The SPV C600 sprinkles Windows Mobile 5.0 and EDGE atop the high-resolution display and slinky appearances of the SPV C550; Jørgen Sundgot finds out whether it's worth your money.
First came the SPV C500, and there was
much rejoicing. Then came
the SPV C550, which we found to be only a marginal upgrade - and now there's the SPV C600, with which Orange launches the the first smartphone to boast Windows Mobile 5.0, also adding EDGE. As we all know, though, being first doesn't necessarily mean you're best, so the question is whether the C600 is good enough to warrant an upgrade or standalone purchase over the C550; let's find out, shall we.
Intrepidly tapering
Staying true to the form factor of the C500, the 108 x 46 x 19 mm, 105 g SPV C600 is modestly attractive in its charcoal colour scheme and tapering form factor. Having shed the dedicated music keys of the C550, the C600 offers an excellent and spacious ergonomical setup embodied by a keypad with excellent tactile response and large, bevelled keys; our only niggle is that their audible feedback is slightly too loud. We also like the joystick, which is a vast improvement on the navi rocker of the C600's grandfather, the C500.
As with the C550, the C600 boasts an exceptionally crisp and bright 65K colour QVGA display with a resolution of 240 pixels, although it still takes a back seat to the display of Nokia's blazing N90 camera smartphone. Above the display we find the loudspeaker neatly cupped by LED indicators, whilst the dedicated volume up/down keys on the left side are also welcome along with the adhacent voice recorder button which now opens Pocket Internet Explorer; a choice we hesitantly approve of. Lastly, a button on the right side provides quick access to the integrated 1.3 MP camera.
As with the camera of the C550, the 1.3 Megapixel variety of the C600 offers improved colour representation and higher resolution over the C500 - yet its results are entirely mediocre as compared to competing offerings such as
the Nokia N90. Thankfully, someone had the wits about them to introduce a recessed lens unlike the flush one found in the C500, so at least pictures won't come out looking like crap after about a month of use.
One step forward, one step sideways
Sporting quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz connectivity, the C600 improves on its predecessors by adding another GSM band as well as support for EDGE - but alas, the latter is not employed by Orange UK. As such, lining the C600 up next to competitors such as
the Nokia N70 makes for a very good analogy on the tortoise and the hare; a bit unfortunate given the execllent software capabilities of the device.
For shorter-range connectivity, the C600 comes equipped with Infrared and Bluetooth 1.1, both of which can be said to be adequate in this day and age but nothing more - which can also be said about the inclusion of USB 1.1 as opposed to 2.0. Still, we do get a bit warm and fuzzy over the inclusion of USB charging and a proper 2.5 mm earphone jack.
On a more general note, signal reception and voice quality in the C600 are more than adequate, which also goes for overall performance. As with the C550, the C600 can actually keep up with rapid-fire, multi-tap text input without losing presses along the way - yet despite this and the improved screen, battery life remains excellent at three to four days with average use.
Also worthy of note is the inclusion of a miniSD card expansion slot, which allows for up to 1 GB of storage at the time of writing. Orange also saw fit to bundle a 128 MB card in the box, which is quite a generous gesture as far as we're concerned.
Windows Mobile 5.0, here we come
As the first smartphone to hit shelves with Windows Mobile 5.0, the Orange SPV C600 serves as an indicator of things to come - but when lined up alongside the Windows Mobile 2003 SE powered SPV C550, it really doesn't seem as if though there are all that many changes. In fact, the most visible change is the transition to icon-based menu navigation as opposed to list-based; a change we decidedly approve of.
Other slight updates include improved visuals in several applications such as Pocket Inbox and Pocket Contacts, with the latter now also being able to synchronize contact photos with Outlook on the desktop. In addition, there have also been a vast number of changes under the hood which are not immediately apparent to users, but touch on a variety of areas including security, overall user interface changes, the ability to maintain concurrent voice and data sessions and much more.
Naturally, benefits from WM2003 SE have also been retained, including Pocket Internet Explorer's improved ability to reformat web pages on the fly as well as Pocket Windows Media Player 10.
A more unfortunate aspect is the incompatibility with applications designed for previous smartphones with a screen resolution of 176 x 220 pixels; these will not run on the C600, but history indicates this won't be a problem for long. In fact, we think it's a bit worse that Orange elected to omit an Office viewer suite for the C600, which is clearly a more business oriented device than the C550 (which does come bundled with such software).
Availability
The Orange SPV C600 is at the time of writing available exclusively from mobile network operator Orange in the UK and other markets, selling in the €250 EUR range with subscription.
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