Video: 10 minute hands on with the Sony Ericsson Satio

June 28, 2009 at 10:53 am | In 5th Edition, S60, Sony Ericsson, Symbian, Video | Leave a Comment
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Generation The Phone House, has a 10 minute video looking at the Sony Ericsson Satio – one of the three major S60 5th Edition handsets of 2009, competing with Samsungs i8910 and Nokia’s N97.

It’s interesting to note the differences both Samsung and Sony Ericsson have done to, perhaps, improving the S60 interface – e.g. look at the Satio’s media player.

I’ve ranted about the Satio/Nokia thing before >>here<< so I won’t go over it again, except for stating my love for the imaging prowess of the Satio.

  1. Xenon.
  2. Camera/Video switch.
  3. Media button (unbelievably convenient, why Nokia took it out from the N97, I don’t know.)
  4. 16:9 photos. Takes advantage of the screen ratio, looks good on the phone, also fits most modern computer screens better (not sure if it does 16:9 video as an option, you see 4:3 though in the video)

The MP count, I actually would not have minded if it was 5 or 8, so having 12MP is rather a bonus. We’ve seen in samples it performs quite well, getting a lot more detail than the growing standard of 8MP. When you’d need that extra detail for a point and shoot maybe a rare occasion, but it’s nice to have the option.

From Generation The Phone House via blog.se-nse.net/

Video: Hands on with the Sony Ericsson Satio

June 22, 2009 at 1:09 am | In 5th Edition, Nokia, Nseries, Rant, S60, Sony Ericsson, Symbian, Video | 2 Comments
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If we were to somehow rewind one year, and I was asked to think about

“what features I would have liked to have seen in a phone that would be sufficient enough to replace the imaging capabilities of the N82 entirely?”

  • Symbian S60 Touch
  • large high resolution screen
  • great camera
  • xenon (true) flash
  • dedicated camera/video switch
  • media button

-  I would not have expected that the world would see that all coming first from Sony Ericsson.

via JUSTAMP

It’s annoying because it’s not like Nokia weren’t aware people want these kinds of features. They’ve been harped on constantly, by several other consumers who voice their opinion online in their blogs or forums.

I won’t start on another xenon rant. But I will begin one about a dedicated video/camera (stills) switch/button.

It is not hard, Nokia.

You did it way back in the N93/N93i.

You made so many great steps in terms of ease with imaging (it’s just a shame that the N93 stills was absolutely pants) – dedicated flash/video light button, dedicated video/camera button and 3x optical zoom!

But we never saw this again- not even in the damn camera orientated N86! (Having said that, the N86 does have a lot of improvements to imaging which seem to be silent as they all result in improving image quality – e.g.  wide angle, improved latency, large aperture, better sensor in general so it’s really not all about more megapixels but being more efficient with the pixels you already have)

Perhaps I just need to tame my geekly cravings of the ultimate all in one and realise, the world just isn’t ready yet for such powerful convergence devices, in this case, here with imaging capabilities so great it could rival the humble point and shoot cameras.

But then, we see the likes of Sony Ericsson with the Satio which reawakens my high expectations from mobile phones. Soon imaging we’ll see another forceful phone, the Samsung m8920 – a very capable feature phone that trumps the Satio slightly with 3x optical zoom but in a possibly slimmer, better looking body than it’s previous incarnation (the “fat” G800).

So where is Nokia’s answer to these phones? Maybe there won’t be one.

Does Nokia have too much on their plate at the moment trying to sort out Symbian and fight iPhone in the software war to have any time on being at the forefront of hardware?

At the moment, it’s like Nokia’s in a confused state. Stuck in middle ground where they just aren’t particularly excelling in anything – not in software, not in hardware. Just a good, decent middle ground of slight mediocrity.

6 Page Preview of the Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou)

June 6, 2009 at 10:14 am | In 5th Edition, Reviews, Sony Ericsson, Symbian, Versus | 2 Comments
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When the N97 was launched, the 3.5″ 16:9 touchscreen, with S60 5th Edition were two features that I thought would remain unique to Nokia for a little while. I was certain it would be my next phone.

But so soon, we saw the Omnia HD (now i8910) from Samsung packing a bigger 3.7″ 16:9 AMOLED touchscreen, S60 5th edition with 720p HD video recording.

To make decision making worse, Sony Ericsson then informed us of the Idou (now Satio) with 3.5″ 16:9 TFT touchscreen, with Symbian Foundation (basically S60 5th edition) and 12MP with XENON flash.

gsmarena_033

Here’s GSM Arena’s preview of the Sony Ericsson Satio – (some key points below)

  • Made entirely of plastic, but very high quality
  • Screen has stunning picture quality and contrast (for a TFT)
  • NO 3.5mm jack
  • 1000mAh battery
  • S60 5th Edtition UI with Sony Ericsson Tweaks

  • Under the “stylish” lens cover are 12MP goodness with Xenon flash for stills and LED for video – Camera is nothing short of impressive

gsmarena_035

  • You can capture photos in 16:9 (at 9MP)
  • “Better” than the Samsung INNOV8 (though marginally) – there’s only two pairs of comparison shots though to judge it myself.
  • VGA video is “Splendid” even though their test version could not handle the 30FPS frame rate. Not sure if it reords in 16:9 though.
  • Improved browser in comparison to the 5800
Availability is around October 09.
Via GSM Arena
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For me, my only two options would really be down to the Satio or N97.

  • Satio purely for the Xenon – it meets my low light photography needs – the only phone out of the three that could force my N82 into retirement – also the additional 7megapixels don’t hurt – definitely more useful when copying out chapters of a text book for Uni  (quicker than scanning – cheaper than photocopying)
  • N97 for the form factor – I love the “flick” sliding screen that reveals that QWERTY keyboard, which for me, is preferable when entering text. There’s also that 32GB in built memory so it can immediately hold a  significant proportion of my music library with space for several movies to spare – and it’s further expandable with memory card. Finally the “homescreen” experience – I didn’t think much of this the first time I saw it, but now I see it has a lot of potential and usability.

Hello Satio! Idou released as Sony Ericsson Satio

May 29, 2009 at 10:54 am | In Sony Ericsson | 3 Comments
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sony-ericsson-satio-13.5″ Screen, Symbian Foundation, 12MP with Xenon flash – a combination you’d expect from Nseries devices, yet this is being brought to us by Sony Ericsson. Known by many as the Idou, Sony Ericsson now officially launches ther flagship device as the Satio.

Expected in Q4, this multimedia marvel is a worthy rival to both Samsung’s i8910 Omnia HD and of course, Nokia’s N97.

Which phone is best, depends on what’s best for you, i.e. what fits your needs. I’m pretty smitten with the form factor/keyboard of the N97 and plan to do a lot of mobile blogging when I get that device.

Why not get a device that’s more QWERTY based then? e.g. HTC Touch Pro2. Well I also want the balance of multimedia features which those lack – whereas, although dated, you get a decent 5MP camera and widescreen VGA video recording, 32GB on board memory and widgets.

I’ve mentioned this a million times, but had the N97 been endowed with Xenon, that would have given it more flexibility as an imaging device. After all, megapixels isn’t everything; it’s how effectively you use those pixels.

via mobile gazette

Nokia N97 vs Samsung Omnia HD vs Sony Ericsson Idou

February 23, 2009 at 1:09 am | In 5th Edition, Nokia, S60, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Symbian, Touch, Versus | 14 Comments
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Nokia N97 vs Samsung Omnia HD vs Sony Ericsson Idou

I was all set on the N97 until a three way ruckus broke out with the Omnia HD and Idou both diving in to join the Super-Mobile-Convergence-Device war.

Samsung and Sony Ericsson have extremely strong contenders, with:

The Omnia HD packing in a most gorgeous 3.7” AMOLED display, Symbian S60 V 5.0, 8MP camera and 720p 24fps widescreen HD video recording and

The code-named Idou, bringing in 3.5” widescreen display, as well as Symbian S60 V 5.0 and a 12MP camera with Xenon.

They all run on Symbian S60 V 5.0; even with their own specific interface ‘quirks’, they should all be pretty similar to each other. We’ll just have to see when they’re all at production level to see who makes the most to bring the best user friendly and innovative interface.

Is the 32GB of memory and physical keyboard enough to keep you from straying to the Samsung or Sony-Ericsson camp? We’ve seen most of the wow features on the N97 along while ago from the aged classic that is the N95 announced in 2006! On-board GPS, A2DP, 3G, HSDPA, WiFi, 5MP Carl Zeiss camera with LED flash, 3.5mm audio/tv out jack (most of which the mass public easily overlooked). Whilst the N95 was ahead of its time for quite a while the N97 which hasn’t even hit the shops is already flanked by two other very powerful rivals.

It seems it won’t be long until the hardware battle becomes saturated, all phones being more or less identical in shape, size and features where everything will come down to who’s providing the best software, online services and community/ecosystem interaction.

So, in this combat of flagships, do any pack enough artillery to sink the infamous iPhone? Or will that be accomplished by the elusive Palm Pré, or perhaps an Android?

N95 is scarred. P1i to the rescue?

September 17, 2007 at 9:20 am | In Accessories, Covers, Nokia, Sony Ericsson | 2 Comments

After 7 months of being it utmost pristine condition, I find my N95 to have an unsightly gash below its secondary camera.

I have no idea how that happened. Found it Saturday morning on the way home. It used to be in either a pouch or a crystal case. The pouch keeps getting lost and the crystal case…well that just breaks after a while (most hate them for the simple fact that they’re just too bulky) so my N95 ended up with neither. Just hopefully keeping my right pocket clear of any coins/keys and other abrasive objects. Well that worked up until that Saturday.

Over at “Just Another Phone Blog“  there’s a very normal looking Sony Ericsson P1i. What’s special about it is that it sports a very discreet protective layer.

No it’s not an invisible force shield, it’s this super thin transparent plastic.

It looks almost laminated. I wonder how they managed to slip that on. Whilst nothing can be done about that blemish on my N95’s face, something like this could possible help prevent anymore damange in future.

Anyone know it it would be possible for the N95 to have something like this?

- JUSTAMP 

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