Sony Brands

Sony Ericsson have been working on the Kurara handset, also known as the U5. Kurara will be part of the Entertainment Unlimited range, following in the steps of the Satio (U1). Design wise, it looks like Sony Ericsson have taken a leaf out of LG’s book as it looks very similar to the LG Viewty Smart (GC900).

U5 is powered by Symbian and has a Cortex A8 processor and PowerVR graphics chip. Other specs include an 8.1 megapixel camera as well as a 3.5 inch AMOLED touch screen. European price is rumoured to be around 300 Euros but, no specific release date. However for the UK, the handset is rumoured to hit shelves in April. Currently the UK price is unknown but, hopefully there’ll be an announcement at the Mobile World Congress with more information.

Source: UberGizmo

While the Satio may be the first of Sony Ericsson’s Entertainment Unlimited range, the handset is actually quite opposite. If you’ve transferred previous photos and music over to your new Satio handset, like I have, depending on how much you transfer, you’ll shortly find that new pictures and videos do not show in the Media section, or on the navigation bar. At first it looks like the phone hasn’t saved the photos but, the files can be accessed through the File Manager. After a look around after experiencing this problem, I’ve find why the photos aren’t showing.

The Satio is limited to 3000 files in the Media section. Meaning once you have more than 3000 files, including music, photos and movies, the newer files will no longer show up unless viewing from the file manager. Sony Ericsson are aware of this and may fix it in a firmware update. Once the latest update is available for branded handsets, I’ll report back on if the limit has been removed, or if we’ll need to wait longer. For now, I suggest removing files you really don’t need on the handset, after backing them up of course.

With the Satio being taken off many UK stores shelves it’s not surprising Sony Ericsson have rolled out an update very quickly. Unfortunately though, the update only appears to be for unbranded handsets. Just Another Mobile Blog reports updating an unbranded Satio, while no update was found for a Vodafone handset, which I can also confirm. Hopefully the update will be available quickly for all Satio handsets. The update has reportedly made the phones respond faster.

While the update has been released, many stores still haven’t put the phone back on the shelves. Although it seems, from further information, the issues only appear to affect the black model, so if you’ve seen the Satio still on sale, like I have, it’s likely the silver version they’re selling. On the same note, the Aino did not get pulled from shelves as confirmed by a Sony Ericsson spokesperson.

After a year long wait, I finally got my hands on the Sony Ericsson Satio, first of the Entertainment Unlimited range. It’s main feature is the impressive 12.1 megapixel camera, which from what I’ve used of it so far, is definitely as impressive as it sounds.

I’ll be doing a review shortly of the handset but,until then, here’s some unboxing photos of the handset.

Since getting my Sony Ericsson Satio, one complaint I’ve had so far, is the battery life. It reminds me of an old Motorola I used to have, which needed charging every 16-24 hours, 22-26 if I didn’t use it at all. OK, so the Satio may not be that bad but, I’m used to my phones lasting 2-3 days without a charge, regardless of usage. The Satio, I’ve charged three times since getting it, with the battery lasting around 36 hours. After looking into it, it seems the Satio ships with a 1000 mAh battery, which is rather low, considering that the phone is a high end device and part of the Entertainment Unlimited range. Unfortunately, you’re time using the entertainment is limited. Anders Westin, head of Sony Ericsson Software Relations was quized on the battery life recently and replied “don’t you mean 1,350 mAh?” before showing his Satio’s battery off.

It’s a shame we didn’t get to see this as end users, it would have made the phone much better than it already is, as I know I’ll be watching the battery on it while taking photos and listening to music. The higher capacity battery however, is currently not available to purchase from Sony Ericsson. eBay and third parties also don’t appear to have the battery, apart from the standard 1000 (which state the standard battery is 600 mAh), or 900 mAh.

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Sorry guys, but the rumor of the Xperia X2 being announced today aren’t true. At the CommunicAsia in Singapore, Sony Ericsson gave a recap on their recently announced handsets. The company went over the specs of the Satio, previously known as Idou, the all in one entertainment phone, as well as the two gaming phones, Yari and Aino.

Sony Ericsson revealed that the handsets are due to be released in early Q4 for the Asia Pacific region. Consumers in that area who pick up the handsets will also get exclusive content. Three movies and music videos are included with the Satio and Aino, which the user can chose from a movie catalogue of around 300 titles. Prince of Persia and Asphalt Road will also be bundled with Satio. Yari on the other hand, users will be able to download three games from a list of around 100 games. Seems like Satio users will be getting the best deal though, even if the price is sure to be higher for the handset.

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