Aspen Hands On - Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson Aspen is a well connected phone, with quad band GSM support for solid worldwide coverage. Data transfer on the phone is handled via HSPA, for mobile broadband speed downloads and uploads on the phone, plus there is also support for WiFi 802.11b/g. This is all backed up with Class 10 EDGE and GPRS, and the device also supports Bluetooth 2.1, with A2DP. For connecting to a PC, the handset uses a Micro USB connector, and onboard storage sits at 100MB. This can be expanded via MicroSD memory cards, with the Aspen able to handle up to 16GB. The basic retail package ships with a 4GB memory card.

The display itself is servicable if not outstanding, offering 320 x 240 resolution and 65k colors. It�s duller in brightness than some other Windows Mobile devices we�ve seen, though Sony Ericsson�s murky choice of default skin doesn�t help, and there�s plenty of zooming required to see a full website (if indeed it will load in Internet Explorer Mobile). The company has preloaded the SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 � with both professional and lifestyle interfaces � which cover up the regular WinMo homescreen with a new, panel-based system. You can toggle between the two using a dedicated hardware button to the left of the D-pad. Even so, Windows Mobile remains a less than intuitive OS in comparison to iOS, Android or webOS.

Imaging on the handset is capably managed by a point �n� shoot 3.2 Megapixel camera, which has support for smart contrast, and is also enabled for video recording. A GPS receiver is built into the phone, with support for aGPS included, and the device will ship with Google Maps pre-installed.

All round the Sony Ericsson Aspen is a solid device, and has a lot to offer the business user on the move. But more than that, the device would be equally comfortable for someone who likes to keep in touch via social networking and email, all services well supported on the device.




Sony Ericsson Unboxing Video