Gizmodo: playstation phone

Sony Ericsson Claims PlayStation Phone "Could Happen"

Mark Wilson — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:47:25 EDT

It may or may not be wishful thinking on the part of a struggling company, but Sony Ericsson president Hideki Komiyama claims that a PlayStation phone, similar to the existing Walkman and Cybershot phones, "could happen". [FT via Kotaku]

The PlayStation Phone Was Blocked by Sony?

Mark Wilson — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST

In one of those moments when you realize Sony is indeed a Jupiter-sized, 5000-tentacled robot, it appears that Sony may have refused to let Sony Ericsson use PlayStation branding for their phones.

It's been no secret that Sony Ericsson has been working on a PlayStation Phone, and now Mobile Today is claiming that Sony reviewed Sony Ericsson handsets in December and refused to share the powerful brand name. As the story goes, sources from Sony proper claim that it's an issue with giving anything but a pure Sony phone the PlayStation stamp. Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson publicly commented that "we feel at the moment the technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone."

Whatever the case, it's looking a lot like the PlayStation Phone is dead in the water. Again. [Mobile Today via Engadget]

The PlayStation Phone Patent

Mark Wilson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:21:38 EST

We've heard rumblings about a PlayStation (or PlayStation Portable) Phone by Sony Ericsson for some time now, but this is the first time that we've actually seen what one might look like. Filed back in 2006, this patent application features a touchscreen with haptic feedback (yeah, like the iPhone) that can transform the button layout from phone to PSP just by turning it. Here's what the application had to say:

In another embodiment there is presented a system and method of reconfiguring the graphical user interface (GUI) of a mechanically vibrated touchscreen display associated with a portable mobile communications device that is operable in a variety of modes. An orientation sensing mechanism senses whether the portable mobile communications device is currently in a portrait or landscape orientation and accesses an orientation profile that associates each mode of operation with either a portrait or landscape orientation. A list of modes of operation associated with the sensed orientation of the portable mobile communications device is presented to the user. The user is prompted to select a mode of operation from the list. Input indicative of a selected mode of operation is received and the GUI of the mechanically vibrated touchscreen display is reconfigured for the selected mode of operation associated.

Ahh, there's nothing like a huge quote of patentspeak to get the blood flowing on a Friday morning. Am I right? [patent via kotaku]

Sony Magazine Says PSP Phone Could Come As Early As February? Really?

Jason Chen — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:30:28 EST

It's not exactly a secret that Sony/Sony Ericsson's making a cellphone that has PSP features in it. Hell, even the Sony Ericsson gaming boss says that a PlayStation-branded phone is coming some time. Sony Magazine's putting an updated timeline on the project, saying that there are "suggestions that it could be in the shops as early as February." It's different when you see it print. In a magazine. All glossy. But unless we're slightly more drunk than we usually are, half of February is already gone and we haven't seen squiddidly. [Phone Mag]

Yes-No-Yes-No Sony Changes Its Stance on PlayStation Phone Again

AddyDugdale — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:54:17 EST

Omigawd, these PlayStation Phone shenanigans are really beginning to get up our noses here at the Giz. Yesterday we told you how Jim Ryan had been talking a lot of sense about the rumoured Playstation cell — and now, today, we learn that the Sony exec has been misquoted.

According to a rep at Sony, "Jim Ryan was misquoted in his interview and we do not have any plans at the moment for a PlayStation phone." So that's a "Maybe," then. Sheesh. [Kotaku]

More Juicy Gossip on the PlayStation Phone

Mark Wilson — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:20:58 EST

I admit it: even though I barely play my PSP, I'm absolutely in love with the platform and its future of connectivity to the PS3. So when Sony starts talking about a PlayStation phone again—which they just did, by the way—we listen. Because we know there's no way in hell they're fitting UMD in that thing. Here's what Sony had to say of late, per SCE co-chief operating officer Jim Ryan:

What has been done is finding a match between a camera and a mobile phone, and that has been done wherein the mobile phone features are not reasonably inhibited and the camera is also a reasonably competitive product. It is hugely intellectually seductive to have a console-oriented phone.

And we have to agree. That's really one of the more simple, brilliant things we've heard come from Sony's mouth in a while.

Sony Ericsson meets Sony PlayStation. What do you think? It obviously isn't happening for this Christmas, as we thought some time ago. But there's always that February rumor too. [economictimes via kotaku]

Sony Ericsson Gaming Chief Says PlayStation Phone Coming By "Christmas"

Jason Chen — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:00:21 EDT

The Sony Ericsson gaming boss, Peter Ahnegard, said that a PlayStation-branded gaming phone would be coming by Christmas. He also added that it might not be this Christmas, which probably pissed whoever he was talking to off to no end.

Sony Ericsson, who've already branded their W-line of phones the Walkman line, the K-line of phones the Cyber-shot line, and some random Japanese line the Bravia line, can easily brand another line (G, maybe, since P is taken) the PlayStation line. It doesn't even need games other than the mobile ones that already exist for their cellphones, which run just fine on SE's higher-end hardware. [Pocket Gamer via ]