PlayStation phones a step nearer?

Sony Ericsson has taken the unusual and potentially significant step of dropping the Walkman and Cybershot brands from its range of mobile handsets in favour of a unified entertainment offering. Where is this going to lead, we wonder...?

Previously Sony Ericsson phones were given an alphabetical letter to signify their leading features. ‘C’ and ‘K’ for Cybershot-enabled devices, ‘W’ for Walkman, and so on. Up until now Sony mobiles that also played games fell under the latter banner.

However, as technologies have converged into single handsets and, we guess, mindful of the runaway success of Apple’s iPhone, Sony now deems that using the Cybershot and Walkman names to help brand their mobile products is just ‘wrong’. To which end the company now plans to ditch the old designations in favour of an ‘Entertainment Unlimited’ proposition.

Consumers won’t notice much difference in the short-term. There are still a couple of Walkman-branded phones in the offing. Medium-term there’s the touchscreen-enabled (and iPhone-challenging) Idou (pictured), which boasts a 12-megapixel camera, video, games, music and more.

Beyond all that, well, the way would now appear to be clear for Sony to integrate PlayStation technology into its range of mobiles. Certainly the will is there, with Sony Ericsson president Hideki Komiyama telling the Financial Times that a PlayStation phone “could happen”. Moreover the demand is surely out there for a mobile device that can also play full-sized and well-known games. And wouldn’t a PlayStation phone be a great way for Sony Ericsson to take back a large slice of the market that’s otherwise heading wholesale in the iPhone’s direction?

Anyway, prepare to say goodbye to Cybershot and Walkman branding on future Sony Ericsson mobiles and fingers crossed for a PlayStation-enabled mobile future...