Sony Ericsson’s Entertainment Unlimited family just got a little bit bigger. The touch-screened Aino has been announced. Unlike the Satio, this little bugger (speaking figuratively and rather contradictory to the truth) is not a smartphone. It runs on a modified version of Sony Ericsson’s feature phone OS. But despite that, it still manages to pack quite a punch. It’s got an 8 megapixel camera with photo flash, Touch focus, Face and Smile detection, Smart contrast, Geo-tagging, BestPic and other software niceties.

The front, apparently, is dominated by a large 3 inch display, capable of showing up to 16 million colours and with the odd 240:432 resolution. Sony Ericsson have also done their best to spice up the interface, by providing a brand new auto-rotate-enabled Media menu and new interface graphics. The touchscreen only works in the Media and Camera menu for now though.

Speaking of media, the Aino has Sony’s Clear Bass and Clear Stereo Sound enhancement technologies. Audio quality shouldn’t be a problem this way. The mood-recognition-based SensMe filter is also in the music player of the phone. Naturally, A2DP Bluetooth is included as well, so that you can listen to your music via a wireless headset. The stereo speakers are also a very welcome feature. FM radio is there too.

Of course, The Aino also supports Java apps and 3D games (it even has a YouTube, Walkmate, Tracker, Facebook and a Hyves application on-board), but what’s really interesting here is that it also supports a feature, familiar to PSP owners- namely Remote play. This allows the user to connect to his PS3 from anywhere around the globe, as long as he has a connection to the Interenet that can handle the data traffic. Al lthe content on your PS3 at your fingertips - anywhere. Customers from Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Great Britain can also use the PlayTV option, which allows them to play, pause and record TV using their Aino. pretty neat, huh?

Amidst the relatively bulky dimensions of the phone - 104×50x15.5 mm - we find another unusual feature - and alphanumeric keypad hidden beneath the surface. And yes, it slides vertically. Kind of awkward, I know. Oh, it’s also a tad heavy - 134 grams. But they had fo fit all these features somewhere.

On the connectivity side, the Aino supports quad-band GPRS/EDGE and tri-band HSDPA. Wi-Fi and GPS are there as well. Expectedly, Google maps ships with the phone too.

The Aino should ship the beginning of the fourth quarter this year in the colours Obsidian Black and Luminous White.

Press release:

Keep up to date with the latest videos and music on Aino. Media Go™ helps you transfer, play and organise all your music, photos, videos and podcasts from your PC simply and effortlessly to enjoy directly on Aino via Wi-Fi™. No more wires, no more searching – always the latest fun.

London, UK – May 28, 2009 – Sony Ericsson today showcases Aino.  Get the best of two worlds with the keypad combined with an intuitive touch UI in media mode.  An intuitive media browser gives users a clear overview and one touch direct access to their content.

Control your PLAYSTATION®3 and access its media content on your Aino anywhere, anytime using Remote Play with PLAYSTATION®3.  Remote Play with PLAYSTATION®3, initially developed for PSP, enables users to control and access media content on PLAYSTATION®3 from their phone.  This can be done via a local network between PLAYSTATION®3 and Aino in your home or via the internet from anywhere in the world.  For TV lovers in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and in the UK users can also enjoy the PlayTV™ service on PLAYSTATION®3 via the Aino.  Watch, pause and record live TV from a huge range of free channels via Aino on the go.

Aino also introduces Media Home, an application that pulls media content from Media Go™ on your PC over Wi-Fi™ to your phone automatically.  Users just insert their Aino into its charging stand and it automatically synchronizes with all the latest media content on their PC.  You are always ready to go with the latest content on your phone.

“Sony Ericsson has established itself as THE Communication Entertainment brand and Aino highlights our commitment to bringing the latest communication technology to the market in fun and innovative ways for consumers to enjoy,” said Alexandre Cardon, Market Business Manager at Sony Ericsson. “Media Home and Remote Play with PLAYSTATION®3 are key steps in broadening the entertainment experiences users can enjoy on their Sony Ericsson phone and gives a taste of our vision of the future.”

Watch movies on the crystal clear 3 inch screen and listen to music in superb quality and with increased freedom - thanks to the stylish Wireless Stereo Headphone MH100 and matching Charging Stand EC100 included with Aino.  This powerful phone offers a full range of exciting features to support the entertainment experiences on the phones such as; an 8.1 megapixel camera, Photo flash and Clear audio experience.

Aino
Sound and vision set free

• The best of both worlds: traditional keypad and touch UI in media mode
• Media Home and Media Go™ - simple to take your content with you
• Remote Play with PLAYSTATION®3 – control and access your PLAYSTATION®3  media content from your mobile phone
• 3 inch 16 million colour screen – surf the web in widescreen
• Clear audio experience – listen to music in superb quality
• Design matched Wireless Stereo Headphone MH100 and Charging Stand EC100

Aino supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100. Aino will be available in selected markets from early Q4 in the colours Obsidian Black and Luminous White.

Filed under: Entertainment Unlimited
Tags: Aino, Sony Ericsson Aino

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