The Sony Ericsson Naite is the first phone from the manufacturer that’s released under the banner of being an environmentally-friendly phone. Barring that bit of green marketing (which can turn off a lot of people), it’s actually a pretty decent device.

Being bandied as an eco-friendly number, it’s prudent to get the green credentials out of the way. The body is built from aluminum and recycled plastic, the packaging is similarly drawn from recycled sources (no paper manual too) and it ships with a power-efficient charger. That’s it.

The Naite is a very straightforward handset – no fancy frills (save for that bit of green washing, of course). Looks are industrial and quite dated (it’s reminiscent of their designs from five years ago), but it’s presentable. It sports a good-looking 2.2-inch LCD, with bright colors and sharp images. The keypad, on the other hand, is sufficiently-sized and handles very well.

As a phone, it managed very good voice calls, facilitating clear-sounding conversations. The speakerphone is also decent, but lacked a bit more volume. Being a green-marketed phone, it boasts an incredible battery life that’s rated at up to 14 hours of talk time. On regular use, I wouldn’t be surprised if this lasts you between six to eight days. Seriously.

Sony Ericsson didn’t skimp too much on the modern features either, equipping the phone with 3G connectivity, allowing you to surf the web at HSDPA speeds and use your carrier’s various broadband offerings. Music player is basic, but manages good sound, provided you have an adapter for the audio jack (it uses a proprietary one and ships with earbuds that aren’t very good). There’s an FM radio thrown in too.

It comes with all the basic capabilities as most Sony Ericsson phones, including web email, MMS, PlayNow Arena and stereo Bluetooth. The 2.0 megapixel camera module is decent and takes average quality shots. By the way, it supports regular microSD cards, so getting extra media into the device is easy.

Overall, the Sony Ericsson Naite is a pretty good phone. The straightforward UI, 3G support and extended battery life are all excellent. If they priced it reasonably (they didn’t – it sells anywhere from $250 to $320 unlocked, depending on the country), it would work even without the whole green angle.