Now let's try to wrap our minds around this one ... Sprint is going to be announcing a Windows Phone that makes use of WiMax, which is the technology behind Sprint’s 4G network. The logic behind this theory is that Sprint has an event scheduled for January 6 with announcements by Dan Hesse (Sprint’s CEO) and Steve Ballmer (Microsoft’s CEO). Also, Sprint and LG have been sending out invitations to an event scheduled for the following evening; giving possible insight into the identity of the device manufacturer. InformationWeek points out that the January 7 event is being hosted by Brooke Shields, and states that a celebrity of that magnitude isn’t brought in for a small announcement.

To this point, we haven’t seen ANY WiMax-capable smartphones hit the market. We’ve seen rumors every now and again, but nothing solid. If Microsoft could be the first to market with this technology, even over Palm and its current exclusivity with Sprint, this could be a major coup for Microsoft.

[InformationWeek via Boy Genius Report]

The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show seemed to be dominated by Palm's announcement of the Pre but quietly in a back conference room it appears that Microsoft was unveiling it's road map to next week's Mobile World Congress. Smartphonethoughts.com has posted a 20 minute video of a presentation made by Greg Sullivan, Microsoft's Senior Production Manager for Windows Mobile, during the 2009 CES.

In his presentation Sullivan notes that two million Windows Mobile phones in 2008 but what's more interesting is the concept he outlines where Microsoft treats the phone, web and computer as one platform. Where Microsoft is working towards a seamless connection between the three that exposes all the hardware capabilities a Windows phone has. He never refers to it as My Phone but the concept is very similar. Sullivan stresses the desire to link the physical world with the internet several times through out his twenty minute presentation.  You can also get a taste of applications such as Netflix and Microsoft Tag.

Sullivan also offers an update on the new Pocket Internet Explorer release which will include Adobe Flash support. He explains that it will only be available on new devices with no retrofit possible. They considered releasing a .CAB file for existing devices to use but there would too many hardware/software integration issues -- honestly it would cause more pain than joy (a lesson being leared on the Sprint Treo Pro right now, apparently).

While much of what is covered in the presentation may be "old news" today, I think it gives us a good indication that while Microsoft didn't make a big splash at the 2009 CES with regards to Windows Mobile, they aren't sitting on their hands either.

Fresh off his MacWorld coverage, head WMExpert Dieter Bohn is on the ground in Las Vegas, along with our friends at Crackberry and Android Central for the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, and he'll be liveblogging Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote address tonight at 9 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. on the West Coast.

And that's just the tip of the Windows Mobile iceberg. Once CES gets going, Dieter will be sending us the latest and greatest from CES as it happens. What we're hoping for: Some Windows 7 love, possibly a Windows Mobile 6.5 sighting or two, and maybe some new phones. And if we're real lucky, maybe another monkey dance. (From Ballmer. Not Dieter.)

Join us tonight for more furious liveblog action.

We're just two days away from the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that's being held in Las Vegas. Our man on the street, Dieter Bohn, will be there. And when he's not battling the one-armed bandits, he'll be keeping us posted with all the happenings from CES.

We are expecting announcements concerning Windows 7, maybe Windows Mobile 6.5 (if we're lucky), some face time with new phones (and maybe the Mobinnova ICE), and a wide assortment of new applications and accessories from the 2,700 or so vendors that will be in attendance.

It will be Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer's first year as keynote speaker, and he always has something interesting to share. So hit up the widget above and make sure you don't miss out as Dieter liveblogs the speech Wednesday evening.

Be sure to check back often to see what will be unveiled at the 2009 CES.