02-02-2010: Sony Ericsson is retreating to the business market again with an environmentally friendly phone. The Swedish Japanese concern today launches the Sony Ericsson Aspen, a device in the Greenheart series.
By: Tim Wijkman
Sony Ericsson will enter the business market again. The company, that is originally focussed on consumers, today launches the business and environmentally friendly Sony Ericsson ASpen. The device is designedin the very popular "BlackBerry-like" way and combines a full QWERTY keyboard with the business characteristics of Windows Mobile.
Sony Ericsson Aspen
The new identity of Sony Ericsson is also clearly visisble in the Sony Ericsson Aspen. Round lines at the sides of the device, with a business look every still, make the device attractive with a minimalistic design, without damaging the device. The unique combination between a full QWERTY keyboard directly onderneath a touchscreen display makes the Sony Ericsson Aspen a productive phone.
The Sony Ericsson Aspen operates on Windows Mobile
After the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, the Sony Ericsson Aspen is the third device of the Swedish Japanese joint-venture that operates on the Windows Mobile platform. The Aspen ahs a special interface because a combination of Windows Mobile Standard and Windows Mobile Professional has been used in the device. Due to this, the device is partially operated by Windows Mobile Standard, but this time with touchscreen support.
Because the phone operates on Windows Mobile, the device is the ideal business partner. The device is easily synchronized and offers wide support for opening, viewing and editing Office documents. Because the device is equpped with full 3G support (UMTS / HSDPA), e-mail and internet are always accessible on the go.
The Sony Ericsson Aspen is equipped with a 3,2 megapixel camera
For the business market there are more and more phones with a camera. Therefore, the Sony Ericsson Aspen received a 3.2 megapixel camera, a functional camera for quick snapshots.
The Sony Ericsson Aspen has a spacious QWERTY keyboard
Concerning design, a true revolution has taken place at Sony Ericsson headquarters. Devices no longer have the 'old-fashioned' and recognizable Sony Ericsson identity, but are now designed with the new design philosophy. Although the business market often demands to-the-point and no-nonsense devices more and more often, Sony Ericsson proces with her ASpen that business devices can also have a good design and good finish. The "human curvature", the underlying design philosophy of Sony Ericsson that was introduced with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 last year, is also visible in the Aspen.
Finish and ergonomics
The Sony Ericsson Aspen is, like we may expect from a Windows Mobile device, equipped with a MicroUSB connector. With this connection, the device can be synchronized and charged. The USB connection is engrossed in the device, due to which the connection is visible but doesn't harm the design of the device.
Right side Sony Ericsson Aspen
The right side of the Sony Ericsson Aspen is also pretty simple. The volume keys at the top of the right side are the only 'disturbances' of the ergonomic round design of the Sony Ericsson Aspen.
The Sony Ericsson Aspen is equipped with a 3,5 mm audiojack
A distinctive point is that Sony Ericsson equipped her Aspen with a 3.5 mm headset hack. Almost all standard headphones can be connected to this, and this is a feature that can mainly be found back on multimedia devices. Although the Sony Ericsson Aspen is focussed on the business market, the Windows Mobile platform gives the users the freedom to use multimedia functionalities like music, video and the built-in stereo FM radio with RDS.
Stylus is inside the device
Because the Sony Ericsson Aspen has a so-called resistive touchscreen, the accuracy of a stylus is not unnecessary. Sony Ericsson has embedded the stylus neatly inside the device, accessible for every moment one needs it.
GreenHeart
A nice incidental circumstance is that the Sony Ericsson aSpen has a 'green heart'. The device is partially made out of recycled materials and its colour comes from paint on the basis of water. The device comes in an environmentally friendly package with a low-energy charger. Paper manuals do not come with the device because this can save a whole forest of wood when Sony Ericsson doesn't. The manuals are integrated in the device itself. Finally, the device is also equipped with an energy-saving mode, whcih delivers environmentally friendly effects in the end, but also leads to the device having a better standby and talk time.
The Sony Ericsson Aspen is expected in the shops from the second quarter of 2010. The device will come to the market in two colours: Iconic Black and White Silver. The sales price of the device hasn't been announced yet.