Changes in the wind

Sony Ericsson's new president has a tough job ahead. Bert Nordberg has to steer the outfit away from the policy which has run it into the ground. Namely stuffing phones with music and phone features that no one wants and getting the outfit making money again.

Nordberg has IT and Silicon Valley experience and is already telling the New York Times that applications and mobile Internet need to become the brand's strengths. True buying a Sony Ericsson's handset is a good way to get a decent sound system on your phone, but that ground has long been taken by Apple.

Nordberg has correctly pointed out that the future is business applications and not the consumer market. However he might have few problems in that Sony boss Howard Stringer is taking over as chair of Sony Ericsson. The Welsh Wizard was the one who hired Nordberg for his new position.

Stringer might not going to let Nordbergy play down the outfit's Sony links so he might find his new job a bit of a poisoned chalice. However he will have to stand up to Stringer if he is going to save the handset maker.