The realisation that the market may soon be playing host to a few too many smartphone OS finally seems to be hitting manufacturers, with Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg suggesting Symbian and Windows Mobile may suffer.

Nordberg has claimed that the firm's focus on Android may mean one of the two aforementioned OSs will have to be dropped from Sony Ericsson's line-up.

"The Android platform gives a very strong ecosystem for smartphones with good possibilities to download additional applications," Nordberg told Dow Jones Newswires.

"As Android devices get cheaper they will move into the price range of Symbian and Windows Mobile phones. There is an outlook for us winding down to less than those three."

Soft Symbian

The suggestion that Sony Ericsson will drop Windows Mobile is unlikely to concern Microsoft as it moves towards the launch of Windows Phone 7 – an OS Sony Ericsson is already committed to – but Symbian is much more vulnerable.

While Nokia is set to employ Symbian^3 in its forthcoming N8 handset, the Finnish firm's focus is increasing moving towards its own OS, MeeGo.

As such, losing what represents Symbian's second biggest backer – Sony Ericsson has two Symbian smartphones currently on the market, the Satio and Vivaz – puts the OS on dodgy ground at the very moment the market is set to be flooded by new, major players.

[source:Sony Ericsson Insider]