14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson is reportedly getting ready for the Windows Phone 7 party too. Following the official announcement of the platform at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, we learned that companies like LG and Samsung already had Windows Phone 7 prototypes in the works, and now Sony Ericsson is rumored to be developing a device that would run under Microsoft's new mobile operating system.
The handset vendor's Windows Phone 7 device is reportedly known as Sony Ericsson Julie, and should boast a sliding QWERTY keyboard when launched on the market, at least this is what a recent post on the Sony Ericsson forum IT168 reads (via WMPoweruser). In addition to the physical keyboard, the phone should also include a 4-inch touchscreen display, as well as a processor clocked in at 1GHz.
In case the rumor pans out, the new Windows Phone 7 device from Sony Ericsson should land on shelves with multi-touch capabilities, and similar dimensions with the Android-based Xperia X10 (though the already available device lacks multi-touch). According to the leaked info, the Sony Ericsson Julie is expected to arrive on the market before the end of the ongoing year.
Most of the features the upcoming handset is said to be headed to the market with are actually standard requirements for Windows Phone 7, including the high-speed processor, the multi-touch features, or the integration with Microsoft's Xbox Live solution (which competes against Sony's Playstation Network). Unfortunately, other info on the device is lacking for the time being.
Previous rumors on Sony Ericsson suggested that the company would plan on leaving aside Microsoft's mobile platform, and that it would show a greater focus on Google's Android OS. However, Windows Phone 7 marks a nice shift from the older Windows Mobile platform, and learning that Sony Ericsson is interested in it does not come as a surprise, that's for sure. As the actual market release date of the platform, and that of handsets powered by it, is getting closer, more info on the matter should emerge, so stay tuned to learn the news.