Sony Ericsson Thursday launched a new smartphone that it says is an iPhone killer. The touchscreen multimedia mobile, which features many of the iPhone's innovative features, is being touted as a "game changer".
Managing director of Sony Ericsson UK Nathan Vautier claims that the new Satio smartphone is a "game-changer" that will "help return the company to profitability".
Sony Ericsson crashed to a £325m loss in the first quarter of this year as demand for its handsets dropped by 35 percent. Analysts at gartner put this down to the steep decline of "mid-market" phones, an area traditionally dominated by Sony Ericsson.
The company has cut 2,000 workers and now plans to cut as many more. Unit shipments for the first quarter dropped 35 percent compared to the same period last year. Sony Ericsson also lost two percentage points of market share compared to the previous quarter, now holding on to 6 percent of the market.
The Satio was previously known as Idou. Sony Ericsson showed off the 12.1-megapixel touchscreen cameraphone at Mobile World Congress. It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen in the 16:9 widescreen format and a Xenon flash.
It is based on what will become the Symbian Foundation operating system; the upcoming open-source version of the Symbian operating system. As well as the Apple iPhone it competes with the Google-backed Android platform. Sony Ericsson is working on a phone based on that platform as well, but isn't ready to announce any details yet.
The Sony Ericsson Satio will be available for free on £35 per month contracts with all the UK's mobile phone operators.
The Sony Ericsson Satio at a glance:
Facts and Figures
- Size: 112 x 55 x 13.3 mm
- Weight: 126 grams
- Colours: Black, Silver and Bordeaux
- Main screen: 16,777,216 colour nHD TFT
- 16:9 widescreen
- Resolution: 640 x 360 pixels
- Size: 3.5 inches
- Phone memory: 128MB
- Memory Card Support: SanDisk microSD
Camera
- 12.1 megapixel camera
- Up to 12x digital zoom
- Auto focus
- BestPic
- Face detection
- Geo tagging of photos
- Image stabilizer
- Photo feeds
- Photo fix
- Send to web
- Red-eye reduction
- Smile detection
- Touch focus
- Video light
- Video recording
- Xenon flash
Music
- Album art
- Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
- Media player
- Music tones (MP3/AAC)
- PlayNow
- TrackID
Web
- WebKit web browser
- Bookmarks
- Web feeds
Communication
- Call list
- Speakerphone
- Vibrating alert
- Video calling
Messaging
- Conversations
- Exchange ActiveSync
- Handwriting recognition
- Instant messaging
- On-screen QWERTY keyboard
- Picture messaging (MMS)
- Predictive text input
- Sound recorder
- Text messaging (SMS)
Design
- Auto rotate
- Gesture control
- Media
- Picture wallpaper
- S60 5th edition Symbian OS
- Touchscreen
- Wallpaper animation
Entertainment
- HD and 3D games
- Facebook application
- FM radio with RDS
- Java
- Video streaming
- Video viewing
- YouTube
Connectivity
- Bluetooth technology
- Modem
- PictBridge
- Synchronisation
- TV out
- USB mass storage
- USB support
- In-built WiFi
Organizer
- Alarm clock
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Contacts
- Document readers
- Document editors
- Flight mode
- Notes
- Tasks
Location-based services
- A-GPS
- Google Maps
- Turn-by-turn navigation
"This is a new Sony Ericsson you see before you today," said Steve Walker, vice president of marketing, at the London launch. "It's taking all the things we have become... and taking a big step beyond."
In a flurry of odd-named phone launches Sony Ericsson also launched two other handsets - the Aino and Yari. The company said will "revolutionise" mobile phone gaming and audio experience.
