Windows Phone ? Sony says no.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Windows Phone ? Sony says no.

Sony Mobile has no plans to build smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS and, unlike major rivals, is sticking with an Android-only approach, reports German newspaper Die Welt.

Sony Mobile president and CEO Kunimasa Suzuki said in an interview that the company has “no current plans” to use Windows Phone in its devices.

Sony Mobile has previously committed to the Android platform as it moves to focus exclusively on smartphones, a strategy Suzuki reiterated when he was appointed in April.

Suzuki also told Die Welt that Sony Mobile has no plans to develop its own OS. This is despite Sony Corporation boss Hirai Kazuro saying recently that the software used by the PlayStation console could be developed into a mobile platform. Sony uses Microsoft software in its VAIO laptops and tablets.

Sony Mobile is also in a good position to counter patent lawsuits that many of its rival phone makers are facing, according to Suzuki, due to the large portfolio of intellectual property it holds.

The Sony division is currently undergoing a significant restructure after buying Ericsson out of the Sony Ericsson JV for US$1.05 billion.

The company plans to scrap around 1,000 jobs - 15 percent of the workforce - by March 2014 and move its corporate headquarters from Sweden to Tokyo. The jobs are due to go at the company’s site in Lund, Sweden but that base will remain an important strategic site for software and app development.

Sony Mobile’s market share has been shrinking in recent years in the face of increased competition, with the company making losses. However, Sony said in April it is targeting sales of US$22.2 billion for the mobile business in 2014, with “significant profitability improvement”.