We guess tennis phenom Maria Sharapova has decided to permanently retire her PEBL and move on to greener pastures. Sony Ericsson has announced that they've picked up Miss Sharapova as its "first global brand ambassador" with the intention of bringing awareness to the brand using a superstar athlete in a sport that transcends nationality perhaps more than any other. She'll be more than just a pretty face with a Sony Ericsson phone in her hand, too -- she'll apparently be working with the company's design peeps to cobble together some to-be-named products and accessories, though the extent of her involvement hasn't been disclosed.

[Thanks, quxjox]