Apple Inc.'s got stash of portable devices so hot that everybody wants one – and we’re not just talking consumers.

 

Word on the street is Sony Corp. wants a bigger piece of the portable gadgets market, and is developing “a new lineup of handheld products." First up: a smartphone that can handle downloading and playing PlayStation games, the Wall Street Journal reported.

 

Beyond this super-robust smartphone, the gaming and electronics entertainment giant also has a project under way to develop a portable device that’s part netbook, part e-reader and part PlayStation Portable (PSP). The device is reportedly designed to compete against multifunction products such as Apple's (News - Alert) coming iPad tablet, sources told the Wall Street Journal.  

 

Both the new smart phone and the multifunction device are expected to work with Sony's online media platform.

 

In other Sony-related news Skype (News - Alert) and Nokia this week jointly announced the release of Skype for Symbian, a Skype client for Nokia smartphones based on the Symbian platform, TMCnet reported.

 

Skype for Symbian will allow Nokia smartphone users worldwide to use Skype over either a WiFi (News - Alert) or mobile data connection. It is now downloadable for free from the Ovi Store, Nokia’s shop for mobile content, company officials said. Nokia sources said that Symbian (News - Alert) enables the Japan-based company to bring smartphones to more people and “ensures scale for our solutions and compelling services,” such as Skype.

 

“We’re seeing around 1.5 million downloads a day on Ovi Store now and believe that the Skype client for Nokia (News - Alert) smartphones will have wide appeal to Symbian users,” said Jo Harlow, senior vice president for smartphones, Nokia.