Sony Ericsson Aspen Smartphone Comes With Windows Mobile 6.5.3

Sony Ericsson has just launched a new smartphone called the Aspen and it does have two features that make it quite interesting; firstly, it is the company's first Blackerry-like smartphone and secondly, it comes with Windows Mobile 6.5.3.

The minor upgrade to the Windows Mobile platform is said to be the last one before the big Kahuna, Windows Mobile 7, is officially launched sometimes this year.

The device, formerly known as Faith, is part of Sony Ericsson's family and is the first smartphone to come from it.

As for most Sony Ericsson models, it looks quite attractive with a lot of curves and a few squaer edges plus noticeably larger function keys compared to other smartphones with a similar form factor.

Dubbed "your business partner with a conscience", Aspen packs what you'd expect from a mid-range handset. A 2.4-inch QVGA screen with a 3.2-megapixel camera - but alas, no flash - HSDPA, WiFi and a-GPS support, stereo speakers as well as integration to Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live messenger and a few more services.

Sony Ericsson appears to have given up on proprietary solutions, opting instead for a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microUSB charger (and connector) as well as a microSD card slot with 4GB. At 12.45mm thick, it is slightly bulkier than Apple's iPad but you wouldn't notice it anyway.

As for Windows 6.5.3, it adds some minor improvements, mostly to the user interface which now boosts nice things like the start button on the bottom left hand side of the screen.