Back in 2001, Sony joined forces with Ericsson to push out a new line of mobile phones, while keeping its current line of game devices, media players, and other electronics a separate entity altogether. Now, Sony is looking to buy Ericsson out in order to streamline all of its mobile technologies into one market, allowing one unified ecosystem across all devices.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "Sony aims to integrate its smartphone operation with its business in tablets, hand-held game machines, and personal computers to save on costs and better synchronize development of mobile devices."

While it's unclear how much the transaction will cost Sony, it's said that the deal is nearing completion at this time. We'll keep you posted as more details arise.

[WSJ]