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Japanese phone vendors have always had big problems penetrating markets outside their homeland, partly because of the very specific requirements and tight control of Japan's carriers. But Toshiba is about to make its biggest splash to date in Europe, launching the TG01 superphone on Thursday, while Sharp is the center of renewed speculation that Microsoft will unleash its much rumored 'Pink' design, to try to transform the image of Windows Mobile in the face of Android. But Android will not be far behind - the TG01 may be a WinMo phone, but Toshiba will soon follow up with an Android version, while Sony Ericsson is also said to be using the TG01's combination of Android with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor.

The latest Pink story is that Sharp will make a device to Microsoft's specifications and branding, using the upcoming Windows Mobile 7 release, scheduled for mid-2010. Release 7 promises to make significant advances on previous versions, and Microsoft insiders quietly admit it will be the last chance to keep WinMo relevant in the mainstream smartphone space, by following some of the key trends being pursued by Android and Symbian (though open source will not be one of these, of course). Voguish paths Microsoft will pursue, in a bid to stay current, will include tightly integrated web services, according to reports in ZDnet.com, and of course links to the new Windows Mobile app store. Many of the new services will be based on work by Danger, the device maker that Microsoft acquired last year, which was a frontrunner in integrating services and hardware.

A whole new user interface, codenamed Purple, will make the new product look significantly different from devices from other WinMo supporters, many of which have also created their own UIs. Notable among these is LG with its S-Class interface - indeed, given that the Korean vendor has pledged to create 50 WinMo devices within the next 18 months or so, it is perhaps surprising that the Pink will not be an LG product. However, LG's R&D capabilities are directed to its own brands, while it seems that Microsoft wants to boost its own, and the WinMo, brands directly, hence using a more pliant partner like Sharp. Also, AdWeek reports that Microsoft has hired ad agency McCann Erickson to develop a marketing campaign for the Pink project.

Meanwhile, there is some confusion over which carrier will launch the TG01 for Toshiba when it announces its European exclusives this Thursday. Telefonica O2 has been confirmed for Germany and Spain, so it was assumed O2 would also launch the blistering video phone - with 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 4.1-inch TFT resistive touchscreen, using technology from the vendor's REGZA LCD TVs. But then Orange UK put a description of the phone on its web site on Thursday under its 'iPhone alternatives' section - then just as quickly pulled it down.

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