Aino Phone Views

• General Goods

Aesthetically, Sony Ericsson has certainly broken the norm when designing the Sony Ericsson Aino. We've long criticised the company for producing the same, dull looking handsets when most competitors are innovating, and they've clearly listened to customer feedback - when closed the Aino looks sleek and stylish, and its long curved design is a hit with us. The large 3in touchscreen takes up most of the front real estate, and a handy unlock button at the top of the phone unlocks the screen.

To make things even worse, the Aino's keypad is positioned right at the base of the phone - when messaging, the weight at the top of the handset makes it feel as though it will easily topple out of your hands. The keypad is also rather small and the controls are awkwardly positioned and squashed together - specifically the selection buttons and shortcut and clear keys.

The biggest disappointment of the Sony Ericsson Aino's design is that its 3in touchscreen can only be used when the phone is closed. In this mode, the touchscreen is used specifically to access the multimedia menu. You can use the camera, view photos and images, listen to music or the built-in FM radio and watch video files, but absurdly you can't access the web browser using the touchscreen.

It is rather large but has a convenient shirt clip and its built in microphone means you can also take phone calls. Turning on the MH100 automatically pairs it with the Aino (provided Bluetooth is on), so it's easy to get connected. The bundled adaptor still doesn't excuse the Aino's lack of 3.5mm headphone jack - sound quality over a wired connection is still better than over Bluetooth and you're stuck if you forget or lose the Bluetooth adaptor.

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