Satio Firmware Upgrade puts it Back On Top.

I’ve written about the SE Satio and how it could be the perfect upgrade from the N82 for me. I’ve also written about why it’s not the perfect upgrade for me.
Today, the SE Satio goes back onto the top of the list after news about a firmware upgrade broke at the end of last week. The new features look great. Especially that boost to video recording and direct upload to YouTube.

• Support for WVGA video recording – The already great video recording will be enhanced to fit the wide screen format and hence resolution is also slightly increased to 864 * 480 pixles. (the preset size will still be VGA, user has to change to get WVGA)
• Upload of pictures to Facebook – It will be possible to upload pictures directly from the picture menu you have on the home screen or from the Media UI.
• Youtube video uploading – It will be possible to upload videos to Youtube directly from the Media UI.
• Conversational messaging – “Conversations” will be nicely integrated in the messaging menu in order to easily find and inspire to more conversations with your friends.
• DLNA support – The new software will support DLNA media server for easy transfer of audio and still pictures. (Note that video is not supported)
• UI improvements – On top of above, several minor UI improvements have been done in order to optimize the user experience.
• The Facebook application that is now available on PlayNow for free download will be included in the sw.

Owners are reporting that the device is now faster and smoother too.

The best news, and the news that has put the Satio back on top of the list though comes from Satio owner ‘tpagpuss‘ who has Gravity, Ovi Maps and Opera Mobile 10.5 running on it after modifying the phone to accept Nokia software.  He also linked me to some great low-light pics taken with the flash proving that it’s at least as good as the N82. It actually looks better than my two-year old N82 to me. Finally, I found this blog from another Satio owner who says “Shooting Pictures on the Go hasn’t been this much Fun since i got my beloved N82 some Years ago ” He’s posted a nice gallery of pics taken with the Satio here.

There’s a universal feeling that battery life isn’t that good but i’m betting that it’s going to beat my N82 which needs charging every 5 hours under my usage conditions. Two batteries is normal for me.

• Priority for me: Top-quality camera – Check
• Opera Mobile 10.5 – Check
• Ovi Maps – Check
• Google Maps – Check
• Gravity – Check
• Faster, better screen than my N82 – Check
• One or Two-handed operation – Check

The only thing I’m missing on my list is Ovi Store.

The risk remains that Nokia will come out with a Satio-beater next week but in this day and age that risk is always there. I have no doubt that the Satio will be an old phone in just a month or two. This afternoon I will wander down to the O2 store to see what they can do. I’m a new customer with them since last week and haven’t taken a data or voice plan yet so I’m expecting some flexibility on the price. I’m hoping for flat data over two sim cards and the phone for under 50 Euros per month.

Check back later or follow my tweets to see how I get on.