Microsoft is working with component suppliers in Asia to test its own smartphone design, people familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal. Officials at some of Microsoft's parts suppliers said the company is testing a smartphone design, but it's unclear whether it plans to mass produce a phone.
The device in testing has a 4-5 inch screen. In an interview with the paper, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer declined to comment on whether Microsoft would make its own smartphone, saying only that it was "quite happy this holiday" to go to market with Windows phones from Nokia, Samsung and HTC.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said two weeks ago on a conference call that he would welcome a Microsoft-made phone because he believed it would be a "stimulant" to sales for all companies making Windows Phone devices.
