The Sony Ericsson Satio is marketed as a hybrid of sorts, combining the photographic excellence of the Cybershot Range of mobiles with the multimedia capabilities of the Walkman phones that the firm has also become famous for. Whilst the 12.1 megapixel camera and the dedicated media playback software are both top notch, focusing on them can make it easy to forget about the other equally strong assets in the Satio’s arsenal. In this instance we are going to take an in-depth look at the web browser and connectivity options that make the mobile internet experience fairly impressive on the Satio. Given that connectivity is not being mentioned too much in relation to the Satio, it certainly bears thinking about if you had ruled out Sony Ericsson’s Symbian-based smartphone from your list of potential purchases.

Sony Ericsson has made some unconvincing attempts to provide mobile internet access on a par with its rivals in the past, but the Satio browser represents a complete evolution as it moves away from in-house browser apps towards the far more refined Symbian S60 browser software. This app offers full support for HTML and as such you can view websites in the way in which their creators intended. Of course there are plenty of mobile sites that operate well, but given that the large screen of the Satio lends itself to full page browsing, it is nice to see support for a majority of online content coming as standard.

Although the browser itself is not unique to the Satio, the speed at which pages are loaded and options can be entered is better here than on rivals running the same software. Pages are loaded and rendered with minimal delay provided you have decent 3G reception in your area and downloads via 3G are smooth. There is nothing worse than waiting for a web page to load on your mobile when you do not have much time to spare and with the Sony Ericsson Satio the frustration will become far less frequent.

If you have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot or home wireless network, this is even better. With the limitations of 3G speeds gone, the browser will load pages almost as quickly as a laptop or desktop computer over Wi-Fi. As such you will find yourself reaching for the Satio when you want to check up on information on Wikipedia, or remind yourself of film times at the cinema before you rush out the door. Since you will probably keep your phone on you at all times, booting up the Sony Ericsson Satio browser software and getting online will be performed considerably quicker on your mobile than it would if you had to start up a computer from scratch for the same purpose.

The Sony Ericsson Satio browser can handle several advanced features that would have been difficult on previous systems. For example, you can keep multiple browser windows open simultaneously and switching between them is as simple as pressing a few onscreen menu options. When you choose to go backwards to a previous page, you are presented with a quick snapshot of all the other sites you have visited in your current session, allowing you to identify which one you wish to revisit, again saving you time.

There is one thing that you will have to check up on before you take the Sony Ericsson Satio browser online and that is the type of connection that you are using. By default the browser will let you pick which network type you want to connect with each time you go online, although if you are going to always be using your 3G connection, or relying constantly on the same Wi-Fi network, then choosing again and again can be a chore. Thankfully you can set the browser to always automatically attempt to connect via your preferred networking method, whatever that may be.

The Sony Ericsson Satio is a bit of a beast, but that is not to say that it is aggressive, difficult to handle or unintelligent. It is rather a monster of modern technology that packs so much into its relatively slender frame that it might be a little overwhelming at first. The 12 megapixel camera, 3.5 inch touch screen and various smartphone functions are there to prove that Sony Ericsson means business when it comes to the Satio. However, since Sony Ericsson has a long history as the purveyor of excellent Walkman phones, it might be easier to start of focusing on some of its core functionality; the Sony Ericsson Satio media playback software.

At the heart of the Sony Ericsson media playback software is an equally-weighted desire to make the most out of both music and video content. In many cases you will find that a phone is better suited to one or the other and there have been plenty of decent music phones in the past, but Sony Ericsson has decided to invest in the idea that the Satio is a hybrid device. If you have used any of Sony Ericsson’s recent Walkman phones then you will be familiar with the interface for music playback. You can add your own play lists, shuffle tracks or view the songs by artist, album or title. It does everything you would expect it to, although it lacks some of the frills that the W995 featured. This means the SenseMe function, which attempted to find a song to suit your mood, is missing. However, many people found this function to be relatively lightweight and pointless, so all is not lost.

When considering video playback, the Sony Ericsson Satio media software copes admirably with a huge number of popular file formats, including MP4 and RealMedia. Sadly there is no support for DivX, but anyone with a bit of knowhow will be able to convert their files in any case. In addition, the Satio does not have its sights set on video playback from on board storage or a memory card; video streaming is very much encouraged. If you use the Wi-Fi or 3G connection you can get online and use YouTube to watch short clips. But the Satio can also handle the task of streaming video from dedicated catch up TV services such as BBC iPlayer. You will ideally want to be connected to a wireless network for the best streaming performance, but most people have access to wireless networks at home and whilst at work and increasingly during the commute, so it should be easy to stay entertained.

Watching movies using the Sony Ericsson media playback software is a rewarding experience, although this is not entirely down to the program itself. Because the touch sensitive screen is a decent size you will be able to comfortably watch an entire film without needing a trip to the opticians afterwards. The screen technology itself is fairly advanced and it has the capability to display up to 16 million different colours and hues. Historically users have not considered the underlying screen technology of mobile phones to be particularly important, but with the Satio and other modern smartphones now competing in the race for superior screen quality and with more and more content viewed on mobile phone screens, the combination of good multimedia capabilities and solid technology will become far more important.

The one feature which slightly hampers the Sony Ericsson Satio media playback is the over-sensitive motion sensor function which automatically rotates the screen to portrait or landscape mode depending on how you position the phone. You may find that the screen will flip around if you move the phone a bit too vigorously, but in all this is a minor quibble with an otherwise excellent media experience.

With the Sony Ericsson Satio, the old boys of the mobile phone industry are hoping to once more saturate the market with their handsets. With its large touch screen and fairly powerful hardware, on the surface everything looks to be headed in the right direction. However, it is not always processing power that makes the handset and as such the software of the Satio requires a little more scrutiny.

The Satio is based upon the 5th edition of the Symbian S60 operating system, more commonly found in Nokia smartphones. Symbian is an ideal mobile platform for the Sony Ericsson Satio to springboard its way into the pockets of the masses. As you may realise, Symbian has been around for quite some time and as such is well positioned to turn the Satio into a versatile and functional mobile phone. Although other phones such as the N97 and the Omnia HD utilise the same operating system, the Satio is the first one to really exploit it with modern flair. This also suggests that inventive users will be able to customise the interface even further.

Because Symbian is so common, it is easy to find a wealth of compatible applications and modifications for the latest version online right now. These range from basic applications aimed at tweaking the interface or streamlining a particular aspect of the Satio’s operation, right through to full emulators which can run a variety of software and program types. If you are into your retro gaming then it is easy to find Symbian-based emulators to let you get back to basics with some good old-fashioned gaming. There are also strong ties between Symbian and most home computers, which means it is easy to find support for all document types and alternative web browsers such as Opera Mini if you are not a fan of the standard Sony Ericsson Satio browser.

As you delve further into the more technical side of the Satio, you realise that the latest version of Symbian sported by the Sony Ericsson Satio also has support for OpenGL, which in layman’s terms means that it is capable of displaying some truly dizzying 3D graphics. The Satio is not the most powerful smartphone on the market, but it is not always about power. As long as developers are able to make the most of what is on offer, the Satio could prove to be a very exciting platform for the development of games.

Interestingly Sony Ericsson has already released a series of expert videos on YouTube aimed at guiding designers through the process of creating some basic graphics applications on the Satio. Presented by an employee with a delightful accent, these are must-see clips if you are thinking about getting a head start in the Satio world. They also show just what the Sony Ericsson Satio is capable of. It can render high-resolution images with a variety of advanced post-processing effects and looks as good as even some current generation console games. It also deals well with animated objects and character models for moving humans are particularly realistic in the demos which are included in the videos.

The main purpose of the videos is to inspire those with a bit of technical knowledge to get out there and being to populate the Sony Ericsson Satio App Store (called the PlayNow arena) with custom games. Whilst some other smartphones have communities which produce practical apps, or apps that are fun for about five minutes before becoming tiring, the Satio and its manufacturers seem to be promoting imaginative use of the graphical technology and gaming pedigree on offer.

If you are interested in any aspect of the Sony Ericsson Satio or other handsets and are thinking about creating your own content for them, you should head to the Sony Ericsson Developer World Blogs. There is a whole community of professionals and amateurs alike, all intent on forming a symbiotic relationship in which creativity can flourish. There is even a Satio launch blog which you can use to find out about news, updates and applications that are hot off the press for the Satio. The blog also offers links to various community sites supporting apps for Symbian handsets, as well as specific Satio fan-sites.

It is the communities based around the Satio that will help to dictate the types of applications and functions which become available. For example, the Satio has built in Wi-Fi and so should be ideal for use with VoIP internet telephony services such as Skype. On a Symbian forum a developer posted a question asking whether his newly developed Symbian application supporting Audio Service over VoIP would be compatible with the Satio. Several quick responses followed and it was established that his app would definitively work. The old adage of ‘many hands make light work’ applies to the mobile community as well.

Another great community resource for the Sony Ericsson Satio is the Labs section of the PlayNow Arena site. This is the place where developers for various Sony Ericsson handsets come together to share ideas, discuss new projects and look for partners to help with an existing piece of software. It is also aimed at fast-tracking good ideas and getting them out to the market before someone else with greater resources gets there first. Because most developers for the Sony Ericsson Satio will have to dedicate what little spare time they have to the development of apps and software, they will need all of the support they can get. The Sony Ericsson site provides a kind of social networking area for keen developers. Even if you are not a developer yourself, checking out the pages can help you learn about the latest ideas brewing in the community.

How many megapixels can you reasonably use? At what point will megapixel counts on our mobile phones get so high that individual skin cells will be visible if we view them at full size? These are two questions that no one is asking, but it seems that Sony Ericsson is trying to test these limits with its latest phone, the Satio. With a 12.1 megapixel camera mounted on its rear and a full touch screen interface this is a multimedia mogul of a mobile phone. But can the Sony Ericsson Satio camera really prove to be enough to lure converts from other established camera phone brands?

What is clear is that the Sony Ericsson Satio camera is the first mobile phone camera that has come close to trumping compact dedicated digital cameras at their own game. We still have a long way to go before SLR quality is available in our pockets, but if you put the Sony Ericsson Satio camera up against any moderately priced standalone camera then the differences in quality will be barely perceptible to the eyes of the average user.

In its default setting the Satio will capture images in a widescreen aspect ratio at 9 megapixels, which in itself is an impressive resolution. For most purposes you may as well stick with the 9 megapixel basic setting. It provides more than enough detail and it also means that there is virtually no delay between you pressing the shutter button and the image being written to your memory card. The Satio is able to capture images quickly, but at the full 12.1 megapixel setting there is a perceptible delay whilst the larger file is stored.

One of the slight problems with the Satio is, ironically or perhaps appropriately, the slightly over-saturated colours which it captures. This is particularly noticeable in strong natural light, so any pictures you take of brightly coloured foliage in order to show off the camera may have a slightly hyper-real quality to it. This can be fixed if you tweak the settings slightly or use software to manipulate the image later, so it is not an enduring issue.

Another aspect of the Sony Ericsson Satio camera which impresses is the flash. It uses the coveted Xenon lighting technology and there is also an LED photo light. This results in images looking bright and evenly lit, even in completely dark rooms. The flash is more powerful than other Xenon examples seen on previous camera phones and allows the 12.1 megapixel setting to capture clear, crisp images no matter what the light levels. Additionally there is no lag whilst the flash recharges as is so often found with other camera phones, so multiple night time snaps can be taken in a row without interruption.

When taking pictures you can rely on an autofocus for good picture quality. Alternative the Sony Ericsson Satio camera interface allows you to tap on objects that you are pointing at to adjust the focus. This is useful if you want to use slightly more advanced photographic techniques in order to get the most out of the great image quality the Satio offers. It is also useful if you are using the Satio in macro mode for some close-up shooting of small objects.

The one area in which the Satio suffers slightly is the touch interface itself. It uses a resistive technology that requires quite a solid touch in order to register a stroke. As with any resistive touch screen phone there can be issues if you are not used to the controls and after a long period of use your fingers will find themselves working up a sweat as you battle with the slightly squidgy screen. This is a slight blemish on what is otherwise undeniably the best quality camera phone on the market.

Sony Ericsson have gone into release overdrive in the last month or so, releasing handsets across most price brackets and unveiling a promising line-up of handsets for release in the coming months. Here is a quick run-down of those new releases to whet your appetite.

Sony Ericsson Naite

The Naite is part of the new Greenheart range of phones which puts environmental friendliness at the top of the agenda. Whilst most mobile phones contain damaging materials and are produced using relatively harmful methods, the Naite is different. Its case is made from recycled plastics and it contains no lead. It is also embodies fewer harmful chemicals than most other mobile phones on the market. The Naite features a relatively modest set of functions including a 2 megapixel camera, but it does have 3G connectivity for faster mobile internet browsing and downloads.

Sony Ericsson Satio

The Satio is one of the most exciting recent releases thanks to the whopping 12.1 megapixel camera located on the back of the phone. The camera is complemented by 16x digital zoom as well as a powerful Xenon flash to light up those dark areas. As with the iPhone 3Gs you can manually focus by tapping on objects on the touch screen, but the autofocus is suitable for quick snapping and up to 9 pictures can be captured every second thanks to a function called BestPic. What this all boils down to is that the Satio is a sexy touch screen smart phone with virtually unrivalled picture capturing capabilities.

Sony Ericsson Aino

The Aino is essentially the younger brother of the Satio, aimed at the mid ranged touch screen market with its 3 inch screen and 8.1 megapixel camera. The battery life is slightly less impressive than that of the Satio, but it has Wi-Fi connectivity and 3G support for browsing the internet whilst you are on the go. Whilst Sony Ericsson have yet to perfect the art of touch screens in their handsets, the Aino and the Satio both represent steps in the right direction.

Sony Ericsson T715

This is a great value slider phone that has all of the basic features you would expect. It is interesting that these features, such as the 3.2 megapixel camera and the built in weather forecast software, would have been top of the range functions less than 2 years ago. Since the mobile market is constantly evolving those looking for a good value, rich featured handset are always going to be able to find quality phones such as the T715. The T715 is available in a silver finish, or an eye-catching pink, which some might describe as ’snazzy’.

Sony Ericsson S312

The S312, or the Athena as it is also known, is a rugged but extremely light handset with a modest feature set. There is a 2 megapixel camera with a photo light and despite the lack of 3G connectivity you can still browse and download files at reasonable speeds thanks to the EDGE networking technology which is integrated into the S312. Though this handset lacks the ultra modern looks of Sony Ericsson’s other new releases, it is still a fine piece of pocket-sized hardware.

Sony Ericsson T707

Many people still choose flip phones over modern touch screens, purely because it is nigh on impossible to scratch or damage the screen when it is sandwiched between the hinged outer shell. The T707 is a rather futuristic looking flip phone and the external screen is integrated seamlessly into the slick design of the outer casing. The external screen displays basic information on SMS messages and the caller and is circular which gives it a certain esoteric touch that will appeal to many. The T707 has 3G connectivity as well as a 3.2 megapixel camera, so it is not simply a fashion phone that is light on functionality. The three colours available are quite funky and certainly aimed at the youth market, though the more discerning buyer can still opt for the black case if they want an elegant, subtle phone.

Sony Ericsson K330

The K330 is all about simplistic design, ease of use and a pleasing tactile interface. It may appear somewhat basic and offer a simple interface, but the K330 is ready and willing to be integrated into a hectic lifestyle. There are plenty of personal organiser and scheduling applications, as well as a built in weight watching program that tracks your calorie consumption and exercise levels – as long as you remember to keep it up to date!

Sony Ericsson W205

This dinky phone is the latest addition to the Walkman range offered by the masters of the genre. Music playback is at the heart of the W205 and thus other aspects such as the 1.3 megapixel camera feel a little tacked on, but they function just as they are supposed to. The W205 even allows you to set a radio station as your ringtone, which is something that no other mobile currently offers.