Sony unites for Entertainment Unlimited

Singapore: Sony Ericsson has announced a convergence of the Sony media groups for the October release of its Satio smartphone, with Sony Pictures, Sony Music and Sony Entertainment all contributing content as part of what the company calls Entertainment Unlimited.

Satio comes with three feature-length films and music clips to download. (Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Customers purchasing a Satio handset will be offered access to a Sony micro-site housing 50 new release feature-length Sony movies and 300 music video clips. Customers will have the opportunity to download three of each to keep and use on their Satio handset. Blockbuster titles available will include Angels and Demons, Underworld: Rise of the Lycan and Quarantine.

Satio will also come with Ashphalt 4 and Price of Persia video games pre-installed. The games are in HD resolution (one-ninth true TV-standard HD), a first on a Sony Ericsson handset.

Sony Ericsson's upcoming Aino handset will similarly grant customers access to the media library, but is without the pre-installed video games.

At the launch event, Sony Ericsson representatives said there is no way yet for customers to purchase the other films and clips that are not downloaded for free, but the company is looking into opportunities to offer the content to be made for sale separately.

The Satio and Aino are both touchscreen devices slated for release early in the fourth quarter of 2009. When released the Satio will be the world's first mass-market smartphone with a 12-megapixel camera.

Joseph Hanlon attends CommunicAsia as a guest of Sony Ericsson.