Sony chatting with Microsoft about adopting Windows Phone
The electronics giant is at least open to adding Microsoft's mobile OS to its lineup, according to a Sony exec.
Sony apparently has an eye on Microsoft's Windows Phone, at least according to comments made by its mobile chief in Europe.
Speaking with blog site TechRadar, Pierre Perron, head of Sony Mobile Europe, said the company doesn't want to rely on just one single mobile OS. Sony currently sells a line of Android phones. Pointing to Windows Phone, Perron revealed that "we are continuing our discussions with other partners, including Microsoft, as part of our partnership with this company on the broader Sony spectrum."
Perron also told TechRadar that working with Microsoft is an "interesting proposition for us in the PC environment, and we continue our engagement with them. We are exploring this as part of our discussion in mobile space too. One thing is using the platform [Windows Phone] itself, and another is 'what can we deliver on top of it?'"
Perron's boss, Sony Mobile Communications CEO Kunimasa Suzuki, tried to throw water on the fire by telling TechRadar that the company has no plans to offer a Windows Phone device. Perron himself wouldn't offer any specific time frame for when Sony would might sell such a phone and added that the discussions with Microsoft continue to be tentative.
Rumors surfaced late last year that Sony might add Windows Phone to its lineup. In December, news site The Information said that Sony has been talking to Microsoft about offering a Windows Phone handset in mid-2014, citing details from a person involved in the talks and another person briefed about the actual device. The site also claimed that Microsoft has trimmed fees for its software licensing as a way to lure other device makers to its mobile OS.