The list of companies rumored to be hard at work on a smartwatch has grown again tonight, as a new report claims that Microsoft is currently cooking up a new piece of wristwear. According to executives at parts suppliers that have spoken to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft asked some Asian suppliers for components that could be used for a touch-enabled watch-like product. One tipster added that Microsoft asked for 1.5-inch displays, while another source claims to have met with Microsoft's research and development team. However, it's not known if Microsoft's interest in a watch-like device will move forward.

Wearable tech, including smartwatches, is a product category that many companies seem to be eyeing as of late. Watches from companies like Pebble and Meta Watch have gained a lot of attention from consumers as of late, and recent reports have suggested that Apple, Google, LG, Samsung and now Microsoft are looking into creating new smartwatch hardware. It remains to be seen which of those companies will actually end up bringing a smartwatch-style product to market, but it'll be interesting to see which ones do release such a device and how those watches interact with the mobile hardware and software that they offer.

In addition to investigating its own smartwatch, the WSJ claims that Microsoft is still testing its own smartphone. While rumors of a Microsoft-made handset have been rumbling for some time now, Microsoft has denied those claims, saying that it has "a strong ecosystem of partners" that it's happy to work with. We've seen companies say that they won't do something and then turn around and do it, though, and it's certainly possible that the same thing could happen with a Microsoft smartphone. Would you try a smartphone made by Microsoft?

Via The Wall Street Journal