Sony Ericsson is to work more closely with their Japanese parent, and will still be making handsets powered by Symbian despite a focus on Android, Microsoft’s Windows and their proprietary OS, according to UK MD Nathan Vautier in an interview with Mobile.
Refusing to be drawn on the existence of the oft-rumoured ‘Playstation Phone,’ Vautier (pictured left) reinforced the renewed synergy between of Sony Ericsson with the technology giant, with a view to sharing content, branding and even connectivity in future:
“I can say that our relationship with Sony will continue to get closer and stronger. There is a huge amount of excitement at the possibilities. It is about how we can use each other in the right way.”
Still with a strong direction towards developing multitasking smartphones, Vautier aims to leverage Sony’s position as a distributor of music, movies and media, integrating functionality into future devices:
“[We want to make our phones] the most entertaining. To do that we need to use content in the right way, and one thing we have within our family is the wealth of content that Sony has.”
Sony’s eStore – supporting their eReader with thousands of the latest books in digital format as well as over 1 million public domain titles – is another resource that Sony Ericsson aims to tap into on future handsets.
Regarding the current winter line-up, the XPERIA X8 is still on the way for a Q4 release, as is the Sony Ericsson Yendo – a touch driven Walkman device.
Both of these handsets underline the Sony Ericsson MD’s insistence that Android is the manufacturer’s primary focus moving forward, developing both flagship and mid-range devices powered by Google’s mobile operating system.
“Android is where we feel we can drive and bring a lot of exciting products to market, so it is the core platform for us.”
An interesting perspective, as Android has successfully taken the XPERIA brand from high-end ‘designer’ label to Sony Ericsson’s driving device range across a number of price points, and a continued investment on the platform may mean all that time and energy developing the extensive TimeScape and Mediascape customisation may really pay off in future devices…
Tags: android, sony, Sony Ericsson, Xperia X8, Yendo
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