Despite endorsements, Sony's Xperia smartphones struggle to break through

Sony Mobile Communications has been around for less than a year as a business, but it has already scored some major endorsements. Daniel Craig's James Bond sports Sony's Xperia T smartphone in "Skyfall," while Andrew Garfield's title character in "The Amazing Spider-Man" uses an Xperia X10 Mini Pro. Despite the high-profile endorsements though, Sony Mobile's smartphones have yet to break through, much as the former Sony Ericsson struggled. Still, the company is not giving up, and plans to boost smartphone sales 51 percent to 34 million units in the year ending March 31. The company is accelerating smartphone development and working to integrate other elements from Sony's electronics and media businesses. According to ABI Research, Sony was the No. 8 handset maker worldwide in the third quarter, behind the likes of Huawei and TCL. Meanwhile, Sony is reportedly planning a 5-inch 1080p phone codenamed Yuga, and may unveil it at the Consumer Electronics Show or Mobile World Congress. Article