Key features:
3" 16M-color capacitive touchscreen, 240 x 432 pixels
Quad-band GSM support
Tri-band 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA
8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash; geotagging, touch-focus, face detection, image stabilization; VGA video recording @ 30fps
Some degree of touchscreen functionality - touch-enabled media and camera interface
Touch works in Java apps as well, e.g. Opera Mini
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS; Trial version of Wisepilot navigation software
Wi-Fi with DLNA
FM radio with RDS
Stereo Bluetooth 2.1
microSD card slot
Wireless Bluetooth headset with 3.5 mm audio jack and nice headphones, desktop docking station and 8GB microSD card in box
Remote play for Playstation 3
Main disadvantages:
No standard USB port
No 3.5mm audio jack (but there's one on the Bluetooth headset)
Touch control is limited to camera, gallery, multimedia players and some Java apps
Media library updates very slowly in the touch media menu
No DivX/XviD support
No xenon flash
No camera lens cover
Rethink and renew is what Sony Ericsson are quite keen to do and the Aino is among the agents of change. Perhaps it doesn't have a stronger case for innovation than the Satio and the X10, but staying in touch with history is just as important. Obviously, part of Aino's responsibility is to carry on a tradition of feature phone excellence that climaxed in the Sony Ericsson C905 and W995.
Cybershot and Walkman are still magic words in the world of mobile phones. And Sony Ericsson continue to exploit that sort of in-house cross branding. But this time it's PlayStation making hype around the new wave of Sony Ericsson handsets.
In all fairness though, Aino's PS3 connectivity is really making hype rather than making a mark. The Touch Media menu fails to really give it a big boost either. Good for the Aino that the standard Sony Ericsson UI is at its usual best. By the way, we cannot help the thought that some degree of touch may just not be inventive and advantageous enough. Especially against a couple of competitors that offer full touchscreens in the same form factor.
The Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH doesn't have as complete a feature set as the Aino - WLAN is the most prominent omission. However, its camera is little short of perfect and D1 video recording with yet unsurpassed quality makes it a must-consider if imaging is high on your priority list. Not least, it's a full touch phone and Samsung's TouchWiz simply laughs in the face of Aino's Touch Media.
With a body to die for and absolutely unique transparent keypad, the LG Crystal is sure to claim some of the Aino's market. S-class full-touch UI, a WVGA screen and top of the line video and still photography give the Crystal quite a punch. The mix of skill and unrivaled styling are not to be underestimated.
Let's not forget though that - among other things - the Aino is a cameraphone. The 8 megapixel shooter is complete with geotagging, touch-focus and face detection. More importantly though, it has the image quality to stand up to some worthy rivals.
Sony Ericsson Aino is styled to get noticed. If nothing else - the PS3 remote play and Touch Media will add to the buzz. And Sony Ericsson do need all the hype these days - to give their new wave of gadgets a flying start.
The Aino follows in the footsteps of the C905 and W995 but tries to play its own game. The complete feature list, the PMP skill and styling and the great set of accessories are tempting enough. There are things we didn't like of course. The touch thing is perhaps not the best they could do. And while the standard interface makes up for that most of the time, the limited touch control does an otherwise excellent camera no favor. WiFi connectivity has its issues too.
So, the Aino is far from perfect as a phone. But we're tempted to look at it as a promise of what to expect of Sony Ericsson in terms of high-end non-smartphones. Whether they go for extended and polished PlayStation connectivity or full-touch feature phones - we'd be happy either way. Hope they do.
No comments:
Post a Comment