Sanyo handset division sale imminent?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Jul 30th 2007 3:12AM
posted Jul 30th 2007 3:12AM
Their handsets enjoy a loyal (albeit small) following stateside, but Sanyo's apparently too distracted with its other endeavors to take its handset division any further. That's what recent reports are suggesting, anyway, with a sale rumored to be going down "soon" to the tune of "several billion yen." That could be music to Sanyo's ears following several glum years of net losses -- shedding itself of a valuable operating unit could give the company some much-needed spending cash and give its phone lineup a shot at increasing its market presence in the hands of a more motivated parent. No word on when exactly this'll be going down; with some 38.5 billion yen (about $324 million) in revenue in the last fiscal year, though, it seems like this could be a relatively inexpensive opportunity for a new player to waltz in and make a serious play against bigger competitors.
i just wish the average comsumer wasnt so fking stupid. Let me by a moto razr or krazr because they are small and "cute" instead of a sanyo m1, 8400, katana, ect. The M1 is in my opinion the best CDMA phone(not PDA) out right now!
Let me start off by saying that I feel sorry for any company that goes out of business (in this case, they've decided to sell before bankruptcy, I presume).
Now, I judge it very ballsy for a company to only make CDMA phones in the US....for *ONE* carrier (not even the larger of the two big CDMA ones). I am sure that if they had made GSM phones, they would've sold. I mean, AT&T is stepping up its 3G lineup and TMobile is ready for lauch--as far as lining 1700-compatible devices: there would have definately been room for a GSM Sanyo divison. If Sanyo had shown some GSM lovin', I am sure it wouldn't have ended this way.
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So, Spritn users, I decree: Covet thine M1's and other Sanyo goodies, because your model just be the last.
hmmm... well depending on how this sale goes, this could potentially be a good thing for a forthcoming sanyo lineup. a new "parent" company for the handset division could presumably devote more resources to development, build on the strengths of sanyo handsets and give the lineup a good kick in the rear. also with the advent of wimax on the horizon, their ties with sprint could prove to be a positive link. speaking of links... how about some new sanyos without ReadyLink, instead with EVDO Rev. A and the new HPPTT included.
Maybe Nokia will buy out Sanyo's mobile division. They canceled their joint venture at the 11th hour a couple of years ago. And this could be what Nokia uses to get boost its presence in the CDMA market.
Is it that hard to make some adjustments to their Japanese-market phones and release them here for some smash hits? How about taking their Global Passport phones and selling them here if that's too hard? The Global Passport phones have normal US-based CDMA.