Kyle Wagner - 

Microsoft has tried it everyone else’s way, and Windows Phone still hasn’t made much headway. That could still change, but two separate reports, from WPCentral and BGR, are claiming that Microsoft’s taking the next step and making a phone on its own.

Here are the details from WPCentral:

Information has come forward to Windows Phone Central that demonstrates Microsoft does have their own Windows Phone hardware in the works; in fact, we’ve heard it already exists and is in testing. The source(s) are known to us and not anonymous, though for obvious reasons we must keep them off the record.

The move would be more surprising than it seems, since Microsoft has been pushing Nokia, HTC, and Samsung Windows Phones so hard over the past few months. Combine that OEM cheerleading with its deep Nokia partnership, and Microsoft putting out its own phone starts to seem like either a huge vote of non-confidence or a massive power play for mobile dominance. Or, you know, both.

However, even if these reports turn out to be totally accurate — and that’s far from certain — this does not mean that Microsoft is close to actually making a phone you can buy. It doesn’t even mean it ever will. Just that it’s developing the hardware, and testing it. That’s it.

A Microsoft phone would be pretty exciting, though. Microsoft has shown a startlingly improved eye for design lately, and while no one’s actually been able to set hands on it, the Microsoft-developed Surface tablet looks like it should be very good. So, we’ll see if anything ever comes of this in-house phone, but for now, it at least looks as though it exists. [WPCentral, BGR]