Review: Orange SPV - Page 4 - infoSync Reviews

Besides all the add-on software that's on the SPV and its new features, there's also quite a bit of software that Pocket PC users will recognize quickly. This includes (in no particular order) Pocket Inbox, Pocket Contacts, Pocket Calendar, Pocket Tasks, ActiveSync, Windows Media Player, MSN Messenger, SIM Manager (which, as will be known to users of Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, is a tool for managing contact information stored on your SIM card) and last - but not least - Solitaire.

The Contacts application is tightly integrated with telephony features

Modifications to these applications are minimal, and mostly relate to user interface changes to better accommodate control by a different method. Speaking of the interface, Microsoft has done good job - again not excellent - in adapting applications for a user interface that's completely different from the Pocket PC platform.

Now, with all of these applications you'd think that you need a task manager of some sort - right? Wrong. According to Microsoft, Smartphone 2002 uses the same smart minimize technology as found in Pocket PC 2002 and Pocket PC Phone Edition, and closes applications in the back of the stack if another application is started that requires more memory than what is currently available. Unfortunately, it didn't take me long to figure out that just like on the Pocket PC platform, things start slowing down when you run a number of applications - and what's worse, you don't even have the option to access memory settings and shut down single or all applications depending on your needs (which to Microsoft's credit isn't a feature that should be present on a phone even though it needs to be in this case). The performance drop is however only noticeable and not a major issue, but I tell you this; I've seen the hour glass a couple of times and it's like my worst nightmare come true - there should be no such thing on a mobile phone. Period.

Let's hit the waves

The wireless ones, that is, since the SPV and the Smartphone 2002 platform is all about connectivity. Although Circuit Switched connections and GPRS connections in my experience performed impeccably when established, getting connected wasn't that easy - at least not with GPRS connections. Microsoft has for some strange reason removed advanced options from its Connection Manager (which, incidentally, just about everyone agree is the worst case of backfire in written history when it comes to attempting to improve usability) so that it's not possible to wrestle with a few vital settings to improve GPRS network compatibility. On an Orange network, I'm quite sure this will work fine, since the operator would be in big trouble if not - but if you're roaming, be prepared for strange and unpredictable GPRS connection initiation behaviour.

Pocket Internet Explorer allows users to browse a multitude of content, and Orange also has its own website dedicated to Orange SPV users

On the bright side, Microsoft has predicted that quite a few people would not like having to key in all kinds of complicated connectivity settings on their phone, and has provided a tool called the Desktop Configuration Utility (DCU). What it does is that it allows users to set up dial-up, VPN and GPRS connections, as well as proxy settings, on the phone straight from the desktop. It's a very handy utility, and takes quite a bit of hassle out of setting up the phone - if it hasn't already been set up by means of OTA provisioning, which is exactly what Orange does on its network. By requesting OTA configuration, customers of the SPV will have all the connections they need configured for them automatical upon receiving a message from the network, which is a major plus.

If you want to do a bit of web surfing on the SPV, you'll be happy to learn that it comes with Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE), which supports HTML 3.2, cHTML, MSXML, JScript, WAP 1.2.1 and WTLS. With it, you can browse just about any web site out there, which is a major advantage over browsers in other smartphone offerings which for the most part offer browsing only WAP or XHTML content. As time has passed, quite a number of sites adapted for PIE on the Pocket PC platform have cropped up, and the majority of these sites will work on the SPV. Unfortunately, Microsoft has removed built-in AvantGo functionality from PIE on this platform, and there are no official plans for a standalone client - which means you won't be able to access your AvantGo channels on the Smartphone 2002 platform for the time being.

Best Phones

Name	Score	Price	Carrier	C
Nokia N95 8GB NAM	85%	$450	Unlocked
Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200	85%	$100	Verizon Wireless
Apple iPhone 3G	81%	$200	AT&T
Nokia N95	80%	$350	Unlocked
Nokia N85	80%	$350	Unlocked
RIM BlackBerry Storm 9530	80%	$200	Verizon Wireless
T-Mobile G1	79%	$180	T-Mobile
HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)	77%	$400	Sprint
HTC Fuze	77%	$300	AT&T
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1	76%	$800	Unlocked

Click here to see full and advanced chart »