We've been following
PSP Phone rumors since 2006,
forever on a tech timeline. A plausible device given the natural
evolution of mobile gaming and Sony's proven desire to cross-license its
Bravia and
Cyber-shot brands for use on other Sony Ericsson phones. Not so fast buster.
Mobile Today (citing "several sources close to the matter") is reporting that Sony Ericsson has been refused the use of the PlayStation brand by Sony Corp. after pitching the business case in December. A spokesperson for Sony Ericsson wouldn't comment directly on the matter but did say, "In the past, we have been keen that our product proposition lives up to brand promise, and we feel at the moment the technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone." With Sony Ericsson posting a massive $346 million dollar loss today compared to the $95 million expected, well, maybe Sony's wisdom shouldn't be questioned. Then again, Sony's
not doing much better.
[Thanks, Matthew A.]
Read -- Sony refuses to license PlayStation brand
Read -- Sony Ericsson slips into the red
posted Jan 16th 2009 5:48AM
"technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone"
Quite right, look at the dial ... it's scratched! And there's no slot for the penny or sixpence.
It doesn't accept coins, Luckily however, it does play UMD records if you rotate the dial fast enough while trying to avoid that finger stop cutting your finger off.
Awesome Phone. Retro yet Modern.
Reminds me of Maxwell Smart's shoephone
Nothing does justice to the PlayStation brand but a dedicated gaming unit, IMO.
So nothing has done justice to the PlayStation brand since the original release version of the PS2 (which lacked DVD playback)?
Sorry, I don't follow your logic. I'll try again tomorrow.
I got a PS2 on North American launch day, and it plays DVDs.
Perhaps you were mistaken?
I think it has more to do with the fact that Sony has never wanted — and still does not want — to make toys. Think about how much effort Sony puts into communicating the entertainment, computing, and other non-toy functions of the PS3 and PSP. Because of that decades-old stance, the SCE brands are very carefully sequestered to a select series of products.
It's not so much that the phone doesn't "deserve" the PlayStation name, it's that (from Sony's perspective) a phone is not a toy. Sony Ericsson would have much better luck making a VAIO-branded phone (which happened to have the ability to play PSP games...).
Because you're already used to being locked out of your phone...
Wow, an appropriate response would be the comment about the proverbial knee to the proverbial groin.
Eh, smart move in all honesty. Everyone is about the smartphone these days... everyone wants an iPhone... that's why there are so many dumb people w/ G1s giving the rest of us G1 owners a bad name... a PSP phone is not going to be touch screen w/ an app store and dumb apps like rolling dice or 20 different tip calculators. For those reasons, it wouldn't sell. You'd get a few gamers and tech-in-the-know types buying, but not the target group which is basically everybody else.
an infinite number of immortal monkeys texting on an infinite number of rotary phones will eventually text the complete works of william shakespeare.
I don't know who the hell are you, but you're certainly not a pirate, no pirate should have known things with this level of scientific and poetic ingredients, or we'll be out of business.
Yeah, smart move. The Playstation brand has seen better days and I don't think Sony can afford to take this risk right now.
Perhaps they should've been as strict with their branding when Ken Kutaragi asked to used the Spiderman font plastered all over the PS3!
I would totally purchase the phone in the photo.
...never mind.
putting "playstation" in a mobile phone's name is dumb. negative profits are a result of this type of thinking.
A psp phone with a dial would be awesome. it would kick the iPhone's ass
Yeah, like the Walkman MP3 player line is killing the iPod.
:rollseyes:
@Chris Dunning
Really. You think a :rolleyes: was in order for that comment. Come on! Did you not read the part about the rotary dial.
Since you missed it the first time that would be sarcasm. No one wants a rotarty dial on an phone. Well, no one younger than 70.
Why dont they name it PlayStation Mobile ?They could make a a line of products without sony complaining about the specs.
Why dont they name it PlayStation Mobile? So they could make a line of products with lower specs than these of psp.
soz double post.