Sony to buy out Ericsson?

[Larry-G]

If you've been a little disappointed by Sony Ericsson's recent handsets, things could be about to change. A mole has leaked info saying Sony is looking to buy out Ericsson and regain complete control of its mobile phone division.

So what would this mean for us? Well it could mean Sony's handsets become more integrated with its other consumer electronics offerings, like its TVs, Blu-ray players, and -- yes -- its PlayStation 3. Could we be about to see a true PlayStation phone?

The Wall Street Journal reports Sony Corp. is nearing a deal to buy out Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson's stake in their joint mobile phone venture. The paper credits the info to "people familiar with the matter."

It says Sony's aim is to integrate its smartphone operation with its tablets, handheld games machines, and computers, to save money as well as offer a more complete ecosystem to customers.

The talks have been on and off for some time though it seems, and according to the paper, they could "break apart at any time."

Sony Ericsson was launched in 2001, and is currently the world's sixth largest mobile phone manufacturer.

It'd certainly be interesting to see what Sony could do if freed from Ericsson. Its most recent attempt to align its mobiles with its wider portfolio, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, was criticised for being top-heavy and only offering PlayStation One games, so it'd be great to see a proper PlayStation phone. Especially given the iPhone's dominance in portable gaming.

Would you like to see Sony-branded handsets? And if so, what would you like to see from them? Let us know

 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/sony-to-buy-out-ericsson-50005539/