The Japanese company may be a consumer electronics giant and one of the top manufacturers in Japan, but it’s never really been a force in mobile in Europe. Previously, it launched a small number of devices exclusively for Vodafone. Now, according to a report in Mobile Today magazine, it is to build a smartphone brand around its IT heritage using the sub-brand 'Portégé'.

Two high-spec slider phones, the G500 and G900, will lead the re-launch, both with HSDPA and wi-fi built in, along with a two-megapixel camera, Windows-interface, microSD card support and more.