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Sony has a Windows Phone, leak suggests

Is Sony -- formerly Sony Ericsson -- preparing a Windows Phone to join its current Android line-up and rival the Nokia Lumia 800?

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Leaked shots of three new Sony phones reveal something interesting: one of the phones, pictured above, appears to have Windows Phone buttons. Is Sony -- formerly Sony Ericsson -- preparing a Windows Phone to join its current Android line-up and rival the Nokia Lumia 800?

Mobile blog NokiaWP.net shows off photos of handsets labelled as prototypes. Two are Android devices, but the third is apparently running Microsoft's Windows Phone software. If it is indeed a Sony Windows Phone -- and not a phony Windows Phone, chortle -- it'll be the first from the Japanese giant.

The Windows Phone still bears the Sony Ericsson brand, which suggests it could be an older project: Sony recently spent the thick end of £1bn buying out Swedish company Ericsson from their decasde-long partnership. The first result of Sony's solo business is the hotly anticipated Sony Xperia S, expected to arrive in March.

Sony Ericsson last experimented with Microsoft's operating system back when it was still called Windows Mobile, with phones such as the Sony Ericsson Aspen.

Forthcoming phones from the company formerly known (by us) as Son Eric include the device codenamed Nypon.

Sony's new line-up, whatever they are, will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress next month, the annual phone fiesta where phone-furnishers gather to show off their wares for the year. We've already packed our bags, exchanged our Euros and powered up our pencils ready to take MWC by storm, so keep it CNET UK for all the latest phone news and reviews in the coming weeks.

Would Sony be on the right track with Windows Phone, or is it a massive mistake to be in bed with both Microsoft and Google? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Image credit: NokiaWP.net