If Apple and Google can launch their own smartphones, can Microsoft be left behind? Not likely, if one goes by the internet buzz that the Redmond-based software giant is partnering original device manufacturers and mobile service providers like Verizon to launch a cellphone by mid-2010.

A techie blog site, Gizmodo, broke the news with snapshots of the mobile device, after which cyberspace is being flooded with news that Microsoft is working on an internal project titled 'Pink'.

"We think Microsoft is partnering with a few ODM manufactures to create the Zune-like phone, which includes 720p HD video and at least a 5 mega pixel camera," a senior technology analyst based in Hong Kong told Business Standard on condition of anonymity.