* New Aino phone links to PlayStation3
* All 3 new phones to hit shelves in early Q4 (Adds details, analyst)
LONDON, May 28 (Reuters) - Sony Ericsson introduced on Thursday a mobile phone that allows consumers to connect to their PlayStation3 gaming consoles, in its strongest sign yet of integration with parent Sony 6758.T.
The world’s fifth-biggest handset maker had hits some years ago with its Sony Cybershot and Walkman-branded phones, but has since lost market share as demand for so-called feature phones has suffered during the recession.
Sony Ericsson said the Aino, which will allow consumers to access media content from their PlayStation gaming machine on the move, would be available in the fourth quarter, along with two other phones presented at a London event.
The Satio, previously announced at February’s Mobile World Congress as the Idou, has a 12-megapixel high-resolution camera, while the Yari contains a Nintendo Wii-like gesture sensor for gaming.
“At last there’s a cooperation between a Sony product and a Sony Ericsson phone,” said Ben Wood of UK-based research firm CCS Insight. “Previously, it was just branding. We see it as a statement of intent.”
Satio will not go on sale until the fourth quarter, which could mean Sony Ericsson would miss the chance to be first to market with a 12-megapixel camera phone, he said.
Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Japanese electronics maker Sony and Swedish telecommunication equipment maker Ericsson ERICb.ST, is battling with deep losses and is expected to need at least 100 million euros in extra funds within the next year. (Additional reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Derek Caney)
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