The Good:
- Extremely high (12.1 megapixel) camera quality
- Mobile access to TV, podcasts and music
- 3.5 inch touchscreen display

The Bad:
- Frequent use of multimedia functions drains battery quickly
- No 3.5mm (standard size) headphone jack

One of Sony-Ericsson’s latest offerings is the Satio™ ‘visual communicator’. Introduced February 2009, the Satio™ is being marketed as an all-in-one communication hub. Says Sony-Ericsson Market Business Manager Fredrik Mansson, ‘With Satio you can enjoy any form of entertainment anytime, anywhere. Whether its music or movies you will never be more than a tap away from your favourite tracks or shows.’

The Satio’s™ entertainment features are its main attraction. Users can download podcasts and watch Youtube videos on the 3.4 inch, 360 x 640 pixel screen. Music lovers are well looked after, with the Satio™ using the same easy music library navigation as Sony’s Walkman range. Games can be downloaded with a tap of the finger using the PlayNow™ centre.

The 12.1 megapixel camera has auto-focus and smile detection for simple photo taking. Fancier camera features include Xenon flash, night mode, auto-stabiliser and the ability to Geo-tag pictures. Some users were unhappy with the shutter speed, which averages 1.4 seconds.

An onscreen touch QWERTY keyboard, made popular by the iPhone, provides quick and easy messaging. The touchscreen has been reported to need a firmer ‘tap’ than some, but this could be seen as a positive as typos are reduced.

At first glance the Satio™ may seem to belong with business phones such as the iPhone and Nokia's N97. But with fun features and a multitude of media options the Satio™ is setting a benchmark for a new league of mobile entertainment devices.

Specifications for the Sony-Ericsson Satio™:
Networks: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 & HSDPA 2100
Dimensions: 112 x 55 x 13mm Weight 126gms
Display: TFT touchscreen, 16M colors
Resolution: 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches
Device Input: touch
Internal Memory: 8GB, (Expandable up to 32GB microSD)
Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD, 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 3.6Mbps, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0, Wi-Fi
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, IM
CPU: ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz; 3D Graphics HW Accelerator
Operating System: Symbian OS Series 60 5th Ed.
Camera: 12MP, 4000x3000 pixels, geo tagging, face, smile detection, auto focus, xeon flash
Video Capture: VGA@30fps, video LED flash
Video Playback: DivX/XviD?, WMV, RV, Mpeg4, 3GP
Video Call Camera: Yes
Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, RA, AAC, M4A
Battery: Li-Po 1000 mAh
- Stand by Time: Unknown
- Talk Time: Unknown
Features: A-GPS, Google Maps, Organiser, Gesture Control, Accelerometer