Smartphone + environment = Sony Ericsson Aspen

MANILA, Philippines - If I could fit everything I need into a small box that would fit my pocket, I would.    I guess that’s why I really like gadgets, cell phones in particular, that can do everything I want in one nifty device. And, when it comes to cell phones, what it can do in one go, rather than how big it is or how cool it is or how nice it looks, matters most to me.

I have been quite smitten by smartphones with the full QWERTY keypads. Of course, a full QWERTY keypad on a touch screen smartphone makes the cell phone more endearing.

And, that is just the combination that the Sony Ericsson (SE) Aspen has been able to put together, and put together really well, I might add. The SE Aspen allows easy multi-tasking combining the touch experience and a real QWERTY keyboard.

I have quite a few friends who have told me that they are so used to their current cell phones that they wouldn’t trade them for the world. To folks who are like this I always say that change is good and sometimes it is much easier to do than we think.

I really like that the SE Aspen is one of the easiest smartphones to learn to use. For starters, the full QWERTY keypad is big enough for guys with bigger fingers than mine. I asked my brother to give the SE Aspen a try.

“I like the roomy keypad,” “H” said. “Perfect.”

Business with a green heart

Concern for the environment is top on my list of the most important stuff to do in life. Sony Ericsson has taken the lead in this department. In 2008 SE launched its environmental warranty and GreenHeart phones, two initiatives to further SE’s commitment to a sustainable future and to a continuous reduction of its impact on the environment.

Get down to business: A QWERTY keypad, touchscreen and Microsoft Word. The SEAspen is truly a mini computer and a really great cell phone, too.

Sony Ericsson’s environmental warranty means that when any SE product is taken to a designated collection point it will be recycled in an environmentally sound way.

The GreenHeart phone includes features such as bio-plastic housings, recycled plastic keypads, a zero charger with 3.5mW standby power, e-manuals, a game style educational application Ecomate and environmentally conscious packaging.

The first SE Greenheart cell phone was the C901. The other Greenheart cell phones that were recently launched are the Elm and Hazel. As part of the Greenheart line, the Aspen is not just a cool business cell phone, it is made with the care for the environment in mind — making it even more cool.

The Aspen has an energy saving mode, is loaded with an E-manual, was made with water-based paints, and includes the Comity application with tips for a more ecological life, among others.

And before you start thinking that the Aspen is not loaded with all the techie stuff that we look for in smartphones, think again. For starters there is the Microsoft Office for Mobile, which was great when I needed to see some of the files I loaded on it when I was on the go. Of course, some of the must-have apps like Facebook, Google Mobile, Skype, and Twitter were easy to set up and even easier to access.

For users who find the use of a stylus easier, the Aspen comes with one, too.

Loaded with fun

“But smartphones are all about business,” my brother H adds.

“Not this one,” I quip.

The Aspen has a 2.4-inch QVGA touchscreen, which makes it easy to read files and text messages. I also like that the touchscreen is quick in responding to taps made with a stylus. The 3.2-megapixel camera captures photos that are perfect for tweeting. It’s fun to walk in the mall, see something that is ready for tweeting, shoot it and then upload and tweet. And the Aspen is a perfect companion when it comes to that.

The off and on music-lover in me was happy with the sounds of this smartphone. I loaded my always-ready fave tunes 2 GB Micro SD.

Happiness.

Of course, I liked that I was able to personalize the Aspen to my liking. I loaded it with a photo of my canine companions as wallpaper. It was also fun to choose a new ringtone for the Aspen and I recorded the “He’s so fluffy, I could die” line of Agnes in Despicable Me and made it my message tone.

So who says smartphones are all about being serious?

The battery life of the Aspen is another reason why this smartphone rocks. I am a talker as opposed to being a texter. The eight-hour battery life of the Aspen comes in really handy. I must say that the Aspen stayed alive much longer than the other cell phone I use.

The abrupt changes in the weather patterns have destroyed so much in this world. Hereabouts there is so much controversy about the PAGASA not being able to predict the weather accurately. Lack of good equipment and ever-changing weather patterns are what are often blamed for the disasters, and of course, El Niño and La Niña.

The SE Aspen does its share in caring for our environment — and by using it we help save the earth, too.

It was Albert Einstein, the genius of all geniuses and a scientist to boot, who once said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

We can only look deep, if we take steps to save what we have in the world around us.

At a glance

• 3.2 megapixel camera

• FM radio with RDS

• 3.5 mm audio jack

• A-GPS

• Bluetooth technology

• Micro USB connector

• Wi-Fi

• SPB Mobile Shell 3.0

• 2.4-inch QVGA TFT touch screen

• Size: 117 x 60 x 12.45 mm

• Weight: 130 grams

• microSD card slot

• Windows Mobile 6.5.3

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 10 hours

• Standby time: GSM/GPRS: Up to 450 hours

• Talk time: Up to 8 hours

• Standby time: Up to 600 hours

• Music listening time: Up to 12 hours