Japanese electronics giant Sony is developing a new lineup of handheld products to counter Apple's stable of portable devices, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 5. The newspaper, citing "people familiar with the matter," said the products under development include a smartphone capable of downloading and playing PlayStation games being developed with Swedish cellphone partner Ericsson.
Another project is a portable device that the Journal said blurs the distinctions between a netbook computer, an electronic book reader and a PlayStation Portable, or PSP.
The multifunction device is reportedly designed to compete against Apple's upcoming iPad. It said the new products were targeted for launch this year. Sony Ericsson is to release its first smartphone, the Xperia X10, a device powered by Google's Android operating system, in April.