UPDATE: Sony Ericsson has been in touch to tell us the Aino is still on sale, although it acknowledges there are software issues affecting its touchscreen performance. Sony Ericsson’s full statement is below. If you’ve had any problems with the Aino, let us know in the comments section below.
“Sony Ericsson in the UK confirms that it is aware of a reported software issue regarding the Aino handset and using the touchscreen interface in particular. We are working as quickly as we can to solve it. Aino is still on sale in the UK and this issue affects only a very small number of handsets.”
Just days after the Sony Ericsson Satio handset was withdrawn from the shelves of Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U, it seems Sony Ericsson’s Aino handset has suffered the same fate.
The Aino has reportedly suffered from a number of software issues, mainly to do with the touch-screen functionality. Sony Ericsson claims that, due to limited sales of the Aino, which was only released last month, the problems will only affect a small number of users.
With Christmas just around the corner, the double whammy of withdrawals could not have come at a worse time for the world’s fourth largest mobile phone developer. “Aino and Satio are Sony Ericsson’s key products for the final quarter,” said Geoff Blaber from consultancy firm CCS Insight. “They have days not weeks to fix these issues.”
A spokesman for Sony Ericsson said the latest faults are not a major problem and that: “at the moment, we don’t see any damage or harm done.”
It’s pretty clear that plenty of damage has been done though. With just 20-odd shopping days until Christmas, the failings of two of Sony Ericsson’s flagship handsets can only mean a frantic pre-Christmas period for the mobile phone giant.
Have you got a Sony Ericsson Aino suffering software faults? Let us know in the comments section below, with as much information as possible about where you bought it, which network you’re on, and a full explanation of the problems.
Out Now | Free (on certain contracts) | Sony Ericsson (via Softpedia)
