Sony Ericsson Aino review 2

Visually the phone is slim and attractive, although the plastic battery case gives it a slightly tacky feel. Coming in black or white the Aino is a decent weight (134g) and sits comfortably in the pocket.

It is inside the phone that one discovers the Aino’s performance as a mobile doesn’t match its ability as a multimedia device. The touch service is limited to multimedia activities only, forcing you to use the slide out keypad beneath the screen for all regular services. The buttons are small while keys such as ‘backspace’ are cramped making texting a hassle, particularly when you press the larger ‘hang up’ key ending your text mid-flow.

If Sony Ericsson insists on including such a large screen, wouldn’t a full touchscreen phone make more sense? Texting is further complicated by an overly keen predictive mode that's unfamiliar with slang.

The Aino struggled to deal with our contacts being stored on SIM, repeatedly asking for them to be copied to the phone and making it seemingly impossible to locate your numbers if you resisted.

Another minor irritation was the touch screen’s delayed lock meaning occasional activation of the multimedia tools if hastily closing and dropping the Aino into your pocket.

Like many devices released by Sony Ericsson, the Aino suffers from a lack of 3.5mm headphone jack, instead favouring proprietary. This is a real failure in our eyes for a multimedia-based device.

There are positives however. The Aino comes equipped with a decent set of applications including Facebook, Weather, YouTube and GPS Navigation Tracker while internet connection is fast. It also contains an array of extras such as a choice of seven arty display themes (all of which can be subsequently customised), easy non-touch management of your saved files and even an impressively bright torch.

If you’re looking for a complete multimedia service from your phone then the Sony Ericsson Aino should be considered. The music, film and photo services are well presented and easy to use whether at home or on the move. However, if like most people you want a phone which can call and text efficiently, give the Aino a miss as it doesn’t perform.

Those in the middle ground, requiring efficient internet and a range of applications will get a better performance from the iPhone or an Android based smartphone.

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