14 DAY TRIAL // According to the latest news on the Web, Sony Ericsson plans on ending its cooperation with High Tech Computer (HTC) and switching to the Taiwan-based Mobinnova. The Taiwanese news site DigiTimes reports that, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times paper, Sony Ericsson is set to have its second Windows Mobile-based smartphone (which will probably be the Xperia X2) manufactured by the Taiwanese ODM expert.
Most of you might already know that Mobinnova is a handset maker under Foxconn Electronics/Hon Hai Precision Industry, and that the company already has some experience in the Windows Mobile area. Sony Ericsson is reported to start outsourcing its lineup of Windows Mobile-based smartphones to Mobinnova as soon as the current production of Xperia X1 handsets completes its business cycle. The company is also reported to plan on expanding its smartphone lineup although the partnership with HTC will come to an end.
According to the same news reports, which cite industry sources, Sony Ericsson shouldn't face difficulties while switching from HTC to Mobinnova/Foxconn. It is widely known that the company has often stressed the fact that the Xperia X1 has been designed by Sony Ericsson, while being jointly developed with HTC and also manufactured by HTC.
The situation of Xperia X1 is somehow similar to that of the Compaq iPAQs, developed at a time when HTC was just another ODM. Sony Ericsson has also highlighted the fact that it's running its own Windows Mobile development office on the U.S. West Cost near San Francisco.
According to some voices over the Net, the switch Sony Ericsson made to Mobinnova/Foxconn is seen as a cost-cutting solution. What seems more important at this moment is the question as to whether or not the switch will cause any development delays for the upcoming Xperia X2, which is expected to appear next year.