It looks like Sony Ericsson is totally fed up with the UIQ OS, and is pinning their hopes on a comeback next year when they roll out their new Symbian Foundation-flavored devices. Sony Ericsson’s public statement at the Symbian SmartPhone Show in London basically says it all:

UIQ didn’t attract the operator, manufacturer or consumer interest needed to stop it from failing

So I guess we’ll be seeing more S60-based mobile phones in 2009. Personally, I like this latest development. Having Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson all playing on a level field with one mobile OS under the hood will only further highlight the differences each manufacturer has in terms of hardware specifications. I’ve always found that Sony Ericsson phones have consistently beaten Nokia phones as far as performance and design is concerned, but one let down I found hard to overcome was its OS.

Will the shift to a new OS mean automatic success in 2009? Time will tell. Good luck Sony Ericsson, and may you enjoy new found happiness with the Symbian Foundation.

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