BIOS: Technology Means Business

The SPV C500 is France Telecom-owned mobile operator Orange's flagship Windows Mobile-based smartphone. The fourth-generation SPV (Sound, Pictures, Video) is also the smallest of its type, so will appeal to business users looking for a high-end, cutting-edge communicator for taking their office on the move. The SPV C500 is around one-third smaller than its predecessor, the SPV E200, and is one of the smallest devices that allows you to connect to the Internet, check your e-mail and synchronise or transfer data to compatible PCs using ActiveSync 3.7.1, infrared or Bluetooth. It's not without its drawbacks, though. Most noticeable is the low-resolution digital camera, there's just 28MB of user-accessible memory, the rocker control system for navigating menus is awkward to use, and there's no built-in FM tuner. The menu system is a little convoluted too, although this is really a criticism of Microsoft's operating system. Nevertheless, the SPV C500 is extremely powerful and robust and should be considered by anyone looking for a powerful business phone.

Pros: Good looks; small; Bluetooth; packed with features
Cons: Minimal memory; VGA camera; no FM tuner or Wi-Fi

The SPV C500 (46x18x108mm, 100g) is Orange's latest addition to its range of Windows Mobile-based smartphones. A smartphone is a generic name for voice-centric mobile phones with information capability. A combination of a mobile phone and handheld computer, a smartphone lets you send a receive e-mails (Pocket Outlook) and instant messages (MSN Messenger), browse the Web (Pocket IE), listen to music and watch videos, synchronise calendar and to-do lists and much more, including photo and video messaging (JPEG stills at 160x120, 320x240 and 640x480 pixels and video with or without sound in MPEG-4, AVI or h.263 files at 128x96 or 176x144 pixels). In fact, they're very much like a Web-connected PDA, such as PalmOne's Treo 650, but sport a smaller and more pocketable form factor - albeit at a cost of reduced processing power and a smaller, non-touchscreen display.

The biggest advantage of a smartphone compared to a PDA is that the phone experience is much more intuitive, so you can dial from contacts, send SMS messages, identify incoming callers or easily take call notes - just like a regular phone. However, smartphones also integrate PDA-type functionality into a voice-centric handset comparable in size to today's mobile phones. Windows Mobile-based Smartphones are designed for one-handed operation with keypad access to both voice and data features and are optimised for voice and text communication, and allow wireless access to Outlook information and encrypted browsing to corporate and Internet information and services.

Besides its diminutive size, the SPV C500 is powered by a 200MHz Texas Intruments' ARM OMAP 730 processor, 16-bit colour display (65,000 colours) and several advanced connectivity options, including infrared, USB 2.0, Bluetooth and a miniSD Card expansion slot. There's no support for Wi-Fi, but it does come with 64MB of built-in RAM (just 28MB is accessible) for storing applications, ringtones, screensavers, games and other readily-available software. Other key specifications include a built-in a digital camera (640x480 pixels) that has a small mirror for composing self-portraits, an integrated hands-free speaker, standby time of around 150 hours (expect around 3 days' use in real-world terms), talktime of 3-5 hours, as well as an MP3 player (Windows Media Player).

Frequent travellers will appreciate tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900MHz) and GPRS connectivity, allowing you to roam freely around the world without having to worry too much about lack of connectivity. As expected, the phone includes several applications and services unique to Orange, such as a new home screen, an over-the-air backup solution, Packet Video player and Orange Update, which allows you to download applications such as ringtones, maps and games. It also comes with Packet Video player for smoother access to video content and an excellent Orange Update service which lets you trial and download new applications such as ringtones, tube maps and games.

The SPV C500 also comes pre-installed with the Second Edition version of Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone platform, which was announced in March this year. Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition adds a range of new functionality, most of which centre around display capabilities. For instance, the operating system now supports square screens and a VGA (640x480 pixels) resolution, in addition to the standard QVGA (240x320 pixels) resolution used by most current Pocket PCs. It also offers portrait and landscape orientations, which can be switched dynamically. Other key additions include an improved Start Menu, which will remember recently-used applications, more control over font sizes, improved screen wrapping in Internet Explorer, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and improvements for the Phone Edition variant, including voice tags. There's now also the ability for Pocket PC users to dial from the Today Screen, while smartphones such as SPV C500 gain QVGA resolution support, a native MMS client and customisation of the Home screen.

The SPV C500 represents a big step forward for Windows Mobile smartphones with its small size and long battery life. It also a great mobile phone, with a big and bright screen (220x176 pixels) and a solid and robust enclosure. It looks good too and its brushed metal finish is sure to turn heads when you're out on business or drinking in a trendy bar. We also liked the way the single LED above the screen flashes green for service and blue for Bluetooth, and that the audio capabilities of the SPV C500 - whether in standard calls, loudspeaker mode or the supplied wired headset - are excellent. Another neat touch is the light sensor underneath the numeric keypad, which, depending on the level of ambient light, decides whether or not to illuminate the keys in blue.

Less impressive it that the built-in digital camera on the back of the phone is only a VGA model and there's no flash. The miniSD card slot is also inconveniently located underneath the 1050mAh Lithium-ion battery, which makes inserting and removing memory cards (16MB card supplied) finicky. The SIM card slot is also hidden underneath the battery, although this is less of an issue because you rarely need to remove this card. The hard silver plastic keys are also on the small size, the rocker control system for navigating menus is awkward to use (not easy enough to move left and right or click), and the menu system is a little convoluted. All things considered, the advantages of the phone far outweigh its shortcomings.