Sony Ericsson just announced a €247 million (about $317 million) pre-tax loss for its fourth quarter — not a profit of €41.7 as forecasted by a Reuters poll. The joint venture between Sony and Ericsson blames tough competition, price erosion, an unfavorable global economic situation, and the floods in Thailand for its big Q4 loss. As previously announced, Sony is expected to take complete ownership of Sony Ericsson — and its flagging product lineup — before the end of February at a cost of €1.05 billion.