In Australia, Sony Ericsson, who sells the bulk of its phones via telecommunication carriers, claims that so far it has had no problems with its Satio model.

In the UK, retailers last week stopped selling the Satio model due to constant software problems, which the company said will be fixed by Xmas. No retailers have stopped selling the Aino model.  

According to a Sony Ericsson spokesperson, the issue with Aino seems to be related to the handset's touchscreen display. At this stage, what is not known is whether the issue is restricted to European models only.

 "We are working as quickly as possible to solve it (the issue)," Sony Ericsson spokesman Mattias Holm said late last week.

 "Aino and Satio are Sony Ericsson's key products for the final quarter," said analyst Geoff Blaber from British consultancy CCS Insight. "These problems couldn't come at a worse time -- just as the market approaches the highest volume weeks of the year. They have days not weeks to fix these issues."

However, Sony Ericsson does not see this as a major problem and says that its brand hasn't been affected. "At the moment, we don't see any damage or harm done," Holm said.