Sony Ericsson Hazel

Long-time Sony Ericsson users may find the Hazel the perfect cure for nostalgia. Monster gadgets like the Vivaz and the XPERIA X10 are trusted to get the brand back on track. But for all we know, it takes a good old-fashioned slider to rekindle the romance.

The Hazel falls in the company’s GreenHeart line of phones. The echo-friendly vibe is perhaps supposed to make up for the missing Cybershot and Walkman magic. The green credentials are all there anyway. The phone is made of recycled plastics and uses waterborne paint. There’s a power-efficient charger in the tiny, shipping-optimized retail box and no user guide (it’s on the phone’s memory instead of being printed on paper).

GreenHeart is Sony Ericsson’s way of saying they care. We all do – but a phone is as likely to save the planet as it is to give you a direct line to Elvis. Either way, it’s not the phone’s fault. So, the Sony Ericsson Hazel will be considered for what it is and what it does. Not for the color of its heart.

Sony Ericsson Hazel official photos

The Sony Ericsson Hazel isn’t just another feature phone. It can’t afford it on a market like today’s where cheap smartphones and touchscreen lurk behind every corner. GreenHeart implies some sacrifices but users won’t have to give up on phone features. The Hazel is a high-performance handset with an ample 2.6” mineral glass covered scratch-resistant display solid imaging and all sorts of connectivity options. Not to mention it’s totally weather-proof.

Key features

• Splash-resistant body with “human curvature” design
• 2.6" 16M-color TFT screen, 240 x 320 pixels, scratch-resistant surface and nice sunlight legibility
• Quad-band GSM support
• Dual-band 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash; geotagging, face detection; VGA@30fps video recording
• Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS; Trial version of Wisepilot navigation software
• Wi-Fi with DLNA
• FM radio with RDS
• Stereo Bluetooth 2.1
• microSD card slot, 280 MB internal memory
• Eco-friendly package and materials
• Social networking integration, widget enhanced interface
• NetFront v3.5 web browser with full Flash support
• Active noise cancellation
• Excellent audio quality

Main disadvantages

• No standard USB port
• No bundled data cable or memory card
• No 3.5mm audio jack
• No DivX/XviD video support
• No document viewer
• No camera lens cover
• Feeble loudspeaker
• Navigation gets expensive when the trial period expires

In terms of connectivity, the Hazel sure is a handful. Along with the HSDPA/HSUPA support (for data transfer speeds reaching 7.2 Mbps), the slider also boasts Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a built-in GPS receiver to top it off.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel knows social networking is essential these days and it gives it all – right on the homescreen. The nifty widget set gives you on-screen live updates from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

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The other info about Sony Ericsson Hazel

The Sony Ericsson GreenHeart series have been keeping us busy this holiday season, haven't they? We called the Elm red hot and there goes the Hazel, which is simply … red. Now, no offense is meant here - the Hazel just doesn't look as unusual as its sibling. But that's not necessarily a bad thing - another ultimate and classic Sony Ericsson slider can hope for a warm reception by brand-loyal users.

You won't see "green" written all over the phones in the GreenHeart lineup but Sony Ericsson are taking eco-friendliness seriously. The Sony Ericsson Hazel is made of recycled plastics and the user manual is stored in the phone's memory instead printed on paper.

In the small, shipping-optimized retail package you'll also find a low power consumption charger. But what we know already from our Elm preview is that having a GreenHeart is not necessarily a compromise with functionality.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel packs a great 2.6" mineral-glass-covered scratch-resistant display, a promising 5-megapixel sharpshooter and all-you-can-eat connectivity. The Hazel is almost identically equipped as the Elm, which we previewed quite recently.

Sony Ericsson Hazel at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps
• Form factor: Slider
• Dimensions: 102 x 49.5 x 16 mm, 120 g
• Display: 2.6-inch 16M color TFT display, 240 x 320 pixel resolution, covered with scratch-resistant mineral glass
• Memory: 319MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• UI: Proprietary Flash-based UI
• Still camera: 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection, smile detection, VGA video recording @ 30 fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi with DLNA, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, GPS receiver with A-GPS
• Misc: Splash-resistant body, accelerometer sensor for screen auto rotation, SensMe, Noise Shield, Clear Voice and Intelligent Volume Adaptation, social networking integration with homescreen Widget Manager, HD Voice Ready
• Battery: 1000 mAh BST-43 Li-Po battery

Besides fast network data (up to 7.2 mbps download speed), the Hazel sports Wi-Fi and an inbuilt GPS receiver complete with A-GPS support and Wisepilot navigation.

The real news would've been the homescreen widget system with enhanced social networking integration but both GreenHeart handsets we got are early testing samples, so social networking will have to wait until a full review.

Design and construction

Two color options are announced for the Sony Ericsson Hazel - Superior Black and Passionate Rouge. It's pretty similar to the paintjob selection for the Elm. Red is perhaps not everyone's (or should we say "men's") cup of tea but the black version is certainly looking to respond to unisex demand.

Just like the Elm, the Hazel's body is said to be splash resistant. We hope to have the chance to test that during a proper review.

An underlying feature of the GreenHeart duo is the ergonomically curved rear: a human curvature as Sony Ericsson call it. As soon as you hold the phone in your hand, you'll get the point. The handset fits your palm nice and tight and in the case of the Hazel, makes sure to slightly raise the keypad for better comfort. Nice, indeed!

Sony Ericsson Hazel live shots

The ergonomic curve and a few shared styling elements are not the only things the new GreenHeart duo has in common. In fact, both devices have the same list of features.

Sony Ericsson Hazel and Elm at ours

One thing we should note though, while we are still on the Elm. Almost the whole rear of candybar is made of metal for a very solid upmarket feel. There's a bit of metallic finish on the Hazel but the truth is it's all plastic. Real metal would've perhaps made it too heavy - the Hazel isn't really preoccupied with being slim.

It's by no means bulky though - it's just that the rear curve wouldn't have allowed an ultra slim waistline. Other than the flashy paintjob, the Hazel actually sticks to minimalist design and has an extra nice and solid hand feel and commendably comfortable handling.

Below the screen there is a neat and spacious navigation deck centered around a rectangular D-pad. Like we observed on the Elm, the layout is clean and very user-friendly.

All keys are very big and comfortable (notably larger than on the Elm, thanks to the slider form factor) and have pleasant press feedback.

The keys below the screen look nice and are comfy

The alphanumeric keypad is equally comfortable. Buttons are flat but well sized and solid to press, so typing on the Hazel is a real pleasure.

A nice and spacious numpad

The left side of Sony Ericsson Hazel features nothing but the regular Fast Port: it seems a standard 3.5mm jack / microUSB combo is too much to ask in the midrange.

Sony Ericsson Hazel's left side view

The right side of the handset is the top side in digicam terms. It hosts the volume keys and the camera button. The volume rocker has the same curved shape as in the Elm but is thinner this time and somewhat stiffer to press. The shutter key on the other hand is quite comfortable - with a soft but distinct half press for autofocus.

Volume rocker and camera button are on the right

Backstage we find the 5 megapixel auto-focus camera lens, accompanied by a LED flash. The loudspeaker grill is also here.

5 megaixel camera is at the back, along with the LED flash and a speaker

Removing the battery cover reveals the Sony Ericsson BST-43 1000 mAh Li-Polymer battery. It is quoted at up to 450 hours of stand-by and up to 10 hours of talk time but as you might have guessed, we won't be able to comment on those numbers in this short preview.

Nearby is the microSD card slot which is ready to accommodate cards of up to 16GB of memory.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel is powered by a 1000 mAh Li-Po battery

The build quality of the Sony Ericsson Hazel seems to raise no issues considering the early stages of the phone's development. The all plastic construction is quite solid and the phone feels great in hand. The curved shape and friendly controls make it especially comfortable to handle. The smooth and solid slider run and the nice numpad are worth noting too.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel feels pretty good to handle right now

Gorgeous display

Sony Ericsson Hazel comes with a 2.6" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution. The size is a serious advantage over the Elm's 2.2-incher. Hazel display is also covered with mineral glass and is said to be scratch resistant.

Dry facts aside, the screen is gorgeous: image quality is remarkable. The QVGA resolution is hardly anything to write home about but the crisp and vibrant images are what really matters here.

The Sony Ericsson Hazel display is gorgeous

info taken from here.

Here is the link to the Sony Ericsson Greenheart blog. Click here.

p/s : some say that overall quality of the phone is low. The ringtone sound is very low.
p/s : dah lama aku tak update pasal apa-apa gadget kan? skang ni aku kongsikan ini..
p/s: aku tengah target phone ni senanya...haha..