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Video: Sony Ericsson Satio unboxed, demonstrated with the utmost care
October 7th is like, what, just under a fortnight away? But we know good and well that's not making it any easier to wait for Sony Ericsson's 12.1 megapixel Satio to launch across the pond. If you're eager to live vicariously through a well-connected individual over on YouTube, you can hop on past the break right now to see the phone unboxed (in all three colors, no less) and detailed to a level that only a true SE fanboy could treasure. And that includes you, over there in the closet...[Thanks, Simon]
Sony Ericsson Aino and Satio hitting the UK on October 7
It's not like we didn't know this already, but Sony Ericsson has now officially confirmed an October UK release for its latest pair of handsets. The half-Swedish, half-Welsh mobile empire has set the seventh day of the tenth month of whatever year this is as the date for a nice little corporate get-together and unveiling of whatever little details haven't been seen or pored over by now. The Aino slider hopes to capture fans with its slender looks and PS3 Remote Play skills, while the Satio (formerly known as the Idou, pictured) works the multimedia phone crowd with a 12.1 megapixel cam and a 3.5-inch 16:9 display. The latter was recently handled by Engadget Spanish, who found it underwhelming and somewhat sluggish -- but rest assured, we'll be getting a lot more fingerprints on these touchscreen devices in the coming weeks.
Sony Ericsson Satio arrives at the FCC
Well well, it looks like the mythical Sony Ericsson Satio is soon to go from beautiful fever-dream to actual reality -- it's popped into the FCC database with test results on GSM 850 and 1900, otherwise known as EDGE. Yeah, that sort of sucks, but we're still holding out hope, since we don't know the full story -- it could be destined for a lame existence on AT&T, it could be sold unlocked, or it could be a Canadian or Latin American model. Seriously, though -- it's the Satio, and the government has one. You know what that means.
Bring popcorn: Youserbase reviews Sony Ericsson's Satio and Aino smartphones on video
Sony Ericsson has been teasing us with its hottest for some months now, the Satio (nee Idou) and the Aino, two media-heavy smartphones that are inching closer to international release. They still aren't confirmed for American shores, but until then we can enjoy a series of lengthy videos covering the two courtesy of Youserbase. How lengthy? We're talking almost 75 minutes of discussion and tentative fingering over nine parts, showing off nearly every nook and cranny of the phones' (decidedly dark) user interfaces. While there aren't any huge surprises here, the vids give good feel for the responsive performance of the UI -- and of the occasionally not-so-responsive integrated browsers. We've included just the first two installments here after the break, but if you don't have anything planned this morning feel free to click on through for the epic and sweeping series. [Via USEB] Read - Satio video review Read - Aino video review
Sony Ericsson's Satio and Aino get handled, Remote Play makes the Aino PSP-like -- minus the games
Folks are already starting to get a look at production versions (well, closer to production than at MWC, anyhow) of the Sony Ericsson Satio and its baby sister, the Aino -- and even if you're not a fan of the joint venture's wares, it's hard not to appreciate what it's brought to the table here. The Satio looks identical to its Idou doppelganger -- albeit now in three colors instead of two -- but the real news here is inside, where we're finally getting a look at Sony Ericsson's interpretation of Symbian^1 with a unique UI. Overall, it's looking "chunky" (and we mean that in a good way) with an entirely finger-friendly presentation -- a sharp, healthy departure from the UIQ platform that it just threw in the dumpster a few months back.Though the Satio's higher end, it's actually the Aino that intrigues us more; in a way, this is the closest thing to a "PSP phone" that Sony Ericsson has ever produced, largely on account of its support for Sony Remote Play which funnels PlayStation 3-stored media content down over WiFi or your cellular connection. Sadly though, "media content" doesn't include games; Sony Ericsson is billing the phone strictly as a multimedia-heavy non-gaming phone, so calling it a PSP phone in practice would be a huge frickin' misnomer. The phone includes a dock that syncs media wirelessly to your PC when connected -- hot -- and from a distance, it seems to be just about the sexiest phone Sony Ericsson's ever made. It's not clear what carriers will be offering either of these, but as usual, we've got to bet against the North Americans.Read - Satio hands-onRead - Aino hands-on
Sony Ericsson Satio is Idou's final name, ships in October
It's been announced today that the Symbian-powered Idou unveiled at Mobile World Congress earlier this year will be coming to market as the "Satio." The full 640 x 350 3.5-inch touchscreen device features a whopping 12.1 megapixel camera, dual-band HSPA, microSD expansion (yes, microSD, not Memory Stick Micro), and a xenon flash. It'll be available in three colors -- black, silver, and bordeaux -- this October.[Via SEMC Blog]
Sony Ericsson Kokura spotted, but is it different from the Idou?
The same poorly-lit source offering up the first picture of a Verizon-branded HTC Touch Pro2 has come to the table with a device claimed to be the Sony Ericsson "Kokura," which looks suspiciously like the Idou (we've blown the contrast and brightness on the image to try to get some better definition out of Mr. Blurrycam's fine work). Indeed, the specs are a dead ringer for the Idou's, too, with a 12.1 megapixel camera and S60 5th Edition both said to be in the mix. Granted, Sony Ericsson wants to launch the Idou with the Symbian Foundation's R1 release, but the difference between R1 and S60 5th Edition should be little more than the difference in an old-school S60 Feature Pack, so we're not too worried about it. Question is, is this really just the Idou by a different name? If so, should the fact that there are units in the wild give us hope that a launch isn't too far off? And if not, why is the company making multiple identical devices with similar specs?
Sony Ericsson drops clues on Android 2.0-based smartphone
Sony Ericsson's finance team may figure that it needs a wheelbarrow full of cold, hard cash in order to steamroll through the next decade, but we know better than that. What it needs, friends, is Android, and in the worst possible way. At a launch event over in Taiwan this week, SE Asia-Pacific's vice president of marketing Peter Ang was quoted as saying that the outfit's first Android-based smartphone would actually be humming along on Android 2.0. So, there are two ways to take this: one is that Android 2.0 is just around the bend, which would totally rule, but is absolutely unrealistic to believe. The other, more feasible possibility is that SE's first Android-based phone won't hit the market until your next grandchild is born, which definitely doesn't bode well for a handset maker that can't possibly reinvent itself soon enough.[Via Slashphone]
Keepin' it real fake, part CCV: Sonia F2 doesn't do Idou justice
Sony Ericsson's Idou is still a ways off -- possibly October according to some reports -- but if you're jonesing for the form factor now, or if you find the 12.1 megapixel camera somehow intimidating, Sonia's KIRF-tacular F2 might be right up your alley. The doppelganger eschews a Symbian-powered OS in favor of Android, shrinks the screen by about half an inch diagonally, and even though its camera only shoots at 1.3 megapixels, it still says 12.1 on the back, which should be just enough to convince your friends before you quickly hide it back in your pocket and slyly change the subject. Read - SpecsRead - Hands-on pics
Rumor mill says Sony Ericsson Idou might be coming this October
It's all a tiny bit hazy, but it sounds like a Sony Ericsson PR rep in Germany has confirmed that the 12 megapixel camera-boasting Idou will be hitting the streets in October. Gustaf Brusewitz of Sony Ericsson Sweden didn't have too much to say about that statement, and only repeated what he'd said in the past -- that the Idou will be shipping "sometime in the second half of the year." Come on Gustaf, throw us hint![Via BoyGenius Report]
Sony Ericsson Idou, now in silver?
So far, we've only seen the Idou in black, but Sony Ericsson does like to play with the palette -- and sure enough, we're now seeing a shot of a silver model for the first time. SEMC Blog doesn't know whether this is a canceled or to-be-announced version, but like everyone, we're hoping it's the latter.
Sony Ericsson's Idou stylus gets pictured, piques interests
We've already investigated every single nook and crannie involved in Sony Ericsson's 12 megapixel Idou, but here's something we haven't seen: an associated stylus. It's difficult to tell at the moment if SE plans to toss this in with the Idou (or whatever it ends being called) like Nokia did when it threw in a guitar pick with the 5800 XpressMusic, but either way, you can consider our interest piqued. Not that we're fans of using a stylus over our own digits, mind you, but we are fond of random, if not unnecessary accessories. Save the lecture, we realize that's odd.[Thanks, Jesper]
Sony Ericsson Idou hands-on and video walkthrough
Sony Ericsson launched its 12.1 megapixel Idou at Mobile World Congress yesterday evening, and while not a finished device, we checked it out anyway. The Idou will eventually roll with the Symbian Foundation's OS, but the version we're seeing here is somewhere in between. The resistive touchscreen (essentially the same as found on the XpressMusic 5800) is immense, glossy, and already brilliant. The transitions and sweeping gestures (check them in the vid) are really responsive and quick, with no real lag. We checked it against its nearest neighbor in the C905 and it is slim in comparison. Top notch stuff, we are anxiously waiting for more. Video and gallery follow.%Gallery-44915%
Sony Ericsson Idou first eyes-on (Update: now with video!)
Sony Ericsson is only teasing this one from behind glass -- and for good reason, the Idou is far from completion -- but we grabbed a few shots of the handset all the same. Let us tell, it's pretty intimidating staring down a 12 megapixel camera on a phone, but we managed somehow.%Gallery-44768%
Sony Ericsson gets official with "Idou" 12 megapixel mobile
We didn't doubt it for a second (okay, maybe one second), but Sony's so-called Idou is for real. Though, we wouldn't go memorizing that name or anything, 'cause SE has plans to change it to something more commercial before summer. At any rate, the touchscreen-heavy handset -- which will run Symbian Foundation at launch -- does indeed sport a 12.1 megapixel shooter (which was hinted at last November), which sort of makes the also-just-official Samsung Memoir seem a bit dated already. It's funny too, as the only dozen megapixeler we were actually expecting at this show was from Samsung. We're still waiting on the minutiae, but we do know that it will pack a 3.5-inch panel (640 x 320 resolution; no word on capacitive or resistive) and "full media consumption," a phrase we're still struggling to digest. More as we get it!%Gallery-44764%
Sony Ericsson Idou revealed a little early
We're just getting into our seats for Sony Ericsson's MWC press event, but it looks like the partnership's newest Symbian offering has leaked a little early. Called the Idou, it sports a 16:9 touchscreen, a 12.1 megapixel camera with a xenon flash, and an official web site that doesn't seem to be active yet. We'll hopefully be finding out more in just minutes, we'll let you know!Update: Our tipster says the above model might be a concept, but a similar device will be released sometime around the second half of 2009 -- we'll keep you posted as we get more info.Update 2: Nope -- it's real.[Thanks, aleksandarkazi]