The Symbian handheld device consortium is poised to announce a batch of partnerships that may include a new investor. Sony Corp is the name bandied around the London stock exchange where shares in Psion Plc have powered ahead this week to a new peak of 845 pence on speculation of a boost to its EPOC operating system. A Symbian official admitted: We have a number of new partnerships which we haven’t announced yet. Aside from straightforward licensing deals, Sybian acknowledges that the ownership at some stage may be extended. Apart from Psion, the consortium consists of LM Ericsson Telefon AB, Nokia Oy and Motorola Inc. As Symbian has set up an office in Japan, Sony is an obvious candidate. Symbian is anxious to attract as many companies as possible to its camp while it retains a lead over a rival CE-based venture promoted by Microsoft Corp and cellular phone vendor Qualcomm Inc (CI No 3,532).
