While they may have unusual names – only one of the four new products has the traditionally impenetrable code – Sony Ericsson see this is a positive move, replacing the older names with more memorable phrases.

We’ve been hands-on with the quartet of new phones to find out if they’re up to the job – or if they’re all mouth and no trousers.

Satio your hunger

Sony Ericsson’s latest flagship product is the Satio, with its designers claiming it to be the ‘ultimate multimedia experience’ – and, after perusing its list of features and specifications, we’re hard-pressed to disagree.

A 3.5in, 16:9 touchscreen and 12.1mp camera are joined by Bluetooth, WiFi and HSDPA connectivity and an 8GB microSD card. The touchscreen felt responsive and easy to navigate and has a menu system similar to that of the Aino – scroll horizontally from section to section and then vertically within that section.

This was also the only new product launched last night that doesn’t use Sony Ericsson’s proprietary OS – instead, the Satio uses the S60 5^th edition of Symbian. It’s also linked to Youtube, Facebook and Picasa, with Sony hinting at future integration with other social networking sites, such as Twitter.

As well as testing the new interface, we were also given a chance to watch some video on the new screen, which has a resolution of 640 x 360, and came away impressed: it was sharp, bright and vivid, easily rivalling the quality seen on the best Apple, Archos and Creative devices. The media interface also bore plenty of resemblance to the XMB bar seen on PS3 and PSP, with Sony claiming last night that it’s looking to integrate this type of navigation into more products in the future.

While it’s not stacked with smartphone features, the Satio could well be one of the best consumer phones ever released by Sony Ericsson: a 12.1mp camera, gorgeous, responsive touchscreen, an absolute bucketload of media features and more connectivity than you could shake a stick at certainly make it a tempting package, albeit one that could cost a pretty penny when it’s released in the Autumn.

Aino what you’re thinking

Sony Ericsson is stressing that none of its new phones are limited to merely making phone calls and sending texts – instead, they’re entertainment experiences in their own right – and the new Aino is at the forefront of this change in attitude. Sitting in a docking station reminiscent of those included with Archos media players, the Aino also comes with a wireless Bluetooth headset and a boatload of promises regarding the entertainment experience and device integration.

The 3in touchscreen felt intuitive and easy to use last night – scroll left and right to select a section and then navigate downwards within that section – and also included several menus that aped the grid-like layout of the iPhone. The sliding unit also includes a traditional keypad, for those who aren’t too keen on using a touchscreen all the time.

Integration with Facebook, Google and YouTube is already built into the device using the NetFront web browser, with Sony Ericsson also hinting that Twitter, as well as other social networking sites, are on its roadmap for several of the new models. An 8.1mp camera with 16x digital zoom, and Bluetooth is joined by GPRS and WiFi connectivity. An 8GB microSD card is included, providing a decent amount of storage.

Plug the Aino into its docking station and, in theory, the machine can hook up with a computer running Sony’s Media Go software, synchronising your files over WiFi automatically. We’re also promised that the Aino can be used with PS3’s Remote Play feature, which was first introduced for the PSP last year, enabling owners or both machines to connect them together, sharing and using media wherever there’s a WiFi connection.

However, the demonstration we saw last night didn’t exactly go smoothly – the Aino and PS3 couldn’t get it together, despite being mere feet apart – but, if Sony can iron out these bugs before launch, you’ll be able to view any of your PS3’s media content on your Aino, sharing and swapping files in the same way that can be done with PSP.

Gaming on the go

The new Yari, meanwhile, is a mobile with a clear gaming focus and, unusually, motion sensitive features of the kind normally seen in the Nintendo Wii, with Sony Ericsson claiming this is the first motion sensitive phone to be launched outside of Japan.

The phone comes pre-loaded with Tennis and Fitness software, with Boxing and Baseball titles available for a free download from Sony’s online application store. We’re promised dozens further games will be available for the new device, but Sony weren’t at liberty to name names or confirm how many of these would have motion-sensing features.

We’re not entirely sure of the Yari: while the motion sensitive camera worked well when demonstrated last night, the endlessly enthusiastic demo videos featured a group of models playing bowling, boxing and golf games on the train and in a restaurant – and who would do that in public?

The joy of texts

While these three products don’t sound much like Sony Ericsson releases, there’s no mistaking the Walkman W995’s heritage. It’s a slider phone that, like the Satio, promises to include almost every feature you’d seemingly want with a definite entertainment focus.

As well as working with Sony’s new PlayNow With Movies service, the W995 includes integration with the BBC iPlayer as well as proprietary Sony services that could offer small ‘webisode’ content based around existing franchises – the previews we saw last night featured Dukes of Hazard content, for instance. Sony didn’t confirm if they’d run into any issues regarding the license fee with iPlayer, though, responding cagily when asked.

Sony also announced that, if used on the 3 network, the W995 will integrate with SkyPlayer, offering Sky Sports and Sky News coverage and, intriguingly, the ability to remotely connect to your Sky+ box at home and record any shows you’ve missed.

Elsewhere, there’s all the usual high-end Walkman trappings: an 8mp camera, a superb mp3 player, motion gaming, YouTube links and Bluetooth, WiFi and GPRS network connectivity. It’s just a shame that there’s no HSDPA.

In some ways, then, this line of new Sony Ericsson products is very similar – all have a clear focus on entertainment and multimedia, for instance – but we’re not sure if all of these will be entirely successful: after all, who’s going to go shadow boxing with a phone in the middle of the street? Nevertheless, these look like some of the best new media devices we’ve seen for a while, so keep your eyes peeled for full reviews as soon as we get hold of some of this exciting new kit ahead of the Autumn release dates.

]]> http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/29/first-look-four-brand-new-sony-ericsson-phones/feed/ 8 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/12/first-look-sony-walkman-x-series/ http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/05/12/first-look-sony-walkman-x-series/#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 13:39:36 +0000 Mike Jennings http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5552 Sony has taken the wrapping off its most obvious iPod Touch competitor yet – the OLED-equipped X-series Walkman.

We’ve been hands-on with Sony’s latest addition to the Walkman family at the London launch and, while it’ll have to go some way to beat the all-conquering iPod Touch and iPhone duopoly, we’ve come away impressed.

Sony is emphasising the sheer quality afforded by the new Walkman and, on first impressions, it’s hard to disagree: the unit itself, while small and light, felt more than solid enough to cope with pockets and backpacks, and the four sides of the X-series are covered in a stylish mottled pattern that lends the Walkman a bit of personality aside from the familiar logos plastered all over it.

The OLED touchscreen itself carries on the theme of quality: it feels practically as responsive as the screens on Apple’s products, is pretty sharp and bright and, with a height of three inches and resolution of 432 x 240, large enough to display album covers, videos and pictures, as well as the web thanks to the in-built WLAN and browser. A direct link to YouTube is also provided, as is an area for managing podcasts, and the touchscreen is accompanied by hardware controls for music on top and a ‘Home’ button at the bottom.

Sound quality seemed up to muster, too, with plenty of rich bass complimenting snappy, accurate treble. Sony is talking up its noise-cancelling technology – it’s claiming that the X-series if the world’s first mp3 and video player with digital noise cancellation – but our first impressions suggest that the cancellation is subtle rather than intrusive. The player has three noise cancellation modes – for trains, planes and offices – so we’ll test those more thoroughly when we get our hands on the X-series for review.

The new Sony X-series is available in any colour as long as it’s black and, while not having the thousands of applications of the iPod Touch, is looking like it could be a rival: excellent sound quality, a vivid and responsive touchscreen and a decent range of features should appeal to those who value the sound of their music over Apple’s legendary design. Prices rival Apple’s, too: £209 inc VAT for the 16GB model and £279 for double that capacity.

Will it be worth the cash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep checking the PC Pro site for a review soon.