Kotaku: sony ericsson

Nikkei: Sony To Build Gaming Phone

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 MDT

According to Japan's Nikkei business daily, Sony will next month begin the process of designing a "cellphone-game gear hybrid" which it's hoped will give Apple's iPhone a run for its money.

Apparently a "project team" will be set up next month to build an all-new device that combines the functionality of a Sony Ericsson mobile phone with a handheld gaming device.

In other words, a PlayStation Phone, in spirit if not in name.

Not the first time we've seen one of the these rumours, we know, but the specifics and the source make it by far the most plausible of the lot.

UPDATE - Contacted for comment, Sony said...they do not comment on rumour and speculation.

Sony eyes cellphone/game gear hybrid - Nikkei [Reuters]

Sony's New Phone Lets You Stream Media From Your PS3

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:40:38 MDT

Sony may not yet be ready to dive in feet first with a PlayStation branded phone, but the new Sony Ericsson Aino brings some of that "gadget to gadget" magic Sony bossman Howard Stringer teased.

The Aino will let users control their PlayStation 3s using "Remote Play," allowing for across-the-internet streaming of media from your home console to your cell phone. Not bad. While it may not let you play Lair on the bus, it will apparently let you stream movies, music and whatever other media content you may have stored on your PS3 wherever you are in the world.

It's the same tech introduced in PSP firmware 3.50, which actually works rather well.

The Aino also lets some European users enjoy the PlayTV service on PlayStation 3 on their phones. It also does a bunch of things that people expect phones to do now, like take 8.1 megapixel pictures, access Facebook and do the Google. Expect it to hit this year for an undisclosed sum. Full list of specs at the official announcement.

Sound and vision set free with the Sony Ericsson Aino [Sony Ericsson]

Sony: A PlayStation Phone "Could Happen"

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:00:00 MDT

Yup. This again. As Sony's phone partnership with Ericsson runs up record losses, SE boss Hideki Komiyama has again raised the prospect of a PlayStation Phone.

Speaking with The Financial Times, Komiyama says that, as part of his recovery plan for Sony Ericsson (which is bleeding cash), a good idea would be to leverage Sony's brand recognition in the gaming market, and that a PlayStation phone built on SE's current Walkman and Cybershot handsets "could happen".

Hopefully that was just a mistranslation, and Komiyama really said "should never happen, ever".

Struggling handset maker needs to get smart - and fast [FT]

Sony Nixes Playstation-Branded Phone

Brian Crecente — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:00:00 MST

Sony refused to allow Sony Ericsson the use of its Playstation brand for a possible Playstation Portable phone during a pitch to the company's board late last year, Mobile Today reports.

Quoting sources close to the matter, the site says that the decision in December prompted a fallout between Sony and the mobile phone joint venture.

Sony executives told Ericsson that they would only license the Playstation brand if Sony were to make the handset independently. The mobile phone company already uses the Bravia, Walkman and Cyber-shot brand on its phones.

Reached for comment a Sony Ericsson spokeswoman wouldn't comment on the rumor but did say: "In the past, we have been keen that our product proposition lives up to brand promise, and we feel at the moment the technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone."

Sony refuses to allow Sony Ericsson the use of its PlayStation brand [Mobile Today]

PSP Phone Out Next Christmas?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:20:00 MDT

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

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 MDT

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

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:30:00 MDT

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

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:00:00 MST

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

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:40:00 MST

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]