With new handsets coming out on an almost daily basis onto the modern day mobile market, we here at Xingtone try to limit out handset coverage to the phones we believe might make a real impact, or at least mark a significant development for the company that’s launching them. The Sony Ericsson Aspen is one of those phones, selling itself as a business-focused model that offers an alternative to the Blackberry, as well as touting its strong environmental credentials.
As the first phone to run the latest model of Windows Phone, the Aspen has an instant claim to fame, but it’s also host to an impressive list of specifications, including combining a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard (also a feature of our leaked focus yesterday, the Blackberry Magnum), as well as impressive music and leisure functionality. Here are the key features in full:
- The latest version of Windows Phone, allowing full transfer of documents produced on Microsoft Office to the handset, where they can be edited. Documents can also be produced from scratch on the phone, which, of course, has full capacity to distribute them by email, too.
- A selection of useful applications included as standard. These include Skype (which means reduced or even free calls when your using your mobile in a wireless area, or even cheaper international calls through the use of 3G), YouTube, CNN, FaceBook, Location program which allows the users current location to be sent to friends and a special function that makes the phone easier to use when traveling.
- Green features, including a special environmentally friendly charger boxed with the phone as standard, a power saving mode and a phone and accessories made almost entirely out of recyclable materials.
- 3.2 MP camera with 4x digital zoom, multi shot and self timer functions.
- Sony media player that incorporates album art, and plays MP3 and AAC files, as well as a mobile version of Windows Media Player.
- Email, handwriting recognition, internet instant messaging and predictive text.
- Entertainment through 3D games, FM radio, video streaming, Java and YouTube.
- A selection of organizer functions that includes a calculator, alarm clock, calendar, Outlook’s email mobile program (allowing emails to be downloaded and replied to offline) and a stop watch.
- Google Maps
- USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and audio connectivity.
- 2.4 inch, 65,000 color screen with multi-touch capability.
- Weight of 100 grams, size of 117 x 60 x 12.45 mm.
- Standby time of up to 600 hours, music listening time of up to 12 hours and talk time of up to 8 hours.
- Available in black and silver
It seems that Sony are attempting to produce an ‘all round’ phone, joining Blackberry in their efforts to bridge the obvious gap in the market between the eminently practical (but not overly fun) Blackberry and the fun-focused (but barely business-worthy) iPhone. Whether they will succeeded will depend largely on the uptake amongst young, fun loving city types, and the level to which the company can promote their green ethos whilst still convincing users that their set up is entertaining enough.
In terms of functionality, the multi touch system that comes with the latest version of the Windows operating system is by far the biggest development, another useful feature that many pundits argue will drag Sony Ericsson’s previously uninspiring range of QWERTY and touch screen phones into the mainstream and see the Aspen compete alongside the current top of the range models. Sony Ericsson are widely seen as a few steps behind the competition in model mobile development, having previously been an impressive near market leader around the time their Razor series was selling by the bucket load.
