Sony Ericsson does have a knack of pulling out a rabbit out of its hat when one is least expecting it. The K750i and the W800i, which were launched way back in 2005, came as a surprise to most of us and that too without any warnings. Both were runaway hits. However, the lovechild of Japanese and Swedish parents lost its way somewhere in the middle as revolutionary products like the XPERIA X1 failed to hit the market shelves on time while others were carrying a price tags with figures that appeared right out of ransom notes. The financial crisis of the previous year did not help the company’s cause either which lead to products being scrapped and Sony Ericsson started refocusing on key projects that mattered the most.

Aino’s Design & Feel

Thankfully, the Aino dodged the scraphead which was a good thing actually. According to certain reviewers in our team, the Aino ranks among the upper echelons of the best designed cellphones ever. We are even tempted to place the Aino with the likes of the Moto Razr V3, if not just for the pure designing aspect then for the complete packaging and concept. In pictures, it might appear like a solid block of plastic and glass, but the real deal is much sweeter.

The designers have managed to make a bland face – dominated by 3.0 inch display and devoid of any buttons – looks appealing by adding curves to the edges and using a matte-finish plastic that feels good to hold. Tipping the scales at 134 grams, the Aino is not featherweight on mobile phone scales, which only makes it feel sturdier that it really is.

On sliding it open, the Aino has the typical Sony Ericsson design with a direction-pad surrounded by a plethora of tiny buttons and an alpha-numeric keypad below it. Some might get put off by the sight but all it takes is a day of usage to get used to it. After all, how many of us got used to the Moto Razr V3’s ‘laser-etched’ keypad from the word go?

Touchscreen User Interface

Besides the design, what’s really special about the Aino is its touchscreen powered media interface. Sony Ericsson has worked on a special interface for accessing photographs, music and videos that one can access without sliding open the phone. While that is nothing much to crave about considering the fact that we live in an age where every other phone seems to have a touch-screen, we like the fact that the layout is clean with big icons that are easy to access with one’s finger. Beyond that, it is any phone with a touchscreen.

Sadly, the touchscreen works only in the media menu when the phone is in the closed mode and one is greeted by the usual Sony Ericsson non-touch user interface when it is slid open. That’s where the Aino really disappoints. After all, if we take away the limited touch interface and the design, the W995 has virtually the same specs as the Aino – an 8.1 MP camera, Walkman music player, Wi-Fi and GPS

Music, Entertainment & Additional Packaged Items

But the Aino has a few more tricks up its sleeve. The first being that it comes bundled with a Bluetooth headset that has a 3.5 mm audio jack to plug in your own cans. The headset, too, has a touch-sensitive panel from where one can change the volume and tracks. Very cool, but we would have been happier if Sony Ericsson had provided a 3.5 mm audio jack on the phone itself, considering that one not only has to ensure that the headset is charged at all times but also keep a wary eye on the phone’s battery, which takes a battering when we use the headset. What bothers us most is if one has to use a headset, it can only be via Bluetooth, unless one forks out extra for an adaptor.

Also part of the package is a cradle that one can use to convert the phone into a desktop clock, synchronise files with a PC, and charge both the phone and the bluetooth headset. Again, looks damn impressive, but we wonder whether it is worth the bucks that it must have added to the device’s price. (Nothin comes free..)

Performance-wise, we could squeeze almost 2 days of battery juice out of the Aino, with a couple of hours of calls and about 2 hours of music, before it started gasping for breath. The 8.1 MP camera is among the best one would find on a phone with good detail and color reproduction. On the audio front, we were more than pleased but still cannot regret the absence of 3.5 mm jack and having no option but to rely on a Bluetooth headset.

Conclusion

Our verdict? The Aino is a good buy for those who care more about form than functions. At a price close to $450 internationally and in US(approx), it is retailing in India at around Rs. 23,000 and at this price there are a number of better options out there in terms of the phone specs.