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Sony Ericsson Vivaz and Aspen

With all the press being given to the iPhone and the Android platform, one might start to think that the other manufacturers were just sitting idle waiting for all the hype to die. This isn't true of course, Blackberry still sells (it's wildly popular in Thailand as a consumer device), Nokia releases new products, with success outside the Americas, and Sony Ericsson, despite staggering sales, still produces some interesting kit. Until my recent disastrous flirtation with my Nokia Nseries, and our household love of the iPhone, Sony Ericsson was the only brand of phone I owned. Two of their announced phones have recently caught my eye.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz

The Vivaz is their latest media-centric device and it has some pretty impressive features, including a HD-capable, 8.1 megapixel camera that can capture 720p video. To store all that imagery the phone includes 8GBs of storage and integrated sharing to your Facebook and Youtube accounts. The Vivaz also has a 3.2'' screen with Touch UI, aGPS, a browser based on Webkit and a plethora of other features you would expect from a phone of this class. Though I've learned the hard way that a laundry list of features does not a good phone make (I'm talking to you Nokia), the Vivaz is worth a look for those wanting to take high quality imagery on their phone.

Sony Ericsson Aspen

It's the form factor that really attracts me to the Aspen. It has a tight, solid design which will help you blend in with your Blackberry and E-series toting brethren. It has all the features one would expect including microSD storage, a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2.4'' screen with Touch UI, aGPS, Wi-Fi, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and Microsoft Office Mobile. The Aspen is part of Sony Ericsson's GreenHeart line, which is about reducing the negative impact on the environment. This is a good thing and might make their customers feel good about disposing their old phones in a landfill in order to purchase this one. Windows mobile like Symbian s60 is pretty much on life support at this point, but for those people who just want to connect to their office, message and get on with their day what does it really matter. Worth a look.

Update: It would appear that Windows Mobile is not on life support at all. See Windows Phone: death to hardware as feature. It appears that the Aspen will be running Windows Mobile 6.5.3 dubbed 'Classic' - see Engadget.

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