SonyStyle unleashes Sony Ericsson Aino in the US for $600
posted Oct 28th 2009 12:01PM
Sony Ericsson Launches Aino™ Multimedia Unlocked Mobile Phone with Enhanced Entertainment Features and Touch Screen Technology
What: Sony Electronics announced today the new Sony Ericsson Aino™ unlocked handset, now available at Sony Style stores nationwide and SonyStyle.com for about $600.
For unlocked purists and style seekers, the Sony Ericsson Aino™ phone is a 3G-enabled mobile phone that offers on-the-go entertainment and rich multimedia features. Entertainment options are nearly limitless – capture photos, listen to music, view videos and access content from your PlayStation®3 console and home PC with its unique Remote Play, Media Home, and Media Go™ features. Providing a superior user experience, the Aino™ phone offers integrated Wi-Fi® connection, an intuitive touch screen display and a dazzling 8.1 Megapixel camera. To complete the entertainment package, the Aino™ phone includes Stereo Bluetooth® headphones, charging base, 8GB microSD™ memory card and a USB connector cable in the box.
· TOUCH: Access and capture all of life's moments with the Aino™ phone's 3-inch, crisp 432 x 240 touch screen display. With a unique and interactive user-interface, the Aino™ phone gives users an exceptional listening, watching and communicating experience by simply tapping or sliding a fingertip across the screen. The Aino™ phone's media browser with 3D navigation offers an intuitive understanding of where users are at all times, making it simple to navigate through the phone's suite of media features and personal multimedia content. Additionally, the Aino™ phone includes a traditional key pad for quick and easy dialing.
· DOWNLOAD: Gain the freedom to wirelessly download content with an established Wi-Fi® connection using the Aino™ phone's Media Home functionality. When set on Automatic Download, Media Home will check every 30 minutes for all of your latest podcasts, photos, videos and music, and instantly upload them from your PC to the Aino™ phone. The Media Go™ application is the easiest way to organize media stored on a PC and transfer it to the Aino™ phone, transcoding movies to the best format for your mobile phone.
· CONNECT: Use PlayStation®3 Remote Play to seamlessly access music, videos and photos stored on your PS3 at home as well as remotely control your PS3 from anywhere in the world. By logging on to the PlayStation®Network, users can chat with PSN friends and even purchase items from the PlayStation®Store.
· CAPTURE: Catch crystal clear photos with the Aino™ phone's 8.1 Megapixel camera that displays images in up to 16.7 million colors. The Aino™ phone is loaded with imaging features, such as dedicated camera buttons, Auto/touch Focus, photo flash, image stabilization, a 16x digital zoom, Face Detection and BestPic™ technologies and auto-rotation of images. The Geo-Tag™ application and the pre-installed Google Maps™ application allow users to view the location where photos are taken and the Aino™ phone's wireless functionality allows users to share and view photos between their phone, PC and even their TV.
Why: Sony Electronics is the only authorized distributor of SEMC unlocked handsets in North America for Sony Ericsson. The benefits for consumers include the SEMC manufacturer's warranty when bought through an authorized dealer, as well as full customer support for the Aino™ phone and other Sony Ericsson unlocked handsets.
Who: The Aino™ phone is for mobile phone users who are tapped into the latest in mobile phone design and technology and who typically purchase unlocked phones for their added features and the flexibility to switch phones whenever the latest technology is available.
When: Oct. 27, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. PST
LOL
Very bad timing....
talking to the tmobile guy about the CLIQ, buy a phone, get a cheaper no-contract plan w/unlimited data, use skype and save some cash compared to the iPhone.
Verizon may have the coolest phone out there right now, but the t-mobile no contract plans will change the game if they can get their HSDPA+ (21mbps) roll out this coming year.
T-mobile isn't changing any games in the United States, I'd hate to say it.
Sony $600??
Or iPhone $99.
What will sell more n be more successful?
get bent.
btw lets try not mentioning the iphone for 2 seconds...got it...good!!
Agreed. Tired of hearing iphone in a post not even about it...
Real cost of ownership:
Sony 600usd
iPhone 1700usd
Contract versus No Contract? thats a real comparison. Besides with this phone you will get a superior music player to the iPhone if it anything like the Sony PMP devices.
This is the sim free price, it'll be cheaper with a contract
Who said this is competing for the iPhone?
Get a life.
That's the unsubsidized phone, mo-ran. I just drowned my 16GB 3GS. Company ordered me a new one, cost was $749 after tax and shipping and stuff. yikes.
Quapo's also a tard, gotta love how the anti-Apple legion factors service plan *only* into iPhone prices.
@Quapo:
with the difference that, by getting the "cheaper" iPhone, you are forced into paying for the "special" iPhon package that you cannot change even if you want to, that alone costs more over time than the $600 you pay for the SE.
if I heard the iWord again............
I am not sure why people keep saying that buying unlocked phones is such a financial advantage. I am a current AT&T subscriber with an unlocked phone - my unlimited data plan costs $15/month. The iPhone data plan is $30/month. If I bought an iPhone 3GS for $199 and signed a two year contract, the phone plus data plan would cost ($30 * 24) + $199, or $919.
If I stay with my current plan and buy the Sony Aino (and keep it for two years) that would cost ($15 * 24) + $600, or $960.
I am not saying that one is better than the other, as they are very different and there is no accounting for taste. However, it should be noted that there is no financial reward for buying an unlocked phone as some people keep suggesting (at least at this price point or higher).
does the iphone come unlocked? what? no? I would pay $600 for an unlocked iphone...
600 ????
lol ! what are they thinking ?
So the Rachael is probably gonna cost twice!
I would think so :S
I believe price a bit high but not really high consider many high end phone cost around the same or more.
That's unlocked. Remember subsidizing phones will significantly lower price.
I remember when their W810 came out...it was free on AT&T (Or $50, can't remember). I bought it unlocked for $500.
@iDave I do remember.. I almost did such a terrible mistake of buying that phone.
That price is not that bad at all
Not bad being unlocked and all and having all those goodies. I won't mention the i****** but I would say, the N900 is around the same price with better features. My two cents there.
So nokia $650 plus data 3g $30 month adds an extra $720 for 2 years.
We haven't even gotten to minutes or text yet. Ouch!
@word.... dude you DO REALIZE we are talking about unlocked phones... I know you are an iPhone worshiper... but how much is it unlocked? Yes, I thought so... now get some education boy.
what a day to release their phone on
sony is a joke since ps3.
you are a joke since Oct 28th 2009 12:22PM
Aino kinda reads funny.
Do you speak or know Spanish? It sounds like Ay! No! hehehe
Aino right?
It sounds like anal to me.
Aino could stand for http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=AINO&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g3g-s1g3g-s1g2
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=AINO+japanese&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g-sx4g-s1g-sx5
It's a finnish first name. Means 'only'.
No 3.5mm jack? How disappointing. Every phone company by now should realize that such a feature is always in demand. Especially a phone touting multi-media playback.
I know... how stupid on a media phone... Sony sometimes amazes me in a negative way.
They also throw in a stereo BT headset so its not _as much_ of a disadvantage as one might believe at first glance.
they give you the stereo bluetooth headset and you can put your 3.5mm $300 beats by dre on it
It's unlocked you morons, an unlocked 16GB iPhone 3GS is $599, more storage but the camera sucks and all you get in the box is a cable and a pair of stickers, so this isn't really that bad of a deal after all.
Store is the same. At least on the SE it is on a card and I can take it anywhere a SD card is insertable.
well this is not a smartphone, so the pricing should be on par with other feature phones
p.s. why can't I reply to my earlier comment ? x-(
Did you not notice you're getting a SE Bluetooth (which normally runs high), 16GB MicroSD, and the dock.
You normally can't buy an unlocked phone and that for that price.
2Davey is right. I think the goodies separate would be like $300
This looked really compelling until I realized it doesn't say what OS is on it. With all the Android as of late I kind of thought maybe they'd throw their name in the ring on that one.
The OS is Symbian.
you sure ?
I think it's a feature phone. gsm arena seems to agree with me
The OS is NOT symbian, you are confusing this with the Satio. This probably runs SEs own java platform.
Poor resistive touch screen, sluggish and messy stone-age Symbian OS, Sony still a loser. Wake up Sony boy!
I want to downvote you but I have used this phone and all these things are true. I'm a sony ericsson fan of old and this phone is just a disappointment.
dude !!! it's capacitive and it hasn't got symbian! take a look at here before posting such comments:
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_aino-2810.php
hahahaha dumbass
Seems to be a really good price for whats in the box. I think the PS3 Remote Play is a pretty cool feature but I don't know how much I would use it.
This is what happened when you announce something, and release it many months later. When the Aino was announced, it was decent. Now, with the flurry of Android phones coming out, it's not that exciting anymore. Oh well, I think SE knew this, thus the X3.
Wow some of u bloggers make it sound like SonyS $600 phone will offer free 3g data .that hilarious. What good is a smartphone without any 3g data!!
Lol!!!!
AINO?? Seriously...they're calling it this?!! It sounds like a nickname for a wino's ass...
Man, I gotta get a new job to afford this! Coincidentally, that is the Sony motto.
Man you people are thick...
Its unlocked!! All phones are expensive, even the shitty free with plan ones.
if this thing had inbuild memory say 8 or 16gigs it would be a killer phone..as its unlocked one.
it should have inbuild memory or else whats the use of having widescreen resolution,great music features and all mutlifunctional capabilities..and even lack of 3.5mm jack is a disappointment..
btw its has good screen and great camera
I've been waiting for this phone, but now, I doubt I'll get it. After reading all the Droid stuff this really can't match it. Yes it has a better camera (which I really want), and it has PS3 tie-ins, but that's not enough to put it over the top. Especially since you need to leave your PS3 running all day to access the data. Still, one thing that surprised me when I went to Sony's site to check it out is that it does NOT include the 100 free song downloads from Sony Music Pass. Sony Music Pass is great. The songs are 320kbps, not 265kbps or lower like other sites, and the songs sound noticeably better to me than downloads from elsewhere. If it included the 100 free songs I'd be more likely to consider it, as that's essentially $100 or more off.
Oh, to the people knocking unlocked pricing, consider a guy like me. I have a Sprint SERO plan, I pay $30 a month for 450 minutes, unlimited data, AND texting, so the $600 price is otherwise fine for me. I just don't have $600 right now. The free downloads would have helped me justify it to the Misses though.
Oh well, I'll have to wait and see what Sprint gets for Android 2 phones.
"Especially since you need to leave your PS3 running all day to access the data."
Check your settings for the wake on lan option, it turns itself off after as well.
Thanks for the tip. I thought the wake on LAN was only for wired devices with the PS3.
WQVGA resolution is bleh now. WVGA or bust.
It is so interesting, the Sony Ericsson Aino are not public in market but I found its battery in http://www.battery4.us/laptop-battery/sony.htm
That's an awesome name for a gadget...i always wanted a phone named after butt
I have the phone already and I love it. I have it on Tmobile which is fine. Tmobvile does NOT have 3g due to their frequency of 1700 as opposed to ATT. That said it works fine in EDGE and WIFI. To get the MMS , email and web to work I just went to SOny Ericsson's site and it setup the phone automatically for Tmobile. i didnt have to screw with anything. Turing on my PS3 is the same as doing it with my PSP. Turn it on watch movies and such and turn it off. I love it.
$600 for Aino?!?! She better be Tera Patrick...