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The soon to be released Sony Ericsson Aspen device is really in the continuing tradition established by Sony’s previous devices such as the Xperia X1 and X2. The Aspen is, in fact, Sony’s third Windows mobile powered device and, despite the fact that there is currently no definite retail release date, the Aspen is currently scheduled to be released around April 2010 and will also be known as the Sony Faith in some markets. The Aspen will mainly be aimed towards the business end of the market and is ramped with all of the typically high-end features that a demanding business user would demand.

The Aspen has been manufactured using Sony Ericsson’s Greenheart range of ecologically friendly materials, reassuring potential purchasers that the device has been largely constructed from recycled materials. Happily the device will also come with very little packaging, which will be encouraging for all and not just the green-inclined. In a further fascinating development on the green credentials of the phone it does not include the otherwise de rigueur instruction manual, instead opting for a .pdf format instruction booked stored in the device itself. The way things are going this could be an excellent coup by Sony and many manufacturers may also end up going the same way in future. Users might well find it of benefit to copy the .pdf file directly to their home computer upon receipt, as this will allow instant and trouble-free access to the instructions in case you encounter any problems with the device itself. It will also mean that there will be no need to trawl the Web looking for the instructions in the event that anything goes wrong with the phone. The phone is helped further as a green warrior by the fact that it is finished with waterborne paint which is much more environmentally friendly than the alternatives.

Upon first sight the Aspen does pretty well resemble a traditional Blackberry and also has a four-row QWERTY keyboard. The phone’s display is very good indeed, and its 2.4-inch display size features a TFT touchscreen that is capable of sowing 16 million colours. The touchscreen is a useful addition to the device, affording users a choice between this and the integral keyboard. The device is also able to support handwriting recognition. There is also an auto-rotate functionality which affords users a choice of angles form which the display can be viewed.

The Aspen is a well-supported device as far as connectivity is concerned as it features quad-band GSM, Bluetooth 2.1 and can be connected to a computer by means of a Micro USB, all of which make for complete global coverage-essential for the business market at which the device is principally aimed. The Aspen has an internal storage capacity of 100MB and this can be further bolstered by using a MicroSD memory card which will bulk memory capacity up to 16GB. A 4GB card will be supplied with the basic package.

The Aspen also supports all principal messaging platforms, excellent for its business credentials as well as including e-mail and push e-mail. The push e-mail facility is a great little feature and no doubt it will richly appeal to the business community as it pops up e-mail alerts on your homepage alerting you to the fact that your account has received a new e-mail, thereby cutting out the need to keep signing in and out of your account. It also immediately supports Facebook, Skype, YouTube and Twitter and also includes Pocket Office which allows a wide range of documents to be viewed on screen including PowerPoint, Word and Excel files – another great plus for the business user. It also includes a media player, FM radio and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Google Maps will come pre-installed, making the Aspen a great prospect for the savvy business customer.