CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» infoSync TV » Review Center
» CES 2009 » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Review: Orange SPV C500 - Page 2 By Anthony Newman, Monday 20 September 2004
GALLERY
Orange SPV C500
Enlarge
 
 
TOP 15
Phones
MP3 players
Portable media players
Digital cameras
Bluetooth headsets
Multimedia smartphones
Business smartphones
Multimedia phones
Music phones
Support for SMS is much improved over previous SPVs, with the character-count finally working. MMS is of course included, with the included camera fulfilling its primary purpose. Instant Messaging over GPRS is courtesy of Microsoft Messenger, as usual.

As well as an Infrared port, Bluetooth is provided, and implemented better than before. It doesn't seem to affect battery life so drastically, and performance with headsets is far more reliable.

Rather than the SD slot of earlier Windows Smartphones, the C500 uses the miniSD format mentioned above. This isn't well supported yet, and its use will annoy those with an investment in the larger format. Such is the price of progress - although it also means there are no I/O accessory capabilities in the C500.

Specifications

The C500 is powered by an ARM OMAP 730 200 MHz processor, and although the published specifications claim 64 MB RAM, it actually shows about 28 MB of flash storage, plus 23 MB of memory for storage and program execution. The rest, we assume, is occupied by the OS.

The second big downside of the SPV range to date, after their size, has been battery life. The C500 is the first SPV that can be treated like a phone - which means it doesn't have to be charged every day. In fact, the C500 gave us a healthy four days of life, using the camera, Bluetooth and phone functions.

Software

The SPV C500 runs Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone, Second Edition, and has a number of enhancements since the first release. It's noticeably faster and more stable, and the tweaks, additions and changes are numerous. As well as the improved messaging application (which takes advantage of more reliable T9 input) and Bluetooth enhancements, there's a built-in File Explorer for the first time.

Software is provided to cover PIM, audio and video, basic gaming, messaging, phone book management, full web browsing and so on. It's worth noting that one of our favourite features, the quick lookup phonebook, remains unchanged. Further software can be added in the form of native applications, or those of the J2ME (Java) variety.

Users will also see the usual Orange Backup, Orange Download and Orange Help applications. The network's branding extends to the home screen, which now has a snazzy vertical arrangement with pop-out menus.

The camera unit seems to be the same as in the E200, with VGA still capture, 176 x 144 video capture with sound, 4x digital zoom and a swathe of adjustments for white balance, colours and the like. Its performance is adequate, but not up to the 1 MP units included with the latest handsets from Nokia and others.

On an audio note, the included ringtones are nothing to shout about, but loud enough and backed by an insistent vibrating alert. Of course, other sounds can be used as ringers, too - one of the advantages of a powerful platform such as this.

Synchronisation is, as always, provided by Microsoft ActiveSync, and natively works with Outlook on Windows PCs.

Availability

The Orange SPV C500 is available in Europe on the Orange network, as of Q3 2004, and sells exclusively with contract. Prices vary depending on contract, however the handset itself is estimated to sell for $525 USD.


Pros:

Cons:

Conclusion:
%
Poor


Price and availability

Available in the U.S. in December 1969, the Orange SPV C500 is priced at $525 .

 
 
 
CES & MACWORLD 2009
Follow our exclusive in-depth coverage »
RECOMMENDED
Bold vs. E71 vs. Epix vs. Treo 800w
 
Storm vs. iPhone 3G vs. Omnia vs. Touch Diamond
 
T-Mobile G1 vs. Xperia X1 vs. Touch Pro vs. AT&T Fuze
 
TOP STORIES
Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot, W508 Walkman phones flirt with AT&T
 
LG Watch phone could be gesture controlled
 
Palm Pre and Palm WebOS in-depth look
Mobile Year In Review 2008
 
Best Smartphones of the Year
 
Best Cell Phones of the Year
Best Camera Phones
 
Best AT&T Phones of the Year
 
Best Verizon Wireless Phones
Best Sprint Phones of the Year
 
Best T-Mobile Phones of the Year
 
Best All-Touch Phones of the Year
CELL PHONE RESOURCE CENTER
Best phones
 
Expert guides
 
Ask the Editors
» Top 15
QWERTY phones
 
All-touch phones
 
Touchscreen phones
Business phones
 
Multimedia phones
 
Concept phones
3+ inch screen phones
 
Wi-Fi phones
 
More...
» Search (New!)
Search by cell phone features
» Manual comparison (New!)
Select up to 4 cell phones side-by-side
» By release
October 2008, November 2008, December 2008
» Top 15 by carrier
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Helio, Alltel
» Top 15 by user type
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
» Top 15 by brand
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Other
» Top 15 by platform
Palm OS, Symbian S60, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile
» Top 15 by cell phone type
Business smartphones, Multimedia smartphones
Consumer QWERTY phones, Multimedia phones
Concept phones
MUST READ
CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
MP3 players
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
INTERNET TABLETS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
GPS NAVIGATORS
HDTVs
CAMCORDERS
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2008 © infoSync World