Sony Ericsson Aino: Do you believe that names that creators give their creations are important? Well, you will probably find it interesting to know what Aino means. That´s what one of the latest Sony Ericsson cell phones is called and in Japanese the word refers to a message of love (“ai” stands for love, while “no” is a possessive form).

In Finnish, “aino” means “only, one, unique” and we guess it´s the Japanese word that the guys over at Sony Ericsson must have had in mind while picking the handset name. We, on the other hand, tend to think the Finnish word is more fitting in this particular case. How come? Well, the cell phone is truly unique for Sony Ericsson – it´s a feature slider with large screen that is touch-sensitive only in the dedicated multimedia menu.

We´ve already seen similar concept with cell phones like the LG Secret KF750 and LG KS360 (also known as the Neon in the US) and we can´t say we are eager fans of the idea. Save this particular oddity, the Sony Ericsson Aino is a properly equipped device that comes with 8.1-megaixel camera with flash, 3-inch screen, Wi-Fi support and can be used as a remote control for PlayStation 3 consoles (just with multimedia files of course, not as a game controller). What´s in the box?

-    The Sony Ericsson Aino
-    Charger stand
-    The Sony Ericsson MH100 – Bluetooth hands-free
-    Charger
-    USB cable
-    Headphones with 3.5mm jack
-    User guides in different languages

The software CD is conspicuous in its absence – actually you no longer need one, because all relevant programs are preloaded onto the phone itself and can be installed on your computer when you connect the handset to it. The stand is an interesting extra feature, because it allows for simultaneous charging of both the Aino and the MH100 (the hands-free set). Moreover, it has the necessary design and you can prop up the phone on it while watching videos. The handset remains stable on the stand, plus the 3-inch screen delivers good image quality.
The phone display supports 16mln colors and its image quality is pleasing, although colors sometimes don’t gradate smoothly.

The screen is actually slightly curved inwards, which should make it less susceptible to getting scratched. The native resolution of 432×240 pixels is acceptable as per today´s standards, but is far from impressive. The interesting thing about the display is it utilizes capacitive technology and the overall sensitivity is quite good. We didn’t encounter any issues using it… in the dedicated multimedia menu and the camera interface. We wish the screen was touch-sensitive anywhere, just like the LG KF700.

Alas, you will have to rely on the buttons hidden on the lower part of the slider to control the standard phone functions and you have a D-Pad, send and end keys and numeric keypad. The buttons of the latter are relatively small and don’t have proper travel, so they feel somewhat unhandy to use.

Fortunately, the Bluetooth hands-free MH100 comes with a 3.5mm jack. Moreover, it´s equipped with a microphone, clip to attach it to your clothes (not really comfortable) and touch sensitive area that allows you to control the volume. There are hardware for controlling the audio player, answering calls and power on/off the gadget. The glossy front side features LED indicators of the battery status and look really beautiful. There is no separate charger for the hands-free, so you will have to use the charger stand. As a whole, the Sony Ericsson MH100 is a cool extra feature, although we wouldn’t mind getting an additional standard headphone converter.

The Sony Ericsson Aino is a solid, well made handset. The slider is not wobbly, moves smoothly and its lower part sports a striking metallic coating. The back panel is quite hard to remove, which gets annoying if you often need to reach the microSD card slot that´s located under it.

As a whole, we don’t have any gripes relating to the overall design and appearance of the Sony Ericsson Aino, we even think that some might find it appealing, especially the white color version that we consider more attractive. What we don’t like, however, is the weird way you operate the device.

Since the touch screen is usable with the multimedia functions only, normal things like using the calendar or your phone contacts require that the slider be open, which is neither comfortable, not typical of modern slider phones.
Source: phonearena.com

HTC HD2 Review, HTC Touch HD: Let´s go back in time. Imagine, it´s 2008 and the undisputed leader on the Windows Mobile smartphone market, HTC, is preparing the launch of their most technologically advanced model to date, the HTC Touch HD. The cell phone manages to impress customers with its huge 3.8-inch resistive screen, but doomed to fail to deliver the necessary multimedia experience due to the lack of support for various formats and codecs…

It´s now a year later and HTC is about to make their newest attempt at changing our view of Windows Mobile with the upcoming release of the HTC HD2. The new cell phone titan once again relies on brute force, although this time carries everything to excess, being equipped with a gigantic 4.3-inch capacitive screen, 1GHz processor and 448MB RAM. As a backup for its muscles, however, the HD2 comes with an improved version of the TouchFLO 3D interface that borrowed the name of its Android sibling – Sense. Now, let´s take a closer look at the ambitious newcomer and see if it’s destined to emerge victorious from the sea of Windows phones we´ve been drowning in lately or will remain one of the many nice smartphones, just like its predecessor.

Design:

Appearance is definitely not one of the strengths of the HTC HD2. It´s rather rectangular, but quite thin and the only raised part is the 5-megapixel camera on its back. With its huge screen and slim profile, the HD2 reminds us of the 4.1-inch Toshiba TG01. Unlike with the latter however, HTC has fallen over backwards to slash on the unused, free space surrounding the display and the handset has a reasonable overall dimensions. Despite that, the 4.3-inch screen that´s by the way the largest on a cell phone ever, can´t be used with just one hand. We can live with that, especially when we take into account the good image quality, partly due to the resolution of 480×800 pixels. Fortunately, the display remains totally useable in direct sunlight.

We aren’t quite finished with the screen yet. Due to its enormous size, even the tiniest interface elements appear now large enough to press with your finger. Thanks to this, the HTC HD2 is proud to be the first Windows Mobile smartphone equipped with a capacitive screen that delivers quality of interactivity with the operating system that´s unseen before. For all diehard conservatives we can say that using TouchFLO 3D on such a screen cannot compare to the experience delivered by even the best resistive displays. And the icing on the cake is HD2 supports multitouch.

All physical buttons of the HD2 are distinctly felt when pressed and we don´t expect anything less of a cream of the crop, high-end smartphone. The build quality is proper and the phone feels tightly assembled and reliable, although you will be better off not testing the sturdiness of that 4.3-inch screen.

We are pleasantly surprised by the presence of microUSB port. HTC has clung to the miniUSB standard for far too long, but we can see they have finally decided to integrate the younger technology. Aside from it, the phone is equipped with the mandatory for a device like this 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot, located under the metal battery cover.

The HTC HD2 doesn´t stand out with brave, innovative designer solutions. Still, we consider its design a definite success, because the manufacturer has managed to fit the largest screen possible to the best of their abilities. The first stage of the mission seems successfully accomplished, now let’s take a look at the refreshed interface.