Rumours of a PlayStation Portable (PSP) phone have been notably absent of late, but recent comments by Sony Ericsson’s President has suddenly brought them back to life.

'Hello Mr Komiyama. You want me to come in for an interview?'

In an interview with the Financial Times, Hideki Komiyama said confidently that a PSP phone “could happen” because the gaming device-cum-handset would help Sony Ericsson carve out a niche for itself based on Sony’s strength in gaming.

He added that a PSP phone would build on its existing Walkman and Cyber-shot phone ranges. This statement’s a little ambiguous, but suggests Komiyama believes that Sony Ericsson’s got the skills to develop a PSP phone and the belief that such a device could sit well alongside its existing talkers.

Sony’s long denied it’s working on a PSP phone. But, in March 2008, a Sony Ericsson patent application came to light that detailed plans for just such a device. ®