SonyEricsson Connects With PS3, Movie Rentals

By Joseph Palenchar On Jun 15 2009 - 6:00am

A pair of 3G phones unveiled here by SonyEricsson includes a model that uses Wi-Fi and 3G to stream content from a home's PlayStation3 game console.

The new models are the 3G HSPA Aino and Yari, both due in versions designed for U.S. networks. Those versions will operate in quadband EDGE mode and in 850/1900/2100MHz HSPA mode. The company said the phones would be available in select markets in the fourth quarter but, at press time, did not specify a U.S. launch date or indicate whether they would be sold unlocked or through carriers.

The PlayStation-connected phone, called the Aino, accesses PlayStation content via Wi-Fi within a home network or, via 3G, from a remote location. It also uses Wi-Fi to synchronize with multimedia content stored on a nearby PC running Media Home software from SonyEricsson.

Other Aino features include 3-inch widescreen touchscreen and 8.1-megapixel camera with photo flash.

The Yari will be the company's first gaming phone equipped with gesture- and motion-gaming technology outside the Japan market.

Prices were not announced.

Both phones will be bundled with a movie-rental service that lets them play up to 60 movies a year. The movies must be side-loaded from a PC after the PC downloads them from Sony's PlayNow site. The service, to be available on other phones as well, lets consumers watch movies as often as the want for up to 90 days after downloading. Availability of Playnow Movies for the U.S. market, however, hasn't been announced.

Through Sony Electronics, SonyEricsson plans July 6 availability of the 3G W995a multimedia phone, due at about $600 with 8.1-megapixel camera and Walkman music-player features. The unlocked 3G HSDPA multimedia phone comes with Wi-Fi. Camera features include 8.1-megapixel resolution, photo flash, face detection, Sony's BestPic technology and geo-tagging with pre-installed Google Maps.

Sony's Media Go software, also available with the PlayStation Portable (PSP), lets users drag and drop videos, music and photos from a PC to the phone.