Sony Ericsson announces Aspen!

Exciting news has just come out of Sony Ericsson today – the company is prepping the launch of a new smartphone!  The Aspen, as it has been named, is a very exciting announcement for many reasons.

As one can see from the photo above, the Aspen is very similar to a BlackBerry.  It uses a 2.4″ touchscreen that has a resolution of 320×240, a full QWERTY keyboard, support for AT&T 3G, built-in A-GPS, WiFi, and a built in stylus.  Now those are probably features one would expect from a smartphone like the Aspen.  What one might not expect is the software it has – Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5.3!  This is a very exciting announcement because it was rumoured that Sony Ericsson would completely drop Windows Mobile for Google Android after the announcement of the Xperia X10.  The Aspen seems to negate that claim! 

If you have a keen eye, you may notice that the picture above presents Windows Mobile a little differently.  Now, this is 6.5.3, which is the latest build of Windows Mobile, and it takes many of the great features of the OS and tweaks them to be even better.  The menus are now larger and more finger-friendly, the start menu button is now in the lower left of the screen like a real PC, and it has native support for capacitive touch screens in addition to the traditional resistive touch screens.  Also, Sony Ericsson has utilized their own UI, dubbed “Slide View,” which offers easy access to many of the phones features instead of going through the usual Windows interface.  This button is located under the “Call” button, and it offers access to your Phone, SMS/MMS, Email, etc.  Also, the Aspen comes with Microsoft Exchange Server for Email, which will please many business users.  Lastly, the Aspen also comes with the Microsoft Office Suite for Windows Mobile so one can type documents in Word, view presentations in PowerPoint, master charts with Excel, and take notes with OneNote!

One last thing makes the Aspen truly special.  Sony Ericsson has begun an initiative to make phones and devices that are more Eco-friendly.  This program is called GreenHeart.  GreenHeart devices have many special features that make them better for the environment.  GreenHeart products are partially made from recycled plastics, use Waterborne paint instead of the more toxic paint, come with little paper matierials and instead have the  manuals saved on the phone itself, have more efficient packaging, and use an Energy Star approved charger.  The Aspen is the first GreenHeart Smartphone from Sony Ericsson, and might even be the first GreenHeart phone to launch in the USA!

So, not only is the Sony Ericsson Aspen a smartphone with great hardware features and the latest Windows Mobile OS, but it also qualifies as a GreenHeart Eco-friendly product that won’t pollute the environment!  Sony Ericsson claims the Aspen will launch in the USA within the coming 6 months.  Hopefully the Aspen will be available subsidized through AT&T, because it could prove as a substantial contender to the BlackBerrys and other smartphones AT&T offers.  Also, the Aspen will be available in two unique colors: Iconic Black and White Silver.  Visit sonyericsson.com for more details on the Aspen and Sony Ericsson’s other devices.  Check back to Tech Talk soon for any other updates on Sony Ericsson phones!

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