September 20, 2004
Orange SPV C500 Smart Phone
The Orange SPV C500 smart phone is 'Described as a 'marvel of miniaturisation', the SPV C500 runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile® software and offers the power of a mini-computer in the form of a pocket-sized mobile phone. Weighing in at just 100 grams, the phone’s super compact frame still manages to fit in a large vibrant colour screen and big keypad while claiming the honour of being world’s smallest Smartphone.
As with all Orange Signature phones, the SPV C500 gives a unique Orange experience with a range of exclusive Orange applications and services. Combined with the familiar Microsoft Windows environment, the SPV C500 is ideal for the professional who wants to keep their world in their pocket, not their briefcase.
The SPV C500 boasts a new home screen offering instant access to key services such as Orange Backup so that customers can save their personal and business information on the Orange network. It also comes with Packet Video player for smoother access to video content and our Orange Update service which lets customers trial and download new applications such as ringtones, tube maps and games.
The SPV C500 is the latest in the SPV family of phones available exclusively through Orange. The first SPV, launched in October 2002 was the world’s first Windows® powered Smartphone.'
Neowin.net. has just reviewed the Orange SPV C500. They write:
'The recently released Orange SPV C500 is a smart phone revolution. The device is a sexy, small and a feature packed smart phone. Orange originally launched the original SPV back in late 2002. It followed the release with a new handset nine months later – the E100. Orange then released the E200 in late 2003 and now nearly a year later the smart phone revolution has begun. The original devices were bulky, lacking in features and had poor battery life and call quality. The C500 improves all of these problems and has shrunk the device to the size of an average mobile phone....
I am very impressed with the Camera included on the C500. Although this is the same as the E200, it’s great! Below you can see some of the different modes you can take....Unlike other phones I find that using night mode actually works, I have taken hundreds of pictures and it’s rare that I take a picture and it’s blurred or is poor quality. I am addicted to the camera and having a button at the side of the phone to quickly capture “those moments” is great....
The Orange SPV C500 is how smart phones should have begun. It marks the beginning of a whole new smart phone. The price is right, the functions are right and the device is stunning.
Gizmodo also has a reader review of the Orange SPV C500 and writes - 'I’m more than impressed with it so far. The one (minor) gripe I have had is that the button placement could be somewhat awkward for those with large fingers or thumbs, although I doubt such a person would opt for a phone as small as the C500 in the first place. One word of warning to those people outside of Europe looking for an network free handset – it does not work on the GSM850 band, so if you must have one of these handsets make sure that your provider
Call quality, Bluetooth implementation and overall speed and responsiveness are streets ahead of the previous Orange branded SmartPhones and significantly better than my wife’s MPx200. How this phone will fare against the MPx220 when it is released remains to be seen – and I’ll have to wait until my wife upgrades to one to find out!'
Modaco also has a review of the Orange SPV C500 - they write - 'The SPV C500 is a great phone, and is streets ahead of previous SPV models... finally Smartphone users have a handset that is able to challenge it's rivals on every attribute, most importantly form factor and battery life.
The price point is hugely impressive given the feature set, and Orange definitely deserve a pat on the back for that alone.
Should you buy this phone?
That depends... If you are a heavy gamer and are interested in running GAPIdraw games such as Eclipse, Toki Tori etc. (full compatability list coming soon in the C500 forum), then I would suggest hanging on for the gaming bug fix.
On the other hand, if like me you rate the other functions of the phone as more important than gaming, if you are a business user, or you simply want a Smartphone that is light years ahead of anything in the market at the moment then YES... you should buy it! '
ZDNet reviews the Orange SPV C500 and writes - 'As far as Windows Mobile-based smartphones are concerned, Orange leads the field. The company's SPV was the first of its kind in the UK, and Orange remained the only player in this market until Motorola came along with its clamshell MPx200 late last year. The SPV C500 is Orange’s fourth SPV (Sound, Pictures, Video) device, and it's a significant improvement on what’s gone before.'
InfoSyncWorld reviews the Orange SPV C500 and writes - 'The SPV C500 is the first SPV that we can take seriously as a mobile phone. Improved size, Bluetooth performance and battery life make it more usable than its ancestors, while the evolved operating system is much more pleasurable to work with. In fact, we only had four real gripes with the C500: its odd five-way rocker, its lack of a cradle, the inclusion of a now-outdated VGA camera, and the choice of the miniSD format for storage. Despite these, the C500 remains a good-looking Smartphone with performance to match. '
Pocket Matrix reviews the Orange SPV C500 Smartphone and writes - 'With the latest C500, we finally have a Smartphone for the public. It has easy integration with Outlook, great phone functions, and a size that won't have people asking the age-old “is that a phone, or are you just happy to see me?” when the phone is in your pocket.
While there are a few bugs with the C500, none of them are show-stoppers, and they won't affect the majority of users.
Users wanting to move to a Smartphone will find the C500 a great place to start. The familiar Windows interface will be a breeze to navigate for any user.'
See more from our Orange Camera Phones category »
Posted by Darren at September 20, 2004 10:15 AM
