Sony is a company that is well known for its association with Android but, as was rumored last month, it is thinking about expanding its portfolio and could even launch a Windows Phone. Speaking to TechRadar, Sony has now confirmed that it is in talks with Microsoft.
“We are continuing our discussions with other partners, including Microsoft, as part of our partnership with this company on the broader Sony spectrum,” said Pierre Perron, head of Sony Mobile Europe.
But what could this mean? From what Perron says, it looks like it could be about more than just producing handsets.
“We are exploring this as part of our discussion in mobile space too. One thing is using the platform itself, and another is ‘what can we deliver on top of it’?”
Quite what this means is unclear, but it could be a reference to producing a customized version of Windows Phone. This is a very common practice with Android, so it would be interesting t see something similar on Microsoft’s mobile platform.
Perron is savvy, and understands not only the importance of branding, but also the value that users place on choice. “We don’t want to be a single OS manufacturer, I don’t think it’s a viable position in the long term. We enjoy very much a good collaboration with Google, we’ve been working with them for a long time and have a level of maturity with that discussion, that’s good. But at the same time, Google has a relationship with direct competitors.”
Would you like to see a wider range of companies manufacturing Windows Phone handsets? Do you think the development of Windows Phone has been stifled by Nokia dominance in the market?
