Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:12 am

Sony Ericsson Aspen

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The company, a joint venture between Sweden's Ericsson and Japan's Sony, said the Aspen is made from recycled plastics and waterborne paints and use an optimized display light sensor that consumes less energy. It also comes in a smaller package to decrease CO2 emissions from transportation and an e-manual to reduce paper usage.

The Aspen runs Microsoft's new Windows Mobile 6.5.3 platform, allowing users to open and edit Office files, browse the Web, send emails and check up on Facebook and Twitter with one flick of the finger. It also integrates a 2.4-inch touch screen display, built-in QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and high-speed HSDPA Internet.

"The Sony Ericsson Aspen is the business phone with a conscience," Said Quentin Cordier, Sony Ericsson's global marketing manager. "With the latest version of Windows Phone, it has a rich user interface and powerful productivity tools."

In 2008, the company announced its "GreenHeart" initiative, a project to explore green technologies and use environmentally safe parts in its handsets, such as bio-plastic housings, recycled plastic keypads, eco-friendly chargers and environmentally conscious packaging. To date, four GreenHeart phones have been released -- the Elm, Hazel, Naite and C901 handsets.

Other rivals including Motorola, Samsung have also designed eco-friendly phones -- including Samsung's solar-powered "Blue Earth" device.

In recent years, Sony Ericsson has been in a downward slide, mainly due to its heavily focus on mid-range Walkman music and Cyber-Shot camera phones when consumer demand quickly shifted to touch screen smartphones -- such as Apple's iPhone, Research in Motion's BlackBerry and Google Android devices.

In June, the struggling company announced plans for a turnaround effort by developing new high-end smartphones using Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Mobile and Nokia's Symbian platforms.

It posted a narrower fourth-quarter loss last week, indicating that the company may be slowly progressing in its comeback plans.

Sony Ericsson said the Aspen will be available in selected markets in the second quarter.