Sony unveils PlayStation cellphone

Samsung shareholders vote on Friday over a $8 billion merger. Photo: Reuters.

Samsung shareholders vote on Friday over a $8 billion merger. Photo: Reuters.

Published Sep 5, 2014

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Sony unveiled new mobile devices yesterday that double as displays for PlayStation games as it adds features to win sales in a market dominated by Apple and Samsung Electronics.

The marquee Xperia Z3 smartphone is waterproof and comes with a battery that can stay charged for two days, according to Sony’s website.

The Tokyo-based company also announced an 8 inch tablet computer and the Z3 Compact smartphone with a 4.6 inch screen.

Chief executive Kazuo Hirai has been pushing his One Sony plan to better integrate its electronic and entertainment assets to revive earnings.

The PlayStation 4 (PS4) has been one of the few bright spots for the company, outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One, amid a decade of television losses and lacklustre demand for Xperia smartphones, which barely crack the top 10 globally in shipments.

“Allowing its latest smartphone and tablet remote access to its PS4 and games played on its PlayStation network is another huge step in the right direction,” Amir Anvarzadeh, a manager of Japanese equity sales at BGC Partners in Singapore, said.

“The Japanese consumer electronics giant is moving away from the past strategic mistakes of focusing on market share gains.”

Sony is forecasting its sixth annual loss in seven years and Hirai has cut the company’s full-year smartphone sales projection to 43 million units from an earlier forecast of 50 million. – Bloomberg

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