The Sony Ericsson Aspen: First Handset With Windows Mobile 6.5.3

The Sony Ericsson Aspen: First Handset With Windows Mobile 6.5.3
Despite having one the lowest market share among smartphone models with a cumbersome OS that has seen various iterations since 2004 and on a steady decline year on year, Windows has now come up with another new update to its Windows Mobile 6.5. This time, with a dot-dot iteration, the WinMo 6.5.3 carries the features it should have had when it first came out. But, as they say, better late than never.

You now have Sony Ericsson announcing to the world that it has the first smartphone to use the WinMo 6.5.3. Consistent with its multi-platform strategy that started with its first Windows handset in the overpriced but underwhelming XPERIA X1, the new Sony Ericsson Aspen carries the same promise of a business smartphone but with less stellar attributes its precursor had. There's no large widescreen display and no full-QWERTY slider.

It's just your QWERTY monoblock candybar design. It's interesting to note that this model initially had the appropriate moniker Sony Ericsson Faith. It's probably asking its customers to have more faith in the WinMo platform than it really deserves.

Competitive Features at a Glance

The new Aspen is also the latest handset in Sony's GreenHeart stable of eco-friendly handsets made from recycled materials. On the hardware front, this is your basic quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) on 2G and a dual band UMTS (900/2100) on 3G with HSDPA/HSUPA for high speed internet access.

It is housed on a QWERTY candybar measuring 117 x 60 x 12.5mm with a weight of 130g making it better suited on a holster than in your pocket. It has a smallish 2.4-inch resistive touchscreen display with a mere QVGA resolution and the usual WinMo-limited 65k color support.

You get the same local data connectivity with WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0 and 3.5mm jack. There's a rudimentary 3.2-megapixel fixed focus camera with video recording that is quite commonly found in low-end smartphones.

Software-wise, Sony pitches the Aspen as social networking handset with tightly integrated access to Windows Live Messenger and Facebook. Its A-GPS receiver is supported with a bundled Google Maps while its multimedia feature is capped with excellent media browsers that support music, photos and videos.

It also gets bundled with PlayNow apps for games and new music. Downloadable apps should be available online but don't expect them to be anywhere near those in the Apple app store on in Nokia's Ovi store.

Conclusion

The Sony Ericsson Aspen is a fairly capable smartphone with nothing to make it stand-out among even mid-priced feature phones, let alone the better smartphones out there. We wonder what compulsion Sony has in coming out with a mediocre handset that is easily trumped by most well-designed feature phones, other than to get bragging rights about being the first handset in the world to use a remarkably underwhelming OS on its third iteration.

It is expedited to reach its markets within the second quarter of the year and will come in a choice of Iconic Black or White Silver body colors. Price information is not yet available but if the major carriers can take this free of charge on a '15/month 12-month contract, it should be worth the trouble.

Source: http://dccell.blogspot.com/2010/04/on-your-home-equity-line-in-missouri-or.html