A second Sony Ericsson handset has encountered software problems in the run up to Christmas after some customers reported issues with the company’s Aino model. However, the mobile phone developer has dismissed concerns that it will be forced into another product recall.

Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U suspended sales of the mobile phone maker’s Satio handset earlier this week due to technical problems. However, reports that a similar fate has befallen the Aino, a touch-screen phone that can be used as a remote control for Sony’s PlayStation3 games console, represent another blow to the company’s Christmas line up.

Richard Dorman, senior marketing manager at Sony Ericsson, said that a small number of customers had encountered problems with the touch-screen due to a software glitch but nothing on the scale of the Satio. “The product is still in store and has not been recalled,” he stressed.

Nevertheless, the Aino problems provide a further headache for the Japanese-Swedish joint venture company as it fights to get the Satio back in stores in time for Christmas. The company is still advertising the flagship product, which has a 12 megapixel camera, despite the software issues.

Unlike the Satio, which has sold very well over recent months, the Aino has only sold in “limited” volumes according to the company. Nonetheless, it will further increase the perception of quality issues related to its product line after numerous high-profile issues last year and the Satio recall.

The Satio and Aino are key products for Sony Ericsson as it attempts to improve the decline in its market share over the past eighteen months. It reported a €199 million loss in the third quarter. Its market share has dwindled to around 5 per cent and has cut 2,000 jobs this year on top of 2,000 job losses last year. It hopes to return to profitability next year with the launch of the X10, its first handset based on Google’s Android operating system.

Explore Tech & Web

• Personal Tech

• The Web

• Gadgets & Gaming