Hasta La Gadget!

it may not be at the top of everyone’s wishlist this holiday season, but it looks like those particularly taken with Sony Ericsson’s smartphone are now back in luck after a brief suspension of sales. Of course, there’s also now a software update available for current Satio owners, but details on it are fairly light apart from word that it improves “handset speeds and battery usage” and that it “fixes previous software issues.” What’s more, while retail availability may be a bit hit and miss as things get back up to speed, it seems that at least Phones 4u in the UK is now already selling the updated version of the phone, and it’s even reporting strong sales from over the weekend.

Sony Ericsson Satio back on sale, software update available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As if the Aino’s odd name wasn’t handicap enough, Sony Ericsson’s taking another hit on its high-end Remote Play-capable full-touch (but Symbian-free) phone today with news that it’s got a dodgy touchscreen. It’s unclear exactly what’s wrong or how it’s ultimately going to get resolved, but several British retailers — most notably behemoth Carphone Warehouse — have elected to yank it from shelves until they’ve gotten confirmation that the mothership has fixed the problem. A company spokesman notes that “Aino has sold in limited numbers in the UK, so this issue affects only a very small number of customers,” which is a backhanded way of saying “for once, we’re incredibly lucky no one wants this thing” — though considering that the Satio’s on hold now, too, “lucky” might not be the right word for it. For what it’s worth, Sony’s US SonyStyle store is still hawking Ainos for $600, so part with that six-pack of Benjamins at your own risk.

Sony Ericsson acknowledges touchscreen issues on Aino originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adding insult to Sony Ericsson’s injurious bottom line, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U shops (the UK’s largest mobile phone retailers) have halted sales of the SE’s Symbian-powered Satio handset after a high number of customer returns and complaints. A “software glitch” reportedly causes Sony Ericsson’s flagship device to power down when users try to access certain applications — unfortunately, the issue can’t be patched via an over-the-air update. A little digging into CPW discussion forums reveals multiple complaints of freezes, crashes, under-performing batteries, and bizarre interface behavior. Both the Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U will offer “new phones” to customers fed up with their Satio. Richard Dorman, senior marketing manager at Sony Ericsson, concedes the issue and assures us that it should be sorted by Christmas. Until then, you can still purchase the handset directly from Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile… but really, why would you? The Satio’s not the only dubiously-spec’d 12 megapixel cameraphone on the market.

[Thanks, ugotamesij]

Sony Ericsson Satio sales suspended after bugs discovered originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man, the loot you can uncover when you go snooping around spec pages. That most ambitious of Sony Ericsson projects, the XPERIA X10, is still a long way from being released, but already we can narrow down the list of potential US carriers to just one: AT&T. The guys over at Phandroid were the first to spot the newly added UMTS frequency specs for the phone, and the available 800/850/1900/2100 bands fit only AT&T’s 3G network. That’s gonna be a bitter pill to swallow if you were looking for something like (or better than) an iPhone, but were put off by the wireless provider. Then again, with pre-order prices for unlocked X10s showing up at $999 in some places, maybe you can just look at our lukewarm hands-on and convince yourself this phone ain’t worth it anyway. Go on, you know denial makes sense.

[Thanks, Berto]

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 heading to AT&T? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen it out and about, but at last we got a chance to actually play with Sony Ericsson’s tribute to impractical style: the Pureness. As it turns out, using the device is just about as pointless as it seems. You can always just barely make out what’s happening on the semi-translucent monochrome screen, and we found ourselves constantly shifting our angle and backdrop to improve readability. The capabilities of the phone should come as no surprise to anyone who’s used a Sony Ericsson Java-happy dumbphone in the past, and the handset also has that wild variety of face buttons that are typical on a SE handset. Up top, with the d-pad flush on the face, things start to get crowded, but overall the phone is pretty usable tactile-wise. The meaty numeric pad should be a boon to a T9 afficianado, and we even managed to play a game of Pacman on the handset. Overall the materials used are nice and XPERIA-ey, but the most overt luxury item here is the block of glass that serves as the screen. In the US the phone will be sold unlocked at the Saks online store — obviously courting the fashion-conscious consumer it’s built for — but there’s still no word on a US pricetag. Check out some video after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Pureness hands-on: Pacman edition

Sony Ericsson Pureness hands-on: Pacman edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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