Sony reportedly planning to launch a Windows Phone-powered handset

Sony reportedly planning to launch a Windows Phone-powered handsetSubmitted by Sumit Yayavar on Tue, 01/14/2014 - 12:14 

According to a TechRadar report, consumer electronics giant Sony is apparently set to launch a new handset which will run Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating system.
Citing the information shared by Sony Mobile Europe chief Pierre Perron, the TechRadar report has revealed that Sony is currently involved in discussions with Microsoft, in connection with getting a Windows Phone-powered Sony-branded handset out into the wild.
Perron has reportedly told TechRadar that, as part of Sony's team-up with Microsoft on the "broader Sony spectrum," discussions are presently ongoing with Microsoft as well as other partners.  Perron said that Sony not only discussing the use of Windows Phone platform itself, but is also mulling the possibility of delivering something more on top of Windows Phone.

Though Perron has not divulged any expected timeline for the launch of Sony's Windows Phone-based handset, it is quite possible that such a device may hit the markets as a part of Microsoft's launch of a major Windows Phone 8.1 update which will likely be announced in April.
Sony already has a history with Windows Phone --- the company's 2008-released Xperia X1 samrtphone ran Windows Mobile.  However, with Sony having focused largely on the Android OS ever since for its mobile devices, Perron said about the company's potential partnership with Microsoft: "We don't want to be a single OS manufacturer, I don't think it's a viable position in the long term."