Sony Ericsson Yari And Aino Hands-On [Video]

SlashGear were at Sony Ericsson's London launch event for the Yari and Aino cellphones today, and we grabbed the chance to get some hands-on time with the pair.  According to Sony Ericsson, the aim of the new devices – plus their flagship Satia sibling – is to blend entertainment and communication.  With that in mind, the Aino (seen here) can stream content from a PlayStation 3 via the Sony Remote Play system, while the Yari is packed with motion-sensitive games.Hands-on video and gallery of the Aino and Yari after the cut

In the plastic, the Aino feels sturdy and well made, even in its current prototype stage.  The touchscreen is responsive, though being a resistive panel doesn't recognize any sort of multitouch gesture, while the LCD panel itself is very high resolution and colors are brightly saturated.  The wireless remote – the LEDs of which react to music – may be a little gimmicky, but they also allow full control of playback and volume, together with including a hands-free kit, and since it and the docking station are standard we can't really fault Sony Ericsson's accessory set.

As for the Yari, which you can see more of in the gallery below, we're less convinced.  In the hand it feels more plasticky than the Aino – then again, it's a cheaper handset, so perhaps that's to be expected - and we're not necessarily convinced by the motion-sensitive gaming.  The demo units on hand, again in pre-production stage, were only moderately responsive, and the games themselves – one of which demanded you perform squats which the Yari uses motion-sensors to track – seem simplistic.  We'll have to wait to see what the rest of the titles are like before any final judgment, of course.

Sony Ericsson Aino hands-on demo:

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Sony Ericsson Yari hands-on demo:

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