Sony Ericsson Satio launched with 12-megapixel camera

But what is it that makes Satio, which bears an uncanny resemblance with its predecessor Sony Ericsson C905, so hot?

To begin with, Satio is a cameraphone, but not just any cameraphone. It boasts of a high-grade camera (12.1-megapixel) with auto-focus and 12x digital zoom and Xenon flash.

Satio is also loaded with amazing features like anti-shake filter, direct camera key, picture mode selection, face and smile detection and Geo-tagging (with direct upload to Picasa) besides offering video recording at a decent frame rate (30fps).

While for the internet savvy on the move, Satio offers HSDPA support, Bluetooth A2DP, GPRS, EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, the handset also doubles up as an entertainment centre as it comes loaded with MP3 player, stereo FM Radio, supports java games and applications, and is Mobile TV compatible.

Further, users can watch movies, videos, TV series, photos, podcasts, listen to music or browse the internet on Satio's intuitive 3.5-inch (16:9) wide HD touchscreen display (360x640 resolution).

Its GPS navigation feature (with A-GPS support), USB PC connectivity and expandable memory (up to 32GB) via a microSD card slot (8GB included) also add to its "must-have" status. So what if it does not have a Qwerty keyboard, infrared port and 3.5mm headphone jack while inbuilt memory is a mere 128MB?

"What makes Satio desirable is that it is a stylish phone that has all the media content anyone could want in one place, as well as so many outstanding features, for example the High Definition intuitive three and a half inch touchscreen, the best 12.1 megapixel camera phone available and a top music player," said Fredrik Mansson, marketing business manager at Sony Ericsson.

According to Nick Vautier, managing director of Sony Ericsson's UK division, the quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) smartphone, which looks sleek with 12mm x 55mm x 13.3 mm dimension, weighs a mere 126 gm and runs on Symbian S60 (5th Edition) OS, is a "game changer" that will "help return the company to profitability."

Analysts also feel that the new phone could help Sony Ericsson improve its market share, which has declined partly due to its lack of high-end offerings. In the second quarter 2009, the company's global market share fell to 4.7 percent from 7.5 percent a year earlier, according to research firm Gartner.