Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony is developing a smartphone as well as a rival to Apple’s coming iPad tablet, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report. Touted for launch this year, both products will reportedly work with Sony’s new online media platform which is due to launch later this month in the US. Temporarily named Sony Online Service, the WSJ claims the platform is the company’s answer to Apple’s iTunes but will also allow a wide range of devices to access its catalogue of games, which will be mainly older titles released for the original PlayStation console.

This is not the first time Sony has been rumoured to be launching mobile devices, but the report is given greater credibility following comments last month from Bert Nordberg, president of Sony’s joint handset venture Sony Ericsson, who was quoted by the GSMA Mobile World Congress Show Daily as stating: “In the past there was no tie-up between us, the PSP platform and Sony, but you can expect to hear much more about that… I want to put my big foot in the home alongside Sony.” The WSJ report notes that Sony is working with Sony Ericsson on the new smartphone.