Sony Ericsson says Android phone to take time

HELSINKI, April 17 (Reuters) - Sony Ericsson will take some time developing a phone using Google's (GOOG.O) Android operating system, its chief executive said on Friday, but declined to say when such a handset would be available.

Most handset vendors are rushing out phones using Android software, hoping to benefit from consumer demand, but Sony Ericsson said it would be some time before its own offering was launched.

"It does require a lot of evaluation, as well as a lot of testing, a lot of acceptance from a consumer viewpoint, and there is still some time to go," Chief Executive Hideki Komiyama told Reuters in an interview.

"Looking ahead I think that we see this as one of the important operating systems, there is no doubt," he said.

Loss-making Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of Japan's Sony Corp (6758.T) and Sweden's Ericsson (ERICb.ST), has decided to use three operating systems in its high-end phones -- Symbian, Android and Microsoft's Windows Mobile.

"Our focus is on how can we differentiate from the competitors using the same operating system," Komiyama said, adding the firm was focusing its investments on user experience and user interface.

Sony Ericsson reported earlier on Friday a deep loss for January-March and said it aims to cut some 20 percent of jobs as it looks to return to profit. [ID:nLH291382]