Plemix

Just when I am sulking over the fact that Sony Ericsson has not released a proper high-end touchscreen feature phone for quite some time (since X1?), Sony Ericsson launches Aino. Being the long awaited high-end phone, Aino has a lot to live up to. With WiFi connection, 8MP camera, 3-inch touchscreen and Playstaion remote play, Aino seems to have a lot of wow-factors at first glance.

Okay, Aino’s package content is one to look up to. You have got the Aino phone, a battery, a charger, a handsfree set and most importantly the elegant-looking desk stand charger and the matching Bluetooth (which we will look into later).

The front panel of Aino is monopolized by the 3-inch TFT 16-million color capacitive touchscreen. The image quality is excellent. It is good for any media playback. However, one thing about Aino is that its touchscreen is limited to use on merely the media interface. And D-pad will be disabled on those touch-screen enabled media pages. Although the biggest selling point of this handset is the media features, I would still love to see a more purposeful touchscreen.

You need to slide open and get help from the D-pad and alphanumeric keypad when touchscreen function is not available. The fact that it is a slider makes it unnecessarily thicker than a usual touchscreen phone.

The keypad is kind of boring. Don’t get me wrong. The keys are spacious and thumb-friendly but it looks like it’s designed in the 80’s. In general, I think design of Aino is not really its forte.

The right side of the phone accommodates the shutter release and the volume rocker that doubles as zoom lever.

You have got the fast port on the right side. The metallic blue edge is looking good here, I have to admit.

You’ve got a key-lock at the top. (Yes! Even for a slider!)

The camera is an upscale one with 8MP and LED flash. The lens comes without cover which could turn into a scratch nightmare whereas the upcoming Satio has a stylish lens cover.

You have to remove the battery cover for the access of SIM and MicroSD. The package comes with an 8GB extended memory in the form of MicroSD.

Now here’s the best part. The phone comes along with super awesome kits such as the desk top charger and the specifically designed Bluetooth. They look like a handsome gang together that will sure gather some envious glances. And the media menu is Playstation inspired which adds a trendy touch to the phone.

Here’s a closer look at the harmonizing Bluetooth. A love at first sight for me.

With the Fast Port connection, not only can you charge with the desk top charger, you can also leave the phone on the dock and let the Media Home do the job of transferring for you automatically.

Here’s the standard Sony Ericsson menu that is ever-so-smooth to navigate.

You’ve got pre-installed Google Maps and Facebook on the phone

Aino is innovative in a lot of ways. Other than the handsome-looking kit, you can make use of the Wi-Fi connection to control your PS3 or PSP remotely and access the media contents there. You can also record VGA30fps video with it and download movies straight from Playnow Arena. It can surely do everything that a Sony Ericsson feature phone can do and better.

Sony Ericsson Aino (U10i) Video Review