Sony Ericsson Satio Plagued By Bugs [Ericsson Saito Sales Suspended As Saitos Are Returned by Unhappy Users]

The Sony Ericsson Satio was released last month in the UK by Vodafone and was released with a large marketing campagin. And for good reason too, as the smartphone came packed with a ton of features, like a 12.1 megapixel camera (with geotagging!) and other goodies like FM radio and GPS. Unfortunately, the Times Online is reporting that some phone retailers in the UK are suspending sales of the device, pending a serious ’software bug.

The alleged serious bug takes place when a user tried to access certain applications on the phone, the phone would just shut off on them. Sony is claiming the problem isn’t that serious, and that it will be fixed by Christmas. However, the problem is serious enough that it cannot be fixed by an over-the-air software update.

Although sales of the device are suspended, Sony is not planning to end its marketing campaign during the holiday season, which leads one to believe that they think the problem will be solved quickly and easily. Ben Wood, an mobile phone analyst told the Times Online that smartphone companies are under strict timetables in the new high-pressure smartphone market, leading to phones being shipped with unpolished software.

Although some British cell retailers have stopped selling the Satio for now, all the major telcom providers are continuing to sell you the phone. Sony says that sales of the Saito thus far have been strong into the holiday season. It remains to be seen if the sales freeze by some (not all) phone retailers will affect the sales of the popular and high profile smartphone.