Sony Ericsson Aino is a multimedia smartphone which features to be able to access and control media content from the Sony PS3. At just 104 x 50 x 15.5 mm, the 3-inch slider phone slipped easily into our shirt pocket and felt sturdy and solid in our hands. Slide out the phone and an alphanumeric keyboard will reveal itself akin to the Samsung UltraTouch S8300. What is peculiar is that the phone’s dedicated Call and End buttons were crammed between the keypad, which made it somewhat inconvenient when you want to make a call at a snap. The volume control, microUSB and audio jack is located at the sides of the phone. What’s sad is that the camera doesn’t have a lens cover. This means scratching the camera lens is a high possibility but then again, if it were to have a lens cover, the phone would have had to sacrifice its slim build.

Product Specifications

• Dimensions: 104 x 50 x 15.5mm
• Weight: 134 grams
• Display: 3-inch (240 x 432 pixels)
• Memory: Internal - Up to 55MB, microSD support
• Talk Time: Up to 13 hours
• Standby Time: Up to 380 hours
• Music Listening Time: Up to 31 hours
• Network: Quad-band
• Connectivity: A-GPS, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi
• Camera: 8.1 megapixels with 16x digital zoom

Given that the Sony Ericsson Aino does not flaunt a full touch sensitive screen, the interface and operating system is a carbon copy of what older Sony Ericsson phones have to offer. For one, the touch sensitive features are only available when the phone slider is closed, and you are able to use your fingers to launch basic applications such as the camera, gallery, audio and video player. That said, these short cuts only allow you to carry out limited actions - for instance, launching the music player function only allows you to browse or skip tracks, and not alter the equalizer or audio settings.

Coined as a leading multimedia device, the Sony Ericsson Aino proudly boasts an 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and built-in flash. Of course, the star of the show is its ability to communicate with your PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. Specifically, the Remote Play with PS3 feature lets you control and access your PS3 media content from your mobile phone. That means that you can access all the videos stored on your PS3 via the Internet from anywhere in the world. The phone also offers standard connectivity options such as A-GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

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