Gadget Reviews

The Video and Camera Feature of The Satio

Upon taking a photo, you are provided with a preview and options to save, delete or send the photo or go back to shooting mode. This is done instantly and saves you time for more picture taking.

Video capture is possible, with a 640×480 VGA resolution. The quality is pretty good to upload on YouTube and there are few hang-ups, like choppy audio, in the final product. For videos, an LED flash is utilized so taking videos in areas with not that much ambient light can be done, such as at night. While these specs are already impressive, this function is still not at par with that of the competitors’. Some companies such as Samsung have released phones that allow for HD video recording.

But this does not compensate the other functions; after all, the Satio is still a mobile phone. First, its 3.5-inch touchscreen displays showcases up to 16m colors and a 360×640-pixel resolution, which is already quite impressive for a mobile phone. Switching the page from landscape to portrait is a breeze with the built-in accelerometer. Touchscreen capabilities are also excellent, as little effort is required in order for commands to be recognized. A vibrate option even lets you know that the phone has responded to your touch movements on the screen.

However, the touchscreen capabilities aren’t as high-end as that of the iPhone, therefore the Satio does not support pinch to zoom and multitouch. But the Satio’s resistive display is an advantage to situations that require precision, through the use of a stylus included in the package.

The operating system that runs this phone is a version of the Symbian system, similar to that in the N97. Optimized for touchscreen mobile phones, the user interface allows for shortcuts to any app or program to be easily accessed at the top area. The bottom portion has dedicated thumbnails that direct the user to the number pad, search tool, media gallery and messaging.

A wide range of apps and software is available for download from the Symbian market, with more coming from the recently launched Foundation App Store. A 600MHz processor is employed for smooth operation of apps and multitasking. While the offerings of the Symbian market don’t really match with those for the iPhone, it can still provide a wonderful app experience, especially for first-time users.

One letdown is Sony Ericsson’s own web browser, which lacks the necessary menu options for a smoother internet surfing experience. There are different shortcuts, address bar basic Google search tab, but those are the only comprehensible ones. Those who are not that familiar with this interface will probably find web browsing a confusing and unpleasant experience.

If you feel you need to recycle your Satio, then don’t forget that it is possible to get cash for mobiles by using online mobile phone recycling companies who will be able to offer you a competitive price for your phone.