According to the Wall Street Journal and sources "familiar with the matter", Sony Corp is near finalizing a deal that will buy out Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson's holdings in the mobile division. This would make Sony the sole owner of Sony Ericsson, the world's sixth-largest cell phone manufacturer, and set them up for a future in the mobile industry.
"Sony aims to integrate its smartphone operation with its businesses in tablets, hand-held game machines, and personal computers to save on costs and better synchronize development of mobile devices" says the WSJ's source, and that sounds like a very solid strategy. The new Sony tablets have been well received by the media, and Sony is a name everyone recognizes. We can only hope their penchant for DRM and control doesn't nullify the strides Sony Ericsson has taken in respect to open-hardware and community developer support should the buyout happen as planned.
Source: Wall Street Journal (paid content)
