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As the world’s leaders talk “innovative solutions” and “clean energy” in Copenhagen, Sony Ericsson is doing its bit for the environment. On Dec. 14 it introduced three additional products to its GreenHeart line: the Hazel and Elm phones, plus a Bluetooth Noise Shield VH700, which is said to be akin to having a personal phone booth – without the carbon, or literal, footprint, of course.
Products in the GreenHeart line feature recycled plastics; an e-manual in the phone, instead of a block of paper in the box; an energy-efficient charger; and smaller packaging. They also don’t contain hazardous chemicals, and come with a few perks that are likely to send a few eyes rolling, such as Walk Mate “eco application” and a “green calculator.”
They’re also just fine-looking phones, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, assisted GPS, 5-megapixel cameras, quick links to Facebook and other social-networking sites, media players, Google search, an Access NetFront Web browser, e-mail and messaging, and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.
“The Sony Ericsson Elm and the Sony Ericsson Hazel phones offer consumers a green choice without compromising on features or fun,” said Fortun??« Alexander, Sony Ericsson’s global marketing director, in a statement.
“These mobile phones also give consumers a better voice quality experience, with Noise Shield, Clear Voice and Intelligent Volume Adaptation,” Alexander continued. “Both phones offer an easy-to-use social networking experience featuring the Widget Manager application, which allows users access to their social networking page via the stand-by screen and [to] quickly switch between different social networks.”
The Elm has touchscreen that’s 240 by 320 pixels and resides over a numeric keypad. It can support up to 16GB of additional memory and is compatible with GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 900/2100 networks. It will be available in black and rose.
The Hazel’s TFT touchscreen is 240 by 320 pixels, and it slides up to reveal a keypad. It supports the same networks and additional memory, via microSD card, and will come in black and red.
The other newbie, the VH700 Bluetooth Noise Shield, can wirelessly and simultaneously connect to two phones and offers what the company describes as a “dual-microphone Noise Shield” that eliminates background noise. Not your average headset, there’s a small part that clips to the user – the shield, presumably.
Sony Ericsson also used the opportunity to announce its goal of making all of its accessories GreenHeart by 2011.
“Building on the established heritage of our parent companies we have worked continuously to maintain our leadership position by committing to reduce our own CO2 emissions by 20 percent and product life cycle CO2 emissions by 15 percent by 2015,” said Mats Pellb???ck Scharp, environmental director at Sony Ericsson.
“The Sony Ericsson Elm phone, Sony Ericsson Hazel phone and the VH700 are a testament of our continued commitment to the environment and are part of the ongoing roll-out of our GreenHeart strategy announced in June 2009,” he added.
Pricing, or exactly where the new phones will be available, was not announced.
In June, Sony Ericsson introduced the Naite and C901, two additional handsets in the GreenHeart line.