Sony to Unveil Gaming-Enabled iPhone, Tablet Device

According to reports, gadget gurus Sony are currently developing a smartphone and a portable computer to compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad devices.

Sony is hoping to woo consumers by releasing a smartphone that will capitalize on what some experts might call its biggest strength: video gaming. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Sony is working on a phone that will play PlayStation Portable, or PSP, titles.

Given that the level of development involved in the average PSP game tends to be more significant than that associated with an iPhone game/app, it's possible Sony's invention will turn many heads in the gaming community.

Sony Targeting a Tough Market

Sony's plan for the phone is probably motivated by its failure to turn a recent venture alongside Ericsson into a commercial success. It hopes a more powerful device that plays games and apps can muscle into territory previously dominated by Apple's iTunes platform.

Sony's competing platform is the Sony Online Service, or SOS. It hasn't yet been released, although SOS is rumored to launch sometime this year. (Source: macobserver.com)

The idea that gamers will be lured to a smartphone line by the integration of Sony's portable gaming system, the PSP, is a questionable one. The PlayStation Portable has been eaten up in a portable gaming marketplace dominated by Nintendo's DS, the hottest-selling video game system of all time.

Sony's PSP Go, a recent re-design meant to re-invigorate the device, has seen mostly disappointing sales. It's not clear anything can make the over-priced PSP attractive to consumers. (Source: wsj.com)

Sony to Provide Alternative for iPad

If the idea of a gaming smartphone isn't up your alley, then perhaps you'd prefer a gaming mini-laptop. One part e-reader, one part netbook and one part PSP, Sony's other project is meant to compete with the upcoming Apple iPad.

Will the idea work? Tech experts aren't sure. Although the company has shown with its PlayStation 3 that it can make devices that blend multiple playback options with web access, so far success in the portable market has proven much more elusive.