BIOS: Technology Means Business

Being able to communicate with colleagues and customers 24/7 is a frequently important aspect of modern business - whether you like it or not! Orange Business Services has expanded its Signature devices for business range with the SPV M3100 (from £50 to £150 with contract). This connected PDA combines powerful functionality and sleek design with the ability to connect with 3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi and HSDPA networks (where available).

Available across a number of Orange’s European markets, the SPV M3100 (113x58x22mm, 176g) offers one of the best possible mobile experiences for users who frequently need to access business applications and edit their work documents from outside the office. And while it’s considerably larger and heavier than a regular smartphone, its pull-out QWERTY keyboard is a wonderful feature for editing large documents and communicating via e-mail or SMS.

Powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0, the SPV M3100 supports Orange’s push e-mail solution, Orange Mail, as well as Direct Push functionality available with the Microsoft Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP), which provides you with access to Outlook information on the move.

You can also access everyday business applications like Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, Powerpoint Mobile and calendar functions, making the SPVM3100 a great solution for business travellers. You can even view PDF files and take voice notes out of the box.

The SPV M3100 offers connectivity with multiple wireless bearer networks, including 3G, Wi-Fi, EDGE and HSDPA (where available). It is also the first SPV device to offer quad-band GSM connectivity, ensuring connectivity in most parts of the world. You can also share files via Bluetooth, USB and infrared connections, and it connects wirelessly to the Internet or corporate networks via 802.11b/g Wi-Fi.

There’s only 128MB internal memory (55MB accessible to user), but this should provide ample storage for important documents, calendar and contact entries - as long as you don’t carried away with the built-in camera and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. An interesting feature is the wireless modem application, which allows you to set the SPV M3100 to work as a dial-up modem. This can be done over a USB cable, Bluetooth or infrared.

Technical niceties of the device compete with the best. Of particular note is the 400MHz Samsung 2442A processor, 2.8-inch QVGA (320x240 pixels) touchscreen display capable of rendering 65K colours and working in bother portrait and landscape screen modes (pulling out the keyboard automatically rotates the screen image), dual 2.3-Megapixel and CIF camera, 64MB RAM, 128MB flash ROM, and MicroSD Slot card slot.

We've already mentioned to flip-out keyboard and 5-way jog wheel, but there's also a loudspeaker for hands-free operation, video calling, and voice dial and command. The SPV M3100 supports Web browsing (HTML 4.01 and WAP 2.0) and JAVA applications, and its Lithium-ion polymer battery (1300mAh) offers up to around 4 hours' talktime (GSM) and 4 days' standby time (GSM).

In addition to the Make and End Call keys there are Windows and OK buttons. Also included above the display are the usual E-Mail and Internet shortcut buttons. There is a button just below the screen which serves as the video call key, and on the left side of the device is a scroll wheel. This is pretty similar to the wheel found on RIM’s Blackberry.

You’ll also find another OK button and the voice command button here. On the right there are dedicated buttons for power, Comm Manager and the camera. Unfortunately you won’t find a 2.5- or 3.5mm headphone socket on the bottom of the SPV M3100. Instead, Orange has opted to use a proprietary USB socket for the supplied stereo headphones. Incidentally the USB socket is known as an Enhanced Mini USB (EMU) connector.

Orange’s latest addition to its Signature range demonstrates some of the powerful tools available to today’s mobile professionals. For heavy data users who need access to their work documents and applications on the move, the SPV M3100 offers a genuinely viable laptop alternative - combining all the functionality customers normally enjoy in the office with the ability to connect with the fastest-possible data connection, whatever the location.

With its compact size and ultimate connectivity, it truly is a mobile office solution. You can roam anywhere in the world and use high-speed Internet access, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, giving you more control than ever over the way you work. The sliding keyboard makes it even easier to type your e-mails and messages on the go, and the reasonable camera and secondary camera for video calling make staying in contact easy. Music and pictures can also be easily synchronised, so you have them with you wherever you are, making on-the-move business a pleasure rather than a chore.

[9] - Editors' Choice

[Best Smartphone Pricing UK]
[Best Smartphone Pricing US]