Sony to close PDA business

TOKYO: Sony Corp. said it would halt production of personal digital assistants (PDAs) for Japan in July, completing its withdrawal from a market hit by multi-functional mobile phones.

The move was widely expected after the electronics and entertainment conglomerate said last year it would stop selling new handheld digital assistants outside Japan, striking a blow to PalmSource Inc., whose software powers the devices.

"The PDA market is being encroached by cellphones and other mobile devices that can offer similar functions, making it difficult for PDAs to maintain their position in the market," a Sony spokeswoman said. The decision is the latest in a series of steps by Sony to focus resources on core businesses.

The company said in December it might quit the plasma television business and focus its efforts in the flat-screen TV market on liquid crystal display and rear-projection models, areas where it has a technological edge. Shares in Sony were down 0.5 percent at 3,960 yen by midday, outperforming the Tokyo stock market's electric machinery index, which was down 0.87 percent.