According to the Wall Street Journal, Japanese tech giant Sony is making moves towards buying out Ericsson’s share in its joint Sony Ericsson mobile venture.  

Citing the usual “people familiar with the matter” the publication stated that after taking over Ericsson’s half of the 50-50 joint mobile initiative that was started in 2001, Sony is looking to integrate the world’s sixth-largest cellphone manufacturing division more deeply within its own in-house operations.

It is aiming to integrate this division with its businesses in tablets, hand-held game machines, as well as PCs. This will enable the company to save on costs and enhance the synchronisation process for the development of its mobile devices.

The WSJ said that the deal is nearing completion, with only a few details to be addressed. These include establishing a proper valuation of Sony Ericsson, as well as agreeing on a price for  Ericsson's mobile technology patents, reportedly worth between $1.3 and $1.7 billion (approx. R10.3-R13.5 billion).

In related news, TechSmart recently had some game time with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the company’s first PlaySation certified mobile device. Check out our review for this smartphone that also doubles as a mobile gaming device here.