Microsoft rebrands SkyBox to rhyme with “iPhone”?
Microsoft is expected to unveil its mobile cloud sync service known as SkyBox at the Mobile World Congress event in Spain later this month. Only it apparently won’t be called SkyBox, but rather “My Phone,” if a site that briefly went live today is any indication.
The site, oddly found at getskybox.com, offered up details about Microsoft My Phone, a service that “syncs information between your mobile phone and the web,” according to the screenshot captured by Engadget Mobile. The URL is no longer working, but several other sites also reported seeing the page.
As shown in the screenshot, other details for the service include:
- Backup and restore your phone’s information to a password-protected web site
- Access and update your contacts and appointments through your web account
- Share photos on your phone with family and friends
Yes, it sounds a bit like Apple’s MobileMe service, but also to some extent a few other services Microsoft has, like Live Mesh. And, when said out loud, it’s hard to associate Microsoft My Phone with anything other than the device from one of its fiercest rivals, Apple’s iPhone. It’s an odd branding choice.
SkyBox was just one of the rumored announcements from Microsoft at WMC. Also in the cards may be SkyMarket, Microsoft’s take on a mobile application store. And SkyLine, a SkyBox for small business users. No word on what either of those will be called, but if SkyBox is now renamed, it’s probably a decent bet that one or both of those have been as well.
Update: Microsoft has now officially put up the My Phone page. Expect more details at MWC.
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About the Author, MG Siegler
MG Siegler writes about technology trends and new media for VentureBeat, with a focus on mobile topics, social elements and key news stories. Before that, MG wrote about technology on his blog, ParisLemon. Originally from Ohio, MG attended the University of Michigan where he studied film. He's previously lived in Los Angeles where he worked in Hollywood and in San Diego where he did web development. He now lives in San Francisco.