When Microsoft unveiled the name of its new mobile-synchronization service, My Phone, the first thought that sprang to my mind and others was the rhyme. When you say the name, it sounds a lot like iPhone. Was this Microsoft's attempt to benefit from the iPhone's brand?

Not at all, says Microsoft mobile chief Andy Lees, the senior vice president of the company's mobile communications business. In fact, he insisted in an interview last week that the similarity hadn't even occurred to him before. I'm still not sure if Lees was joking with me, but for the record, and for your entertainment, this was our exchange on the subject.

Q: My Phone does rhyme with iPhone. Were you wary of doing that, or was that part of your plot?

Lees: No, no. My Phone is a feature. It's not even a brand, it's a feature. I didn't even notice it before you said it.

Q: You didn't notice the rhyme? (Laughing.) Oh, come on. You guys didn't have deep internal discussions about the fact that it rhymed with the main product of one of your main competitors? 

Lees: No.

Q: You're being serious?

Lees: It's not a brand. The brand is the Windows Phone. It has a feature on it that is My Phone. And the reason for that is that you'll go onto the Web and you'll see your phone. The other thing about that is that we want to make sure it's your stuff, and so my stuff on My Phone for my life. That's why.

Q: Well, now that I've brought it to your attention, are you having any second thoughts?

Lees: (Laughing.) No.

(We'll have the full interview with Lees in an upcoming post.)