Is it a phone, camera, media centre? No, it’s the Sony Ericsson Satio – the review

I’ve always been a big fan of the Ericsson (way before they collaborated with Sony creating Sony Ericsson) range of phones. I remember the first colour screen phone I had was the Ericsson T68… then the Sony Ericsson T68i came about… 256 colours screen – at that time, it was the most glorious looking thing I’ve ever seen…

(t68)

The T68 series didn’t even have a camera – then the impossible came, a plug and play gadget was created by the people at Sony Ericsson – it was a camera add-on and for the first time I was able to take pictures with a phone!

(communicam)

As you can see, I’ve had a loooooong history with this brand… so the moment I heard about the launch of a completely new range of Sony Ericsson phones… I just had to go…

Satio… was called the Idou
The first time I heard about the Satio was when it was still called the Idou – people all over the world were raving about a magnificent shooter, a great interface… I never saw it till I was invited to the Sony Ericsson launch recently which showcased their latest range of mobile phones… the Yari, the Aino and of course, the Satio.

(trio)

Satio was my favourite of the 3 because it featured a freaking 12.1 megapixel camera – which by the way has higher resolution than my existing point-and-shoot cam at 10.1 megapixels. Not only that, it was also the first Sony Ericsson phone to use Symbian’s Touch Screen OS – S60v5… all that clad in a really sleek and glossy body.

I want it I want it I want it!
After saying that 3 times – like magic – BEHOLD… I got myself a Sony Ericsson Satio!

(unboxing of satio)

For the first time, I got a really good look at the phone (you see in events – it’s dark, it’s crowded, everyone’s got finger prints all over it, the phone feels grimey… it’s not the best place to checkout a phone) – but now, with my very own… here’s what I thought…

First impression – It really does look like a camera!

(camera)

Buttons are positioned like how a regular camera would have – then there’s the nice touch of blue LED that lights up the moment the camera function is activated… everything just oozes sexy. The body is smooth – some people claim it feels plasticky… but I think it feels more like a black, glossy piano surface.

One thing that really amazes me is the built quality – I’ve got OCD – and so, I like things PERFECT. I hate it when there are creaks whenever you press the sides of a phone together BUT this baby has NONE of that. Overall, it feels solid, weights alright, doesn’t create too much of a bulge in the pocket and looks great.

A 12.1 Megapixel camera
The first thing I tried out was the 12.1 megapixel camera. All good cameras MUST have some form of flash – this thing has TWO! Unlike most camera phones that come with an LED flash – which really isn’t much of a flash at all the Satio has an LED (to assist in focusing during low light conditions) and an actual Xenon flash which you see in dedicated cameras.

Checkout some of the shots I took during a recent trip… (click on any of the pictures to enlarge)

(sea view)

(soft focus)

(satay)

(fruit)

Camera flash test…

Without Flash

(without)

With Flash

(with)

Macro Mode

(wine)

Panoramic mode (this is completely automated – no user intervention is necessary, just snap – phone stitches!

(panorama)

The camera function really scores – it has most of the gadgets and gizmos in dedicated Sony cameras!

Quick bursts – multiple frame shots
Panorama
Red eye removal
30 frames per second 640 x 480 Video recording
Best shot mode – automatically selects the best picture
Anti shake
Smile detection
Face detection
and loads more!
At one point, I was so amazed by the camera function that I began calling the Satio a CAMERA!!!
Usability – as a phone?
As mentioned earlier, the Satio is the first Sony Ericsson phone to use Symbian’s touch screen OS – the Series60v5. Other phones that share the same platform include the Nokia 5800 Express Music, Nokia N97 etc. So in general, the phone features are very very very similar to touch screen Nokia phones.

In short, everything you can think of that a phone should do – the Satio will do.

That said, Sony Ericsson isn’t Nokia – and so there were customizations done on the Symbian OS. The Satio is one of the few phones in the world to have Open GL 2.0 support – which gives better gaming, better graphics acceleration etc – so the interface is smoother as far as visual effects are concerned…

Just checkout the smoothness of the interface & some customizations Sony Ericsson did to the OS in my 1st ever Gadget VIDEO!

(video?)

PSP like Media Centre Interface
The Media Centre Interface as you’ve seen in the movie is really smooth and reminds me of the PlayStation Portable. Navigation is simple, fast, great looking and just makes sense.

(picture of the interface)

This phone LOVES being turned over…
As one of the standard features in Symbian S60v5 phones, the phone is aware that it’s being turned over. The Satio is no exception…

Phone ringing – turn it over to mute it
Alarm ringing – turn is over to mute / snooze it

Social Networking

When you’re using the Symbian platform, you’ve got loads of applications to choose from. If it works on a Nokia, there’s a REALLY high chance it’ll work on the Satio. Some of these apps are paid while others are free. I’ll just highlight a couple of apps which I’ve been using to social network…

Twitter

Twitter Mobile Web
No app to download, just surf to http://www.twitter.com using Satio’s browser
Tweets60
Absolutely FREE! One of the first few twitter apps dedicated to the Symbian platform
(pic)
Download it here
Gravity
In my opinion, THE BEST Twitter application out there for the Symbian platform. It costs about 32 bucks (ringgit) but trust me, if you’re a MASSIVE twitter fan, you’ll love the app. It’s a good investment.
(pic)
Get Gravity here
Facebook
Strange thing is, on Sony Ericsson Satio ads, it seemed like they had a dedicated Facebook application but after checking out the phone – it was no where to be found BUT there are alternatives…
Facebook Mobile for Touch Screen devices
This app uses the Satio’s browser – once in full screen like what you see below, it actually feels like an app.
(picture)
Just click on one of the facebook bookmarks preinstalled in the browser or surf to http://x.facebook.com

Wait & See
Since the some Nokia’s such as the N97 uses the same operating system as the Satio and it does come with a dedicated Facebook app. I’m sure with a bit of patience, the app will be available for download.
Blogging & Photo Sharing
The Satio is tightly integrated with Google’s FREE Blog & photo gallery services. Just tap on an image and immediately upload it to your blog at Blogger.com or have it saved to your Picasa Web Photo Gallery.

What other apps come pre-installed?
It’ll take me forever to list EVERY app in the Satio… but I’d name a few of my favourites…

TrackID
Listening to a song on TV / Radio / in the shopping mall but don’t know what it is? Start-up the app – and it’ll tell you what it is!
RoadSync – Push Mail Sync Application (worth 50 USD but comes with the phone!)
Does your company use Microsoft Exchange Server for Push E-mails? Do you use Gmail?

Well, if you have either, imagine getting e-mails PUSHED to you – in full colour and have your contacts, calendar entries, tasks – backed up at all times! For Gmail configuration in RoadSync, follow these instructions (note, the instructions are for Nokia phones but it works with the Satio as well – the settings are almost identical)

MyLook
This is a freaking cool app. Imagine having your phone’s background image change depending on where you are! At home? The picture can probably change to a picture of your pet. At work? Your bosses face to show your love for him – MyLook detects your location automatically and have your preset picture changed accordingly!
Wisepilot – GPS Navigation
I have yet to give this app a full run but from the few times I played with it – this is a full fledge application with pretty wide coverage. I was in Lumut and was able to search for banks around the area etc. Wisepilot downloads map and route data from the Internet – which means you’ve got coverage – worldwide.

(map)

Only down side is you’ve got to have a data connection running at all times – which can cost a bomb if you’re overseas. I can’t tell if you can pre-download the map data.

I believe voice navigation comes complimentary – which is great; as opposed to Nokia Maps Voice Navigation which charges only a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis.

I’ll give a complete review on this app on a later stage.

and just so many more!

Surely there are cons… right?
Don’t get me wrong. The Satio has many great things going for it… BUT there are a few things I’ve got to say.

Doesn’t have a regular 3.5mm jack for earphones
I find that to be a little problem as I’d like to use my favourite earphones as opposed to using the earphones provided by Sony Ericsson – which uses their custom port.

Good thing is, being one of the advocates that started Bluetooth – Bluetooth Stereo Profile is included allowing you to use a huge range of bluetooth earphones, headphones and speakers.

Click… wait wait wait… TADA!
When I first got the Satio – which was approximately 3 weeks ago – I felt that the phone was a little slow… it just wasn’t as responsive as I’d like. Camera was not as quick at snapping, buttons had a slight lag, the whole phone interface almost felt like a little drag… This JUST COULDN’T BE! IT’S THEIR FLAGSHIP PHONE!

Magic words ‘firmware upgrade’
So I contacted Sony Ericsson and they said that a new FIRMWARE UPGRADE will be out in about 2 weeks to get those problems fixed.

The day was today! Thanks to @Net_Techie on Twitter, I found out that the new firmware has been released and is ready for download from Sony Ericsson’s Website! Did it… and yes, the Magic Words did work – the phone is a whole lot faster… it’s been 6 hours since the upgrade and I haven’t had 1 problem… BRAVO!

That said, I think there’s still room for improvement and knowing Sony Ericsson, they LOVE releasing new firmwares…

Pouch pouch WHERE ART THOU?
Okay, perhaps I’m nitpicking here. At a recommended retail price of RM 2,499 (which would be much lower in the market), I’d expect a nice pouch. Where IS THE POUCH? Aiyoh… the phone is SOOO beautiful… having a scratch would be a pity – then again, it did come with a screen protector… but still…

Will the phone fit you?
To me, the Sony Ericsson Satio is like an awesome media centre and possibly the BEST 12.1 megapixel digital camera I’ve ever seen in a phone.

If you love documenting moments in life through pictures and videos – you’ll love it. If you love music and rich video playback, you’ll love it. If you’re thinking of replacing your Digital Camera and would rather just carry 1 gadget instead of a phone and camera – the Satio is for you. Satio is trulya REAL digital camera in a phone.

I’ve laid out the cards… did the hard work… typed 1924 words… now you decide.