Earlier this week, Sony Ericsson announced that it will be joining the Open Handset Alliance and made known its intention to develop an Android-based handset. Hot on the heels of that announcement, rumors began circulating about a possible summer 2009 release of the first Sony Ericsson branded Android handset. According to the folks over at the Unofficial Sony Ericsson blog, that very optimistic rumor was false and the real story behind Sony Ericsson’s Android development plan differs greatly. According to USEB, here is what we know about Sony Ericsson and Android:
- The first Android-based handset will be a high-end product.
- The Android platform won’t be exclusive to high-end products, and will also be used in mass-market products in the future.
- Android-based products won’t be niche products, and Sony Ericsson will continue developing phones based on Symbian and Windows Mobile.
- As of now, there are no specific announcements or release plans for any Android-based product by Sony Ericsson. It is simply too early for anything specific.
Though not as exciting as a hot new Sony Ericsson Android phone hitting the market in less than a year, this latest assessment of Sony Ericsson’s Android plan is probably much more realistic. It still wont stop us, though, from hoping for the former, despite the fact we realistically expect the latter.
