Sony Ericsson has introduced a new Windows Mobile (6.5.3) phone, named Aspen, to their portfolio of diverse mobile devices. The phone, available later this year (Q2) in Iconic Black and White Silver, features a 2.4 inch (240×320, 65k color) TFT touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard. Other notable specifications include A-GPS, Wi-Fi, FM radio, and Bluetooth (A2DP) to ensure you’re fully connected. Don’t forget about the MicroSD compatibility, although Sony will not be including any MicroSD card so you’ll need to purchase one. This phone is pretty standard fare with a 3.2 megapixel camera and 4x digital zoom.
It’s kind of surprising not to see 8 megapixels on the Aspen, as Sony Ericsson seems to be integrating that into every other phone they are releasing these days.
Sony thoughtfully added a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a stereo speaker, which is great because it’s frustrating to use phones that don’t have that these days. I think the USB connector is Micro USB though, instead of Mini USB which I would rather prefer.
It’s officially under SE’s Greenheart line, boasting a Greenheart software panel within, power saving modes, eco-mate application, electronic manual, waterborne painting, and some of the components (charger, box, etc) are made of recycled materials.
The software experience is pretty loaded – it has access to the PlayNow store, and includes applications such as: Windows Live Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, CNN, YouTube, Skype, Google Maps, and custom stylings courtesy of SPB Mobile Shell 3.0. It also boasts a PDF reader, Microsoft Office mobile, Outlook mobile and much more. For additional business support, you’ll be happy to know it is compatible with Exchange (via ActiveSync) and has full E-mail capabilities.
Battery life:
- Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 10 hours
- Standby time: GSM/GPRS: Up to 450hrs
- Talk time UMTS: Up to 8 hours
- Standby time: UMTS: Up to 600 hrs
- Music listening time: Up to 12hrs
On a side note, I am very concerned with Sony Ericsson releasing phones for three separate mobile operating systems (Windows Mobile, Android, and Symbian). Not many other manufacturers are going down this path and I feel that its stretching the company too thin. While I understand diversity and choice are important in the market, and it opens up a greater market share, this seems like a bad choice. Sony Ericsson’s market share and profits have been slumping in recent years, and they should really focus their efforts on two operating systems at a maximum and pouring all of their resources into that. What do you think?
