Possible PlayStation Phone from Sony?

Sony has had announcement after announcement recently. About a month ago, Sony released their PlayStation Move motion controller system, and just a few days ago they announced the price drop of their PSP go mobile gaming device. Now reports are leaking that a new version of the PlayStation Portable is on its way in the form of a smartphone.

Engadget reported that the Sony PlayStation smartphone is already in the prototype stage. Underneath the phone’s glossy exterior, there are a variety of different features. The phone is reported to have a 1-GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and run the Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) OS. From the pictures that Engadget posted, the phone from PlayStation will have a sliding design very much like the design of the PSP go. It will include a multitouch trackpad instead of the analog disc found on the PSP. It is said that the PlayStation Phone won’t use Memory Sticks like other PSP models. Engadget says that it will instead support a microSD card. The prototype picture shows the phone with a Sony Ericsson logo, but as of right now, the phone does not show any PlayStation branding.

Right now, Sony will not confirm any details or really even the existence of the Sony PlayStation Phone. Last month Shaun Himmerick, the executive producer at Netherrealm Studios and the developer of Mortal Kombat, described a new device that he referred to as the “PSP2.” Himmerick said that Netherrealm Studios currently had a “PSP2” in their hands. He said that it “looks like it's a pretty powerful machine.” Just like Sony has not confirmed the existence of the PlayStation Phone, they also have not confirmed anything about the PSP2.

When Peter Dille, the senior vice president of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, was questioned about the PlayStation Phone he of course would neither confirm or deny anything about the existence of the device. He did in fact say though that Sony’s portable game system was definitely due for a change sometime soon. He said that the lack of cellular data connection could quite possibly be holding back Sony and their portable gaming system.

“The PSP is a Wi-Fi device,” said Dille. “People are used to having always-connected devices.” Sony’s devices are designed to last. Their home game consoles have a lifespan of about 10 years, says Dille, and the PlayStation 3 should last at least that long. The issue is that after six years, the PSP just might not hit the 10 year mark. “The portable market moves so fast,” said Dille. The PSP is now being put up against hand-held game systems that allow users to call, text, and access thousands of games and apps.

The PlayStation Phone definitely sounds fascinating. Unfortunately, until Sony makes some kind of statement, all of this information about the device is speculation. It is encouraging though to see pictures and hear specific details about the possible device from Sony because it makes it that much more plausible that the PlayStation Phone could be a reality. I guess for now we’ll just have to keep our eyes and ears open for more information about this possible exciting new development from Sony.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness: Worth the $1,000 Price Tag?

Ok so what type of features would warrant you to drop $1,000 on a cell phone? Well if you purchased the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness then you must be all about being able to make a call, and basically just that. The Pureness doesn't have the hottest new gizmos and features that you would expect a new age phone to have like a camera, high resolution display, or even a premium feel and no 3G either. The UI on the Pureness is probably the simplest incarnation possible of Sony Ericsson's platform. The phone does have an FM radio though with attached headset and a basic music player and browser.

Right about now you may be wondering what, if anything, does the Pureness have that is cool or interesting? How about a transparent liquid crystal LCD screen? That's right, the Pureness is the world's first mobile phone to feature a screen like this. Sony's goal behind this phone is to strip it of all "unnecessary functions" and takes it back to the essential needs of talk, text and time. Oh, the phone also comes with 24 hour concierge service. Apparently the service will provide its members support for any and all lifestyle requests in cities all across the globe. Sony Ericsson also boasts that their service is the first truly localized global concierge service in the world.

"We are very proud to be launching such a beautifully designed phone with premium retail partners Sony VIP Shopping Service and Saks Fifth Avenue and we're looking forward to delivering many more exciting new phone concepts from our Xperia brand." according to head of PR for Sony Ericsson North America Stacy Doster. President of Saks Direct Denise Incandela goes on to say "We love to offer our customers beautiful, high-quality products and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Pureness phone embodies the sophisticated type of technology our fashion customer appreciates. We're excited to be the exclusive retailer launching the phone in the US." Aha! So the truth is out, this is a fancy rich person's phone!

Whether or not this is a "rich person's phone" or not is neither here nor there. If you have around $1,000 to drop on a cell phone and you actually prefer a more simplistic design then the Xperia Pureness is definitely the phone for you. I just don't see it being one of 2010's hot sellers. You can buy the Pureness now from Saks.com or the Sony VIP Shopping Service.

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Sony Ericsson's Saito Sales Suspended

The two biggest mobile phone retailers in the UK, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U, have suspended sales of Sony Ericsson's leading Saito phone after an unusually high number of customers returned their mobile devices to the stores with complaints of software glitches. One of the biggest problems consumers had was the fact that the device would power itself down when people tried to access certain applications. This specific issue deals with a software problem which doesn't allow it to be fixed with an over-the-air-patch. According to Sony Ericsson, a "fairly low" number of phones have been returned in comparison to the amount of phones sold.

Senior Marketing Manager of Sony Ericsson Richard Dorman expects the company to have all the problems fixed by Christmas. He went on to say that despite the number of returned devices, the company will not suspend their high-profile marketing campaign that features people using the device's 12 megapixel camera to take pictures on spacehoppers. This decision by the two independent retailers to cease sales of the phone is a serious blow to to Sony Ericsson, especially with the holiday season and Black Friday coming up.

"This is the last thing Sony Ericsson needs right now. It's a disaster." said CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood. Wood also made a point to say that the company, which is Japanese-Swedish based, has struggled with quality issues in the past and that software problems are becoming more common for mobile phone makers that are under immense pressure to produce complex handsets in an effort to remain competitive. However, the Saito isn't the only mobile to suffer from problems after launch. The original BlackBerry Storm and the Nokia N97 both suffered from some problems at launch as well.

These software glitches come as sad news for the company mainly because the Saito had been selling well due to a large customer attraction to the device's high quality camera. "Sales of the product have been very strong and we expect them to remain strong once the problem has been fixed." stated Dorman who went on to say that the phone will still be available from it's mobile phone partners Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile. Both Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U agreed to offer customers exchanging their faulty Saito a new phone. A speaker for Carphone Warehouse stated, "From time to time we experience issues with new handsets, and their software, which may result in a customer experience that is below our usually high standards." Both Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U say they will work closely with Sony Ericsson to do all they can to fix the problems and restock the handset as soon as possible.

Over the last year and a half, Sony Ericsson has struggled. They have since reported a 199 million EUR loss in the third quarter and its market share has dwindled to around 5%. In addition to this, 2,000 job cuts have been reported on top of 2,000 job losses from last year. With the launch of the X10 next year, Sony Ericsson hopes to return to profitability. The X10 will be Sony Ericsson's first handset based on Google's Android operating system.