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.
)