Anthony Newman tries out the Orange SPV C500 and finds there's truth in the old adage: good things really do come in small packages - along with Bluetooth and bags of battery life.
Review summary of the Orange SPV C500:
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 Price: $525.
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Full review of the Orange SPV C500:
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The long line of Microsoft-powered Smartphones that have crossed our desks have shown evolutionary improvement, and as of their last iteration had reached a point where they could comfortably be described as great Smartphones. The C500 goes on step further, and tries something new: it wants to be a great mobile phone, too.
 | The C500 represents a big step forward for Windows Mobile smartphones with its small size and long battery life
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Design
The main area of deficiency for the SPV line, and indeed the other Microsoft-powered Smartphones, has been size. Although small by the standards of PDAs, they were heavyweights compared to standard mobiles. Not so for the C500: it's tiny and light, measuring just 108 x 46 x 16 mm and weighing 100 g. The first thing one notices is how slim it feels.
Furthermore, it's a great-looking phone, better than its rugged ancestors. We tested the Premium Edition, which has a stylish brushed metal face; the standard version is black. Either way, it's a quality beast, immensely well built.
Starting at the front, we find a large, 16-bit, TFT, 220 x 176 display, of excellent quality. Above this is an LED that flashes green for service and blue for Bluetooth, while below lie the buttons - more on those in a moment. The audio capabilities of the C500 - whether in standard calls, loudspeaker mode or using a Bluetooth headset - proved excellent.
The bottom edge of the C500 holds the 2.5 mm headset socket (a stereo set is provided), along with a mini-USB port for synchronisation using the provided cable. The right side holds a small, dedicated camera button and the loudspeaker port, while the left features a volume rocker. On the top is an IR port and the recessed power button.
Lastly, on the back is a VGA digital camera with mirror, and a battery cover that conceals a 1050 mAh Lithium Ion power-pack. Underneath this are the SIM-card slot and a place for the included 16 MB mini-SD card. Although this location makes it difficult to swap cards, at least its incomprehensible placement is mitigated by the fact that no I/O accessories are supposed to go there.
Excitingly, the designers opted to include a light sensor just below the numeric keypad, which, depending on the level of ambient light, decides whether or not to backlight the keys in blue. Pretty cool, and perhaps a contributor to battery life.
In terms of feel, the keys are hard silver plastic, domed, with a clicky feedback that's pleasant in use. The layout has changed from earlier SPV designs, but is easy to pick up. However, one change that isn't so easy to get used to is the new rocker bar. Rather than a d-pad with enter key, the C500 has a kind of ridged log in the middle of the face, which rocks up and down to scroll, and presses left, right and centre.
Attentive readers may spot the problem: it's all too easy to roll up and down, and not easy enough to click. In fact, as we used the C500 more, the enter function became more annoying. The verdict? Nice idea, rubbish to use.
Connectivity
Bearing tri-band 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz GSM with GPRS, the SPV C500 is pretty standard, and offered no surprises. Reception was sound even in our office and home, both of which have poor signal strength. GPRS was stable, too.
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