Sony Ericsson intros tiny Android gadget; ditches Symbian

Intriguing or unnecessary? Take your pick. Sony Ericsson on Tuesday showed off an Android-based gadget designed to be an interface to the mobile phone.

The LiveView is kind of a wireless remote. It connects via Bluetooth to almost any 2.0 or higher Android device – not just Sony Ericsson phones – and displays calendar reminders, missed calls, text messages, Facebook and twitter updates as well as interacting with other compatible applications.

The tiny device can be worn in a wrist strap or clipped onto an item of clothing, or could be placed in the pocket, next to your phone.

Naturally, the LiveView will be available in stores from the fourth quarter, just in time for Christmas.

In other news the handset vendor has chosen to ditch Symbian completely in favour of investing further in Android. The Sony Ericsson Vivaz and Vivaz Pro are both based on Symbian, but the company’s flagship devices like the Xperia portfolio, all use Android.

It is understood that Sony Ericsson will focus mainly on Android, with a nod towards Windows 7-based devices but will cease development on Symbian, leaving Nokia as the increasingly lonely cheerleader for the platform.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN2qoA0FfHQ[/youtube]