Having read the review of Satio on GSMarena recently, i decided I have to do something about it. That site is quite popular and just like many prestigious newspaper ot TV-programs, it’s mind-changing i.e. often opinion of writer becomes opinion of a reader. In fact, I considered them as a reliable source of information for a very long time as well.
To start with, I’d like to comment on the list of disadvantages they’ve made:
1. (Xenon flash is not adequately powerful) – what??!! Did any of the competitors introduce anything better than that?? The Xenon Satio offers is far better than any LED. In fact, Satio has both LED and Xenon. Did SE do commit a crime by giving as a superb feature?! If there wasn’t Xenon, they would complain it’s not there… Xenon is exactly the same as in C905, so there shouldn’t be anything to be disappointed about, and definitely nothing to be called a disadvantage.
2. (The S60 5th edition UI isn’t to the best in class standards) – This one is just ridiculous. SE has developed the best Symbian UI so far. It’s breathtaking. The best interface I have ever used and it is a thing that has amazed me about Satio the most.
3. (No 3.5mm audio jack or a standard USB port) – It’s hard to argue with this one, I think it’s a matter of personal preference. Personally I prefer fast port much more. There are many reasons for it – one port instead of two, no need for rubber cover, compatible with all Sony Ericsson accessories (I use it with HPM-90 which I couldn’t use with X1 which had 3.5mm jack) and it doesn’t get itchy with time. Mini-USB port isn’t designed for frequent use and goes itchy when used daily for charging (like in X1). Ok, I know, there are some minuses as well… e.g. incompatibility with come universal devices or long cable when using your own earphones (I managed to overcome this problem though 🙂 ). Once again, it’s a matter of preference really.
4. No DivX or XviD support out-of-the-box – this one is just stupid. Competition (based on same hardware) is using no more than Real player to play these files. Their generic players doesn’t support them either. My question is, how long does it take to install a player you want on Symbian? 1 min?? How can such a thing be called a disadvantage. For Samsung and LG, DIvX and XviD support is no more than fool marketing,
5. No smart or voice dialing – I cannot really argue with this one, as I don’t use it personally.
6. Playing flash videos in the browser easily depletes the available RAM – I haven’t really experienced this problem so far. But how can this be a disadvantage? I mean, how could this problem be solved? Satio has generous 256MB of RAM. It really is huge for a mobile phone. And your clip would have to be reeeealy long to fill that in. Again, did SE commit a crime be giving us a lovely YouTube app. ? If it wasn’t there, again, there wouldn’t be complain…
7. No office document editing (without a paid upgrade) – This one is just disgusting black marketing. SE did give use free partial license for MS Office reader. No editor, as this would significantly increase Satio price, and that is what SE would not want. Anyway, that was another favor from SE, why should we complain? Again, if it wasn’t there at all, there would be no complain…
8. No stereo speakers – this is the only one that’s reasonably fair. Stereo speakers would be nice, however I don’t think it’s essential, it’s actually a rare feature. Nevertheless, the speaker on Satio is one of the better ones I’ve heard and definitely outstanding for it’s size.
9. No digital compass (magnetometer) this one is most ridiculous out of all! Is that a standard (or even useful?!!) feature??!! How can such a thing be called a disadvantage??!!
GSMArena has shown a huge lack of professionalism. They either meant to be biased and do some black marketing, or because of lack of disadvantages they decided to create some to look unbiased. Either way, I think it’s ridiculous. If a source of information wants to be reliable (that’s the only way to become prestigious), it should play with it’s readers in that way.
The rest of their review is quite sensible and I think I would agree with MOST of it. There are 2 things I’d like to point out. One is sound quality. Again, complete lack of professionalism… How can they call disturbed frequency response a lack in quality??!! When it comes to actuall quality, Satio is the best in the league. Besically they have reduced the bass a little bit (low frequencies) and boosted the highs for clarity. This setting is perfectly matched with bundled HPM-77, which suffers from a bit too strong bass. For most people, Satio will be the best thing they have ever listened to. BTW, frequency response can be easily changed with firmware update, as it’s not hardware related. It’s no more than a form of equalisation. Also, I am sure we will see equaliser in Satio soon enough.
Last thing I’d like to comment on is picture quality, or rather it’s comparison with Pixon12. I won’t ever forgive them saying that Samsung won, even by a small margin. In what way is it better?! These so called ‘vibrant’ colours, are no vibrant, but oversaturated! And os unatural. Satio colours are very exact. And can easily be oversaturated with some PC software when require. But of course, when put next to Samsung they look washed out… It’s a shame to see how low GSMarena has fallen…
Sony Ericsson Satio - detailed review 
I find the flash to be really good..I was in a local church last week and took a couple of photos with flash in almost pitch black !!
http://picasaweb.google.com/marksmudge/OutAboutWithMySatio#5398080094904375682
That shot was taken in more or less total darkness! I like to read reviews..but have learnt to take them on only face value only..All about opinions at the end of the day.
Exactly Mark. I like reading them as well, however this was just ridiculous. They are being biased, not just picky. GSM-Arena is not the only one that suffer from that. Other one is CNET.
I recently read a review of Logitech Performance MX Mouse, and I already knew that this mouse was outstanding. Indeed, their rating was ‘spectacular’, but as a disadvantage they wrote “the unified bluetooth adapter only works with limited number of Logitech devices”. So they considered it as a disadvantage that Logitech has introduced a single adapter for all their device, eliminating the need for many…
Just reading through this trying to get some info on the Satio, go mine this morning and still getting used to it, bt can you tell me where to find the emoticons for text messages? Searched ans searched with no luck.
Thanks,
Len
Hi Lennon,
i am afraid I won’t be able to help you with this one, as I honestly don’t know.
From my konwledge, from Official Satio launch Blog, of which I was an active member, it’s not possible to have emoticons with Satio at this stage, unless you use some unofficial tweak, if such exists.
Few people have however asked for it earlier, so hopefully it should appear in one of the future firmware updates.
About DivX support: is there already a good or at least working DivX player for Symbian S60v5 phones available? Coreplayer still stuck at v3 and I tried Divx Player Mobile (I guess it was v0.91, an oldie I know); that one shows the divx-movies I transferred to the Satio in a startup screen but from there it’s hanging. Cannot find a more recent player that works with Satio.
Do you know how can I check in the phone which is the last firmware?
When it will be launched a new one?
Hey, just a minute!
1. Do you seriously deny that Pixon’s flash was far better in the GSMArena test???
2. Do you seriously deny that detail was better in Pixon12 in the photos taken for the GSMArena test?
3. Do you seriously state that it’s ” better” to be able to use [ nothing but ] existing SE earphones than ANY existing earphones????
4. Did yu “forget” to ention Satio’s HUGE 1.56 SAR ???
5. Did you “forget” to mention Satio’s hard-to-use resistive screen???
Now who’s biased, you or GSMArena????
Hi Black Cat,
I don’t particularly like your tone, but I assume it’s just a problem of emotions transfer over the internet.
I am happy to reply to your queries.
Regarding the camera and comparison to Pixon12, EVERYONE who knows a bit about photography will tell you Satio is better. I really don’t care about the pictures they’ve taken. Most of them are badly focused. What I get with my Satio on daily basis is significantly better, and I am no way a photographer. Satio has brilliant detail level. Noise level is a bit high though, but I think it’s acceptable. And try your outcome from Pixon12 and with Satio on A4 printout. Which one looks better? Also, Samsung has VERY bad colour reproduction. I mean VERY, VERY bad. Particularly their mysterious over saturated blues, that sometimes even look like violets.
Regarding the earphone part, I use 3rd party earphones as well. But I don’t see your point… I am using them together with HPM-90, which I wouldn’t be able to use otherwise. And I managed to sort the problem of long cable out. I will show it at some stage how by updating my accessory section.
When it comes to SAR, this is the maximum level that has ever been reported on Satio, average is well below 1. Anyway, it’s within a limit, so it’s virtually completely stopped by human skull, so again, I don’t see your point… It’s well within limits.
Finally, I 100% disagree with your touch screen opinion. Satio has the best screen I’ve ever used. Very accurate, with a right balance between resistive and capacitive behavior. Typing on Satio is a pleasure! I find it better than even on X1! 🙂
Did you actually use Satio? I think not, and that’s why you’re still uncertain 🙂
Marius,
Go to Settings -> Phone -> Phone management -> Updates.
You can check your version there, as well as check whether new one is available 🙂
D1ck, I’ve heard about few, but I haven’t installed any, as I’m still waiting for CorePlayer. It should come soon.
I’ll have a look for you 🙂
I’m really sorry if I sounded agressive, and thanks for your fast and detailed reply. I have been impatiently waiting for Satio but I was disappointed by a number of problems, the comparison to Pixon12, its SAR, and the response of the screen, that I tested personally. For me the screen is very hard to use, I don’t know if it is something you get accustomed to, but surely it is quite unresponsive.
Only one thing, how do you comment the GSMArena flash photo, ie with the teddy bear? It is clearly better with Pixon12 than with Satio.
Thanks and again, sorry for my first comment’s tone
Miltiadis, Greece
Hi, no problem at all 🙂
I am really happy to face any criticism, especially considering this blog is absolutely non-profit and my own initiative.
Regarding the screen, you may feel that way. because you’ve probably recently used the capacitive one (maybe iPhone ? 😛 ). If you used it other way round, you’d find capacitive crap. It’s all a matter of getting used to. Trust me. And Satio really has a perfect balance. Typing is just brilliant, I love it so much 🙂 2 of my posts on this blog were actually written on Satio!! 🙂
Regarding the flash issue, I don’t think Samsung is any stronger when it comes to flash power. It’s just an ISO effect. Satio has automatic ISO adjustment. It decides on the level of ISO when autofocusing using the LED. It tries to keep it as low as possible, to reduce the noise to the minimum. I think it’s a fair approach, as the pictures are almost always bright enough, however i agree that an option to change ISO in low loight ettings would have been nice.
Perhaps it will be included with future firmware update 😉
hey man, loving the review and your points for the Satio. I tried it out at a store a week or 2 ago and found it to be a real joy. the only concern i have is the battery life. how long can you use it for before you charge it?
Hi ECBomb,
Actually, it varies a lot. It really depends on the sort of activity you’re performing. The one that drains the battery the most is internet browsing. I have never ended up with my battery completely drained before coming back home at the end of the day 🙂
However, there’s good news! New firmware update significantly improving the battery life if coming this week! (in the beginning of next in worst case) 🙂 So stay tuned!
appreciate the quick reply~ how about taking photos? i read somewhere that the camera eats up the battery fast. that would be a bummer if it’s true since that’s the selling point of the phone. and where did you find the information about the new firmware update? could you post the link up? if this firmware update does indeed improve the battery performance (depending on how significantly it improves), then getting the phone will be a no brainer for me~ thanks again!
Actually, you won’t find such a link anywhere 🙂 I am probably the only (or one of the very few) person in the world being able to reveal that info 🙂
Read my Symbian Exchange and Exposition 2009 post. I somehow managed to get an invitation, and it was ‘serious developer only’ event, so they’ve actually talked to me about some details. Actually, the guy I have talked to said he was working on that update himself! (as part of the team of course!).
But he said the battery life will be a priority…
Regarding the photos, actually, I agree. It simply went out of my mind. Well, it quite normal I think… even normal cameras have bad battery life when you’re taking at full resolution. And most of the case I use BestPic, which takes ( pictures at time, which eats a lot ;P
BTW, how much it’ll improve I don’t really know. It really depends. On my X1 a year ago, update improved battery life by more than 500%, but it was disastrous to start with… This time it’s reasonable,so I’d expect something like 20-40%.
Also, you can also get a spare BST-33 from eBay 🙂 They came at almost the same 950mAh capacity, and at GRADE A (customer returns) they are pure bargains! I paid about GBP3 for mine including delivery. I haven’t used it yet, but it’s worth to have ti with me as a back-up as it’s soooo little 🙂
Thanks for the info! That sounds exciting, well I mean anything to improve the battery life will be good, so I’ll have to stay tuned for that for sure!
hi piotr
i’m writing you from Paris. I am very interested about your handset, albeit the black one 🙂 But three questions need to be answered so as I could decide. The first one is does the Satio reads videos from megavideo ? For example : http://www.megavideo.com/?v=PWYWBDVT
The second one is does it lag when you are in youtube ?
The third one is does the alarm rings when the device is off ?
Be frank and honest please
Thank you
Piotr, I’ve tested the battery today and I got around 4 hours and 30 minutes of full movie playback (on headphones).
Whenever you have the chance, could you also try it out and let us know? I would like to see how your properly charged battery holds up vs mine (I believe to be poorly charged)
BTW, thanks for your counter review and for a little constructive criticism, I believe sometimes you sound biased for the Satio, I don’t blame you because I am biased too (after all of the money I’ve spent on it).
Keep up the great work…wish to hear more from you soon!
Hey Piotr!
I’ve had me eye on this handset ever since it was announced. Earlier i was about to by the 5800 Xpress Music of Nokia. The reviews of the handset was pretty decent and the price at which it was offered was tempting. But after using it at a store i found that it lags a lot while browsing through images in the gallery. Now as per GSM Arena, the Satio does not lag while displaying full resolution pictures. But seeing as you are a regular user of the handset can you give me a brief review of the image gallery and whether you notice any lag there?
Thanks! 🙂
I can’t speak for piotr but when I use my Satio, images don’t take much time to load up (it is pretty efficient) and scrolling isn’t a problem either. Some of the things that lag are accessing different folders and menus, among other things.
I absolutely agree with Monaco!
I didn’t experience any problem at all when using any part of the media bar. Everything is fast and smooth.
I have no idea why the one in store cluttered. Perhaps so many people used it, so that a lot of apps were running at the same time?
I don’t see any other explanation.
Satio is ok with multitasking, but to use is completely efficiently I’d say 3 is maximum for fluent use
Actually, I like image gallery a lot! One of the most enjoyable thing on Satio (even though I personally don’t use it much 🙂 )
Piotr, If I can make a suggestion for the next review is APPS, games and, hacking our Satio for them.
Hi, yes, I will do apps 🙂
I did some games already, but I think I will include some more.
In terms of hacking, sorry, but not on my blog 😀
I mean, I don’t really want to get any problems etc. And all the software I’ve tried so far is either free or genuine.
I’ve started to think about things a little bit more seriously 🙂 Although only about reasonably priced stuff!
What i could however do, is to search for links with longest lasting trails 😀 E.g. 30days and more 🙂 That would be enough time between Satio updates I guess 😛
I think its a little unfortunate we don’t have a central site to go to for apps that are directly compatible for Satio, when I look at playnow arena, I feel somewhat depressed inside.
I’ve been doing some research across different symbian sites but most stuff don’t seem to work for Satio specifically. I downloaded opera beta 10 today and I was pretty happy with it. It just sucks I don’t have internet plan to play with it everywhere I go but that should change soon. 🙂
We need more apps!
hey….there seems to be a miss communication over here. I guess i did not frame my sentences properly. I was talking about the 5800 there, not the Satio. Satio has not yet come to our store. IT should be here next week. 😛
So sorry for the scare i might have caused.
What i was trying to say was that when i was shifting images in the image gallery of the 5800 it was literally taking 1.5 seconds to display the next image! 😛 i mean thats really pathetic. Thats why i canceled my plan to get the 5800.
So in the end what i want to know honestly is : Say you have lots of full res 12MP pics on the Satio and you use Kinetic scrolling to flick them at a very high speed, will the satio lag?? Also while switching from one image to the other does it have any load time or does the image load seamlessly without a disruption in the flow of images, no matter what the size?? Please try it out and let me know….coz i am serious about buying this!! 🙂
Thanks a lot guys!! 🙂
sincerely what are the prob or disadvantages that satio has?? and whats the price?? plzz
hi. can anyone please help me about the installed applications like facebook and youtube ….as i have heard many comments stating on its working and no software available……
here……
http://fr-fr.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=35313373389&topic=11086&post=56435&_fb_noscript=1
please reply asap …..
help will be appreciated….
there is facebook & perfectly working on my xperia x10 mini! w/ matching the time escape feature apps. but the battery consumed fast, the full load batt consumed in 5 hours. then charge it again.
even here they show that the facebook app is in the phone but still some people have complaints of not having it ….????
here….
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/gallery/item/Sony_Ericsson_Satio_Launch_Event.php?phid=3589273635&page=1
plz check it out
There are rumors that the Facebook app will be fixed in the next firmware update.
There is lots of information out there on “hacking your satio” to run many apps out for Symbian. You must do your own research as I want to respect Piotr and not talk about that stuff on his site.
anyways !! thanx Monaco …but is there any confirm date of the firmware update or is there anything else where i can find out about the updates
I have no idea about the updates, sorry.
I think the best thing to do is go back to the SE product launch blog and start asking from there.
On another note: I’ve been getting more and more irritated with my Satio.
Lots of freezing and inability to do even the most basic multi-tasking
For example, I just received a text message, exited the text and attempted to make a phone call, as soon as I pressed the green (call) button to check my call logs the phone immediately froze causing me to shut it down.
Earlier tonight, I was passing downtown LA on the 10 freeway heading East and it was a nice clear night so I thought to snap a few night pics (it was slow traffic anyway) but I opened the lens cover and it immediately froze, I had to pull the battery out, start it up, then it couldn’t read my sim card so I had to pull the battery, pull the sim card, then start it back up again. By the time all of that was over, I lost any chance I had for a good shot.
I can take pictures anyday so I’m not irritated about that but this $800 phone is being a little diva…
I hope this is something the developers are reading and will fix in future updates.
thanx monaco for the information , there are a lot of problems popping out every next day , now i am gettin a bit concerned about BUYING it or not .
My friend is using it , and he is having almost the same problems as yours.
even the battery of the phone has to be charged all night long to keep it alive all day. this is ridiculious.. just imagine a phone having a 12 mpxl cam , wifi , and a 3.5 inch screen having a such a low capicity battery ……?????
Neways lets hope for the best and wait for the firmware to arrive soon …
regards
shocking !!! why is PIOTR not replying on any comments on his own blog?????
He’s most likely busy, afterall, believe it or not, people have lives outside of the internet, lol!
Akshay, I think for the battery issue, you only have to charge it all night for the first few times to “train” your battery for maximum capacity. My battery charges from dead to full in about 3-4 hours.
Battery life is not bad but isn’t GREAT, just yet. I’ve heard rumors from people who have been using these type of batteries that the battery gets exponentially better after weeks and months of use so we can’t really talk down the Satio battery capacity until its been fully proven.
About all the bugs, yes these are real life experiences and is very unfortunate that they are indeed true. There is just so much that I would change about my Satio. I guess coming from a non-touch screen, non-smart phone, I expected too much but I still think my expectations should be reached for this $800 phone. My last phone the $200 Samsung 707scII slim phone from Japan only froze on me no more than 10 times in the 2 years that I’ve used it and my Satio has frozen more than that in the 2 weeks that I’ve had it. All that for a $600 difference? I don’t think us consumers are asking for too much…
haha !! I seriously appreciate your point . but i added as he used to reply much quicker in his last few comments ….so i added that…..
even i am still using a motorola razr2 v8 , was eagerly waiting for this phone to arrive , but after it arrived i was shocked reading reviews on it !!
seriously i was almost ready to buy the next day it came , but the reviews really stopped me .
And about the apps installed on it ….even the tv commercials and reviews on net show that facebook , twitter ….. come installed …. i think the most of the comments are coming from london who have taken the satio locked with a certain network….
is this kind of like the network doesont support such app or is this problem comin wid all the phones???
here u can see that the reviews showing it with the facebook application
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/gallery/item/Sony_Ericsson_Satio_Launch_Event.php?phid=3589273635&page=1
Guys, sorry about lack of replies this weeks. As Monaco said, I have really been busy. Crazy week, as never. I went to bed at 4 last night, and just couldn’t wake this morning to go to the lecture, so have some time now 😛
Well, regarding the firmware update, I would expect it to be out now… At least that’s what it should be, according to the guy I spoke to at SEE2009.
I hope that everything is ok and it will arrive soon.
Regarding the freezing, it did happen to me once or twice… Particularly when operating the Media Bar. But it unfroze by itself after about 10-15s.
Also, my phone was showing a message “no sim card’, when pressing the green call button, and it then restarted. I turned up that the sim card wasn’t pushed to the very end and phone occasionally had trouble reading it.
Guys, don’t worry, I am reporting all the bugs etc directly to Sony Ericsson, so that we’re being heard 🙂
(I’ve got official e-ail of Rikard Skogberg from Satio launch blog, but no, I cannot share, sorry…)
Overall though, I have to say that the number of bugs has decreased with time! 😛 I have no idea why. My phone didn’t freeze at all in the last 2 weeks, while in the first 2, I have experienced quite a few problems.
Battery life indeed is not superb, but it’s good enough AND will be much improved in nest firmware update.
are the rumors of the sony ericsson emma update …being the orifinal firmware update for satio????
here : http://emma.extranet.sonyericsson.com/
Hi, I don’t think I understand the ’emma’ word, but regarding the firmware update I know about it from SEE2009. where I talked to SE team, and one of it’s members was working on that updated himself, so I’d say, he should be reliable…
no acctually u dint get my point there are rumors of the foll: site to be the firmware update for satio……http://emma.extranet.sonyericsson.com/… is this the firmware update for the satio
no acctually u dint get my point there are rumors of the foll: site to be the firmware update for satio……http://emma.extranet.sonyericsson.com/… is this the firmware update for the satio
anyways can u tell us the new changes or whats new being added in the updates…..
thanx and appreciated all your comments and reviews about the phone and SE….
have information that the new firmware appear only in December 😦
Well, considering that the middle of this week (i.e. today) was a sort of a deadline, I’d assume there is some sort of delay, although December sounds scary to be honest 😛
Let’s hope it will be out within hours, or days in worst case…
After having my Satio for about 3 weeks, I have actually had a few problems. When playing youtube videos from the 3G network (not my own wifi at home), the video sound is sometimes lagging, or hacking or whatever it’s called. Not lag like it hasn’t fully loaded, but like it’s having playing it. Occurs maybe every 3-5 second.
The second thing is that god damned Sony Ericsson port. I have no idea how you can like it, like I said I’ve only had it for 3 weeks and I am already experiencing trouble when I connect my earphones (HPM-77) and when connecting it to the charger. Made me really pissed last night since I thought it had been charged the night before and it died right before Pink’s concert and as a result I couldn’t take any photos or record it with the video -.-‘
Hi, I had the same problem with fastport! 🙂
All you have to do to move around the connector of any device that’s connected to Satio at that time. I believe that fastport has some sort of protective layer when straight of of the factory, and so it needs some training.
BTW, I had the same problem, it didn’t charge once when I left it overnight. But that training did solve all my problems!! 🙂
BTW, new accessories could also have that protective layer, so make sure you train them as well (if you buy any).
Well, I guess Sony Ericsson should make a little tutorial about that, as I way disappointed to start with and found it out only by being furious to be honest 😀
Piotr, any news on Coreplayer? Reading their forums doesn’t make me happy though:
http://forum.corecodec.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2990&p=12372&hilit=satio#p12372
Piotr, check my comments under your Media Bar: Video section about converting vids to Satio 😉
lol the more i hear about your problems guys, the more i’m worried about getting the phone…yikes!
Akshay, I believe you can disregard the emma client, it is not meant for consumer use, it is used for SE developer and employee usage.
I guess we’ll have to check back with Piotr since he probably will be some of the first to update and he will give us the heavenly news that we so desperately need.
d1ck, I’m not following the link you’ve provided, is there some magical way to finally play videos on our Satio?
I’ve been having issues playing movies that were in ipod/mp4 formats, some work, some don’t. With the Satio it is really hit or miss.
One thing I would like to say for people wanting to purchase a Satio, if you want a fast/efficient phone, don’t get it.
tahnx monaco , for the emma client comment. Now i have just stopped thinking about the phone as every comment makes me worry!! …lol
I had a chat wid piotr a couple of days ago and i asked about the firmware update and he said that it will be out within hours or in december to be worse…. : ( …
Dick, I think the release of CorePlayer 2.0 will not be before December.
Very unfortunate, but I think I have to agree. Very unlikely to come out before Dec. 😦
And it’s a shame, as CorePlayer really is best.
It seems that SE are about to release new firmware for the Satio in 2 weeks. http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=41333
@Monaco: I meant the last reply in that topic I linked to
(the one from Surge 10 Nov 2009, 22:50), in answer to the following question:
“Hi there, I know you were waiting for Symbian to open their core, so they did it! Please tell us what does it change for symbian users!”
His answer:
“Sadly, it means nothing for current symbian device owners..and by current I mean devices already on the market like the 5800, n97, satio, and omniaHD, etc…
The “open” symbian is symbian^2, which will require new hardware (a new phone) in order to run.
Nokia, etc have already said Symbian^2 will not be released for any current devices on the market today.
This may be good in the future though — coreplayer will hopefully allow full media acceleration on future symbian platforms (symbian^2, 3, 4)…
But for us who are stuck in today, we are still sitting here waiting for a core player that actually runs on s60v5…if it ever comes…and if\when it does come, it won’t support hardware acceleration anyways, so…heh!”
.
It would be nice if Coreplayer runs on S60v5; on the other hand, since I found a way to make good conversions of divx etc movies to mp4 which works great for my Satio I don’t really bother.
Hey D1ck, yes I’ve read that… And because it wasn’t written by BetaBoy (CoreCodec employee) I assumed it was a bit exagerated 😉
The beauty of CorePlayer was however that whatever I would put on my memory card in whatever format etc, CorePlayer would play it 🙂
It also has benchmarking feature, so tests fps, bitrate, actual device performance etc 🙂
For now, your solution seems to be great though 🙂
haha, yeah.. handbrake is french 😀
Coreplayer sounds like a wannahave program whenever it will work on the Satio so I’ll keep an eye on development (or let’s say: an eye on this blog, assuming you will know thing before I do 😉 )
.
By the way, you tested the program (avc) for yourself already? Let me know what you think of it.
Piotr, What is the minimum focusing distance macro?
I have pretty much had it with the Satio freezing all the time, not just mine but from reading about so many other Satios that freeze several times a day.
Does SE/Symbian understand this issue in its widespread entirety? I hope so and that it will most definitely be addressed in the next update but the lesson learned from this is not to include it in the update but to make sure a flagship phone like the SE Satio, a phone of this caliber and price to NOT be so unstable and incomplete when the customer buys it but to correct these issues before officially releasing the phone. If they weren’t ready, why did they even start to tease at such an early time? MWC 09, make us wait nearly a year and release a flagship phone in mid-maturity levels. I don’t understand their marketing and reasoning because it doesn’t make sense. I’ve never personally owned a Sony mobile before but I have so many Sony products, they have all served me well so I decided to give the Satio a chance despite it’s discerning critics. I have been so dissapointed, not even sure if I will buy another Sony Ericsson phone again, not unless I know for sure they’ve changed their ways.
This rant lasted longer than I thought but I sure hope Sony Ericsson leadership realize their faults and will correct their mistakes to save their company.
Also not saying it’s a bad phone but for a phone that costs so much and is the current flagship, it definitely does not deliver.
god! monaco, you are scaring me!! is your piece really hanging that much??? Is anyone else over here experiencing such an issue. I am two weeks away from buying my phone and i dont want to bail out on me!
like I said in my concluding statement:
“Also not saying it’s a bad phone but for a phone that costs so much and is the current flagship, it definitely does not deliver.”
Basically, if you paid as much as me and got the phone I did (which isn’t different than all of the other Satio’s out there because other people experience the same issues I do). Wait for a better phone. Maybe even get an iphone or htc hd2 both are very fast smart phones, or if you want to wait for the SE Xperia X10 that is another option, we know that the x10 and the hd2 share the same 1ghz processor and Android so we know it can’t be THAT much of a failure….right?
Had my Satio a week now – a free upgrade from the Sony C902.
The C902 had similar ‘freezing’ problems initially which were overcome with a software upgrade. My Satio has had three or four freezes in the first week but hopefully it will be resolved with a software upgrade soon – or maybe it will improve over the next week or so (as someone has suggested).
I love the touch screen and find typing text on the full QWERTY keyboard so much quicker than on previous phones. (isn’t QWERTY easy to type on a QWERTY keyboard! lol).
Camera is superb – LOVE IT.
Lack of voice recognition and the limited battery life are a bit annoying but not a huge problem.
If I’d had to actually pay £500+ for it maybe I would think differently – but as a free upgrade I have no problem with it!
It is so different from previous phones and it will take me a little time to get the most out of it but I’m already beginning to love my Satio!.
photo with the new firmware R1CA033;) http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Satio&s=rec&z=m
Hi hero,
that’s very interesting, but the only place I find any relation to the firmware you’ve mentioned is some Russian site…
I don’t think it’s official firmware to be honest 😛
Monaco, iPhone and Satio are completely different class of a device…
Personally I would never buy an iPhone! 😀
Seems to release a new firmware is not until Christmas: (
Just a little update with my Satio.
Since my last rant/update, I’ve been exploring more of LA and taking pictures and videos which REALLY come in handy especially since I never lug a stupid camera around with me. My friends are really impressed with its camera factor. But, yes there is a but…it still freezes on me. I don’t know if this occurs often with you guys but I’m sure its not a rarity and is making many Satio owners suffer for the lack of stable software system.
And for those who are using their cameras to record the beautiful moments in life that are random and suprising, better get your video ready to shoot because you have to open your cover, load the camera, then switch to video, then press record, which total takes quite a few seconds to start the actual recording process.
I still love the Satio though!
Hmmm, freezing doesn’t happen to me anymore.
What I do get though is very frequent random closing of the browser. Very annoying.
I am very happy that you’re happy though 🙂
Hi,
Following this review for a while..
couple questions–>
How do you transport your satio?
-case, pouch?
– is it comfortable in your pants?
– does the camera cover opens easily?
greets,
Mike
Hey Mike!
Yes, I do have some nice pouch. I use an universal one from Golla. Looks very stylish and still leaves enough space to connect the fastport for my headphones:)
Yes, it is certainly comfortable 🙂 Today for example i was in a rush and did put my Satio into my pocket. Later on during a day I forgot I did it and been thinking all day that I didn’t bring the phone with me… Haha ;P
Camera cover opens very easily when you want it to. It’s not a major problem when in the pocket or in case I’d say. Never happened to me.
Ok, maybe once while taking the Satio out of the pocket 🙂
today released new firmware R1CA037;) http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/12/sony_ericsson_satio_firmware_r1ca037_now_available.html
So is this the Update we all have been waiting for?
Somebody tested it?
Buying the Satio in 2 days…
Doesn’t want to get installed on my Satio…
Also, i’ve contacted a guy from SE and he says such news doesn’t appear anywhere internally, so most probably fake…
I found this review–> http://www.vimeo.com/7924664
this guy has a totally different starting interface, no 5 screens etc…
Is it customizable?
not fake Pitr 😉
piotr , i think i have to agree to intriga….
just check this out….
….this one clearly specifies abt the new software update and even specifies the date ..29/11/09
and i even checked out the SE update service whether its true or not…… ; )
My Satio has been freezing more and more and more these few days. It is way too easily set off, simple commands like ending calls, opening or closing the lens, opening or closing apps, or even touching the screen to check the time.
I’ve taken some action and contacted my retailer.
Hi Monaco,
I think you should consider reflashing your firmware (even the current version).
It has sorted all the problems of friend of mine.
Try it! 🙂
Hmm, how to go about reflashing the firmware? Will I lose everything I’ve added to the phone?
Thanks Piotr, maybe you have given my Satio hope after all!
Dear all,
Me and my boyfriend got Satio phones last month unlocked, and well the freezing problem isn’t that bad as people describe it. Basically it happen to me like twice a week and mostly with the browser only which somehow when trying to load some websites it just closes itself. We are patiently waiting for the update and the apps. I head it will be released the second of December but nothing yet, other than this mishap the phone is awesome 😀
One problem though I have a W850i as my second phone and we tried using it’s jack to replace the original headphones and very weird error is happening only the left piece works! I realize you stated there is another one worked for you but since we are currently in Egypt (for a year or more to come!) I wouldn’t be able to get it from here. So by any chance did you (or any Satio user here) tried a W series earphone on their Satio?
Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Nancy
HEllo hello,
Any updates on your phone? You guys still having problems with the satio?
greets
Never had a problem with it. Touch wood it stays that way. Hahaha. ^_^ I love my Satio… It was worth the (very long and painful) wait… If only it has DivX playback…
And you are right, this thing is amazing… 2 days without freezing so far.
Guys, sorry for my recent inactivity. I am really very busy.
Ok, so let’s start to catch up 🙂
Nancy, I am afraid it could be a problem with the earphone itself. It does sometimes happen that one of them gets less loud or stops working completely.
Richard, CorePlayer should be reaching us soon to solve this problem ! 🙂
Mike77, I am very glad you like your Satio. It’s all about expectation and Satio is even better than I expected! 🙂 It’s not an ultimate or best in every single aspect (perfect) device, but overall certainly the best one around! 🙂
When the release of CorePlayer 2.0 ? Piotr, you know something? 😉
so how to do the reflash like you mentioned earlier piotr?
I did the soft reset last night, tried recording video today and it doesn’t even record anymore.
My phone still froze today, forcing my hand at taking the battery out again (which now seems like at least 25 times).
Phone still unstable when maintaining basic functions like removing camera cover, pressing cancel, etc…
I’m starting to think I have a dud but I also believe other peoples phones are the same.
Monaco, I think you are just really unlucky. My red Satio is working like a charm and I love it. Stable as a rock and works pretty fast. Maybe its the colour red that is lucky? ^_^
I have a black one (unbranded), works flawless, no freezing and crisp.. great pictures and perfect connecting to wifi ,gaming,..etc…
I’m amazed by the device and impressed–> espescially because I was worried that it would be a “shitty” device..
Battery life is growing. But I use it alot so I’m starting to test the battery life tomorrow with normal use.. Now I can use it heavily for 1,5 day( 36 hours).
I’m still hoping for some nice HD games, like on the Iphone…
No DivX or XviD support out-of-the-box –
i feel that is the greatest multimedia handicap of satio..it is really pain full to re convert videos collection specilaly those divx vdo downlaoded from net into mp4..very sad that no developer has come forth to create a decent divx player for s60 v5..
So people its been a while since its release… I have a W910i which i love and i want to buy the Satio soon! Should i buy it or not? What is the equation now? Is there another SE phone i should consider?
hi there. I thinking of buying satio. Just wanna ask u, how long have u used satio and does it hangs or lagging?
Hello all, Do you guys recommend the Satio? i have been using SEM products for years and am really interested in buying this one. I am however concerned after reading all the negative reviews. Thanks
Now, nobody commented this, but what I got pissed that Satio don’t have an equalizer on the music player!!!
Thats unbeliveable!
And the complain #8 (No stereo speakers), that’s really ridiculous!
What, people now want their mobilephone to replace a soundsystem stereo?
With so tiny speakers it’s more like an ambulant twitter.
Listen to music on your home powerfull stereo (or use a headphone!)
Now, nobody commented this, but what I got pissed that Satio don’t have an equalizer on the music player!!!
Thats unbeliveable!
And the complain #8 (No stereo speakers), that’s really ridiculous!
What, people now want their mobilephone to replace a soundsystem stereo?
With so tiny speakers it’s more like an ambulant twetter.
Listen to music on your home powerfull stereo (or use a headphone!)
Hi, I heard that Satio’s Resistive Screen is not very Responsive, is it true? Also, for those who want to watch Divx/Xvid files in there satio please download & install latest version of SmartMovie application.
Steven
There is a free equalizer available from the SE playnow arena, as SE have realised their mistake.
Hi, can someone help me please….after reformatting and updating my satio, youtube does not stream anymore when it is in flash player beta-mode. I have to switch to standard video player –mode to be able to watch the video. The problem with this mode is, even it is already in HQ, the video is still pixilated and also the phone hangs up. Now, what to do? Please help…
i like this site, and thought i would post some things i have found, http://labs.divx.com/MobileDownload
allows you to play avi files on your satio, but at the moment it is very slow as it has to resize the file, i like everyone else am holding out for the coreplayer v2.0.
i recently went on holiday and used my satio to plug into the villa tv and watch a selection of movies i had converted through the tv, pleasing everyone i went away with, a great feature that no one ever talks about
the satio really have a great CPU + plenty of RAM, so i hope there will be some alternative OS upgrades in the future (Symbian^3, Linux (perhaps Android), etc)
Piotr Mazurkwicz:
have u abandoned this blog? …why not make a final (or a few) last post so that we know u havent abandoned the Satio yet.
u could for example give some thought where the satio stands now, with the latest updates… and some info/ short list about useful applications for it
Bravia the BRAVO to this counter-Review for the Sony Ericsson Satio, Piotr!
I have just sold my Xperia x10, and am planning to get myself the Satio soon(but havent made up my mind on which colour to choose, any recommendations? :D).
After looking through on all Sony Ericsson’s model (including Xperia x10, Vivaz, and Satio) i can see that those “make.believe” guys are seriously knowing where and what they are going for. is it “things just didnt fall into place” for them?
From my assumption, the models released:-
Satio – Best Camera Phone Award by well known Swedish magazine Tidningen Mobil. Ergonomic design, good features, and i’d only realized onto why they are implementing the conventional Fast Port. Perhaps they are implementing incline with their “Green Heart” initiatives that they are encouraging us to recycle and make use of the good ol’ Fast Port back in the golden days? 12mp??!! that is just only ONE level below those 16mp digital camera on the shelves??!!! and of course, the microSD slot are strategically located “outside” rather than “inside” part of the phone for convenient access which allows hot swaps. No doubt, they have successfully integrated the “Cybershot” and “Walkman” flagship into the Satio. With the TV-Out?? WTF?? Thats to the “Bravia”! Thats “3”!!! Kudos!!!! Pat on the shoulder!!
Vivaz/Vivaz Pro – HD recording capabilities phone (seriously, HD video quality have been quite sometime around and here comes 3D. Perhaps they are trying to push HD quality video recording with a phone? Man, i would give it a shot if the Vivaz/Vivaz Pro do comes with the lens shutter)
x10/x10mini – I’d see this model as more to like iPhone killer to me. Look at the specs sheet, and the later(rumoured) models, the processors sounded so “beastly”. Drago(Snapdragon) or Koo-Koo Bird(Hummingbird). That’s 1GHz and above. If the next iPhone released would be 8.1mp, it could be on par with the x10 when it’s potential is fully unleashed. and that’s CHECKMATE for Apple! (abit regret sold my x10 now) and of course with the x10mini received the prestigious Red Dot Product Design Award 2010. And of course, after i have done some light browsing, many people keep asking for “Multitouch” implemented on the x10! That is sooooo childish!!! Thats good that the x10 didnt get multitouch. Otherwise, that the x10 is a copycat of iPhone, or iPhone copycat x10? And there goes the infringement issues. Keep up the good work in maintaining originality to the x10 team!!!!
To sum things up, i can feel that all the models released are really “scary”. And next releases could be really big “surprises” like what they have mentioned. That’s why they went “low-profile”. I think they really mean it.
However, i felt that they can still squeeze in a little bit more here and then with their current models.
I am hoping that loyal SE fans or stakeholders are not giving up on them yet.
Of course, i am being one of IT graduate, there is always the IT dilemma, “if you rush, you get brushed”. Just like having to eat in a restaurant, when the food are not served timely, we screw the captain/cook and in the end, we get “crap” food.
All the best, SE!!!
Cheers,
Terry Yik
-Malaysia-
there is a new phone from nokia, the nokia N8, its also 12 megapixels, regardless of the overall speculations, whose phoone has the best camera? the nokia n8 or the satio? please help!!