Sony Ericsson looks to lure Android developers as focus shifts to U.S., China

Sony Ericsson will bolster its mobile software developer ranks in the U.S. and China as the manufacturer shifts the focus of its business away from the European market. Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Sony Ericsson President and CEO Bert Nordberg said the company aims to increase its global share of the Android device market from its current 14 percent to at least 25 percent--in order to achieve that goal, Sony Ericsson has more than tripled its California development team over the past year to 300, at the same growing its Chinese staff 60 percent to 1,600. In addition, the firm will begin introducing new devices to the U.S. market before they roll out across Europe.

"The market has changed," Nordberg said. "We see a lot of our products being rolled out in the U.S. first, or in parallel when we roll it out on the global market, which is a change for this company. It has always come later in the U.S. previously. That's a change which required us to invest."

Sony Ericsson will introduce its new Android-based Xperia Play gaming smartphone via Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) in April, expanding to Western Europe thereafter. Nordberg said Sony Ericsson plans to introduce the Xperia Play in China as well, but declined to specify a timeline, explaining Sony Ericsson will require at least three months to make preparations like expanding the available slate of games produced by Chinese developers. Nordberg also said Sony Ericsson is open to joint ventures with Chinese gaming firms and will seek acquisition opportunities in segments including social networking.

For more:
- read this Bloomberg article
- read this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)

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