Reports surfaced a few days ago that Sony Ericsson would be preparing new phones with Windows Mobile 7 in the next few months. CEO Bert Nordberg spoke with The Wall Street Journal on the company’s plans and direction, assuring investors (and customers) that their support for Android isn’t going anywhere. In a time of uncertainty for Android’s top-tier manufacturers, the support is much appreciated.
When asked if Sony was planning a a wholesale switch to Windows Phone 7, Nordberg said:
At this point I wouldn’t feel comfortable investing in a platform that isn’t as good as the one that we currently use. Therefore we have remained with Android, but I am quite curious about Windows Phone.
Sony isn’t the only one looking to diversify, even if they aren’t broadcasting it. Both Samsung and HTC manufacture Windows Phone 7 devices, with the latter making a considerable chunk of their sales on the relatively new platform. Combine that with Microsoft’s ARM/tablet push in the upcoming Windows 8, and both smartphones and Honeycomb tablets might be seeing some considerable competition from Redmond very soon. The only major manufacturer that absolutely won’t be building anything for Microsoft any time soon is Motorola because… well, you know.
Despite being considerably behind in market share, Sony Ericsson has certainly demonstrated their willingness to embrace Android. The XPERIA line covers a diversity of usage case scenarios: currently they’re preparing the Arc for power users, the ray for the budget-conscious, and the XPERIA Play is a solid choice for mobile gamers. But with the Fightin’ Apple Legal Team And the Microsoft Corporate Raiders ready to pounce on any Android manufacturer that dares to succeed, Sony may be looking to Microsoft platforms as a buffer in the ongoing worldwide patent wars.
[via Tech2]
