY keyboard. It's also a non-touchscreen phone, so it's a true MS Smartphone.
• The Q will launch on Sprint by end of year. My source said "a CDMA carrier"--that's not Verizon Wireless, so I filled in the blanks.