PSP Phone Out Next Christmas?

Earlier we posted what we thought could be the "PlayStation Phone" — which was more phone than PlayStation. This Sony Ericsson "gaming phone" does not carry the PlayStation brand, which is something many analysts found strange. Elsewhere business site Marketing Weeks writes about the rumored PlayStation phone Sony is apparently working on:

It is thought the phone will incorporate elements of the PlayStation Portable (PSP). It is understood the phone could hit the shelves in time for Christmas 2009... Sources in Japan and Korea say Sony is working on converting the current PSP model into a phone. Analysts say it would be “relatively easy” to convert the current PSP as it already incorporates wi-fi.

According to Marketing Week, the reason why the Sony Ericsson phone does not carry the PlayStation brand is that Sony would "never give its PlayStation branding" to Ericsson after learning from its "strategic error" of giving the Walkman brand to Ericsson. What's more, relationship between Sony and Ericsson is "frosty." Burrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Sony plots gaming phone with PlayStation branding [Marketing Week via MCVUK] [Pic]

This Might Just Be The PlayStation Phone

Sorry. The "PlayStation Phone". Because it's a lot more phone than it is "PlayStation". Letdown. Pictured above is the Sony Ericsson F305 phone, first in their new "F" series of devices, due for release later this year. The Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog - source for this info and the pics - believe the "F" stands for "fun", because the phone not only features motion-controlled gaming, but also boasts the familiar "O" and "X" buttons, as well as a PlayStation control pad icon, suggesting that gaming is going to be made a primary feature of the line. If this is as PlayStation phone as Sony are willing to go (and it probably is), it's a smart move - actually branding the thing a PlayStation Phone, and going all-out on the gaming side of things, may not have been the smartest thing to do to the brand.

Sony Ericsson F305 is for fun and games [USEB, via Gizmodo]

Sony Phones To Feature Motion-Sensitive Games

Yay, more Sony phone talk, and this time without even mentioning the word "PlayStation"! According to Pocket-Lint, Sony Ericsson have signed a deal with GestureTek, whose motion-sensing software powers stuff like the EyeToy. The deal will have a similar version of said software running on Sony Ericsson phones around September, and via the handset's cameras, will allow the phones to play motion-sensitive games. Two titles currently mooted to appear for the new capabilities are a Super Monkey Ball game and a Crash Bandicoot title (pictured). Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to increase the probability of a PlayStation Phone being announced later this year up a few percentage points.

Sony Ericsson to launch new gaming phone range [Pocket-Lint, via Gizmodo]

The Best PSPhone Mock-Up We've Seen So Far

Is a PlayStation phone in the works? Oh, absolutely. Or not. We've gone back and forth so many times with quotes from gabby Sony Computer Entertainment Europe execs that we're totally confused at this point. But the rumor that a PSP capable of making a phone call—that isn't via Skype—keeps popping up. Most recently, a blurb in Sony Magazine hinted that such a device was in the works, even pointing to a February release date. Good luck with that.

If a PSPhone does exist, this mock-up is one of the better ones we've seen. The scan, courtesy of NeoGAF member metalmurphy, is clearly labeled as fiction, with the article estimating that such a product has a 35% chance of coming to market. Pretty, yes, but maybe we're just distracted by the Millenium Falcon. A PlayStation Phone, while not a terrible idea, won't be replacing my iPhone any time soon.

Sony Ericsson PSPhone [NeoGAF]

Sony Won't Shut Up About The Damn PlayStation Phone

The gang at Sony and Sony Ericsson are almost definitely working on some sort of PlayStation branded phone. It might even be announced in February. At least, that's what we've been led to believe, despite SCEE boss David Reeves smokescreen denial of its existence. Now, Sony Computer Entertainment co-COO Jim Ryan is telling the Economic Times that it's "definitely plausible", indicating that the company is pursuing the idea actively. He calls a console phone convergence "hugely intellectually seductive."

Ryan curiously says "PlayStation almost enjoys cult status" amongst the 200 million-plus who have purchase PlayStation consoles, envisioning a product that is primarily a gaming device and secondarily a phone.

Sony to introduce Playstation phone [Economic Times via CVG]