Struggling European phone Sony Ericsson is having one last fling with Sony with the release of two 3G phones, including one that uses Wi-Fi and 3G to stream content from a Sony PS3 PlayStation.
Called the Aino and the Yari the new content phones which Telstra and Vodafone are expected to launch in Australia will play back movies loaded from Sony’s new PlayNow site which is expected to be launched in Australia this year allowing content to be downloaded to a phone, Playstation console and an IP based Bravia TV.
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The Sony movie service lets consumers watch up to 60 movies a year for up to 90 days before a time bomb makes then inoperable.
The 3G phones will be available in quad band and EDGE mode and in 850/1,900/2,100MHz HSPA mode.
Like Sony, its phone division Sony Ericsson, is also making big losses. European phone carrier Ericsson have been reported to be looking to get out of their relationship with Sony but have nonetheless stated that the new phones would be available in select markets worldwide in the fourth quarter.
The PlayStation-connected phone, called the Aino, accesses PlayStation content via Wi-Fi within a home network or, via cellular, from a remote location, Mulder said. It also uses Wi-Fi to synchronise with multimedia content stored on a nearby PC that runs DRMA software from Sony Ericsson.
The Aino has a 3-inch widescreen OLED touch screen and includes wireless headphones and an 8.1-megapixel camera with photo flash.
The Yari will be the company’s first gaming phone equipped with gesture- and motion- gaming technology outside the Japanese market. Users move their body to play instead of pressing buttons, although the phone also features dedicated A/B gaming buttons. Other features include 5-megapixel camera and music player.
