Since our HTC S710 vs Orange E650 video we’ve still not had any luck getting our hands back on a new Orange SPV E650 from Orange PR nor are we due an upgrade. However, our friend and long-time follower of the blog, Alasdair Ford, wrote this great review of the device as he has been using the E650 for a few weeks. So here for your viewing pleasure is Alasdair’s ‘warts-and-all’ assessment of the E650.
Having lived with the E650 for a full three weeks this is a summary of the journey so far, overall it’s been a very positive experience.
I’m not stat hungry so I’ll be providing real world measures of performance, my perception of the way the device operates not stopwatch statistics.
The device has been used in a real business environment, as part of an Exchange 2003 messaging system using exchange activesync so some of the snazzier features associated with Exchange 2007 are not there yet but our upgrade is imminent so hopefully the three month review will be able to include these.
I am a geek and a techie but I try to apply the mother test for ease of use – I.e. could my mother use it? – a good yardstick for the levels of technical aptitude and patience displayed by most directors 🙂
My most recent devices of choice have been the Orange SPV c600 a candy bar smartphone running window Mobile smartphone edition 5.0 AKU 2 and the Orange SPV m3100 a traditional PDA form factor with touch screen 3G which I wanted it for and the addition of a sliding QWERTY keyboard (which I didn’t want at the time but now love) running Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU 2.3 Pocketphone edition (for now)
The E650 has complemented my traditional notebook for two weeks but for the last week it’s been my only contact with work as I’ve been away on Holiday (more about that in an Off-Topic later).
Conventions :
Where I refer to keypad I mean the E650 standard phone alphanumeric keypad where I refer to keyboard is the slide out QWERTY keyboard
Highlights:
Lowlights:
No Lights:
So on to the review!
Form Factor:
it’s a Vox I know but the E650 skin isn’t out in MobiControl just yet
The device is a lovely piece of kit, a little heavier and bulkier than the C600 and most standard candybar format phones – way heavier and thicker than the slim Jim LGs of this world but it fits comfortably in the shirt pocket and the weight provides a reassuring feel that suggests great build quality.
The keyboard is a real surprise to people not in the know the E650 just doesn’t look like it could hide a QWERTY in a device that size. the keyboard action is very slick only requiring a little push to expose or close the keys, much nicer than the m3100. Portrait to landscape transitions can be a bit slow occasionally but it’s no massive deal.
The screen is great much more vibrant and clearer than either the m3100 or c600.
The phone has four hardware buttons on the periphery – on/off on the top; the voice activation and volume rockers to the left of the screen and the camera button to the right – the camera button placement is somewhat counter intuitive as when you access the keyboard you rotate the phone clockwise which leaves the camera button on the bottom of the rotated handset if you are shooting in landscape mode – a minor gripe.
The front mounted function keys are easy to access, I was worried about the placement of the send and end keys as they look like they could be easily operated in a pocket however the E650 actually suffers less from this than the c600.
The soft keys are a little fiddly at first but you get used to that, and anyone with more slender fingers than mine wouldn’t be troubled.
The SIM slot is hidden behind the keypad and is accessed when the keyboard is exposed and there is an external MicroSD card slot covered with a rubber shield, again a great improvement on the c600 but less vital now that MicroSD cards are Multi-Gigabyte
USB and accessory connection is via an HTC extended mini USB port – a pain in the backside tbh which is covered by another rubber flap which makes the handset unstable when stood up on its end, a minor design flaw that only grates because the rest of the device seems so well thought out.
Operation:
The E650 is great to use, much zippier than the equivalent WM5 device, despite the underpowered processor (only 201 MHz). occasionally (very occasionally) the Camera application refuses to start due to memory usage but this is down to the fact that there is no native way to end an application apart from through the task manager a disappointing feature of smartphone versions of the WM platform.
Battery life is good although the quoted 5 hours / 7 days actually equates to about 2 1/2 days realworld usage (GPRS, voice, a little WiFi)
Configuration
I’ve always found the smartphone interface a little fiddly for making settings changes however the keyboard is a real bonus here – there’s no massive differences between the WM5.0 & 6 menus in this area.
Applications:
I’m concentrating on the core business applications – for me that excludes the camera although the 2 Megapixel produces pictures sharp enough to annoy your coworkers when you are on holiday.
Office Mobile in WM6 is great but is really only designed to read attachments the giveaway is that the apps start in view mode – you could (at a push) compose on the E650 as the keyboard makes this possible for those with thinner digits – I still hit space+n or b+space a bit too often for my liking.
Pocket Outlook tends to be the place I spend most of my time 🙂 – Highlights are Fetchmail which is a massive productivity tool and a real encouragement to download the rest of any message, it’s that smooth. (and a nice GPRS earner for Orange)
Keypad shortcuts are fantastic
Email triage is speeded up no end and this is a major use of most smartphones.
The E650 even has Adobe Reader LE installed so clicking on a PDF attachment allows you to read it.
We’re still running on Exchange 2003 SP2 in our production environment so when internal IS get Exchange 2007 sorted I’m sure Webready and HTML mail will be fantastic additions, looking forward to this.
Contacts quick search is much improved and now ignores gaps between consecutive keypresses and the # is interpreted as a space which makes finding the actual Richard or Dave or Andy you want that much easier.
You at last can send a contact as a vCard however the E650 insists on sending it as an MMS rather than a text which seems odd and might affect your bill – it doesn’t work at all on my work SIM as we disable MMS for all our staff by default.
Calendar operation is slick as well week view with appointment details is another great productivity aid and the ability to add both required and optional attendees from contacts or the company directory when creating an appointment was something I always yearned for in WM5
Where’s my Microsoft Voice Command Orange? and MSN messenger ?
Voice command is bundled by Microsoft and I’ve just gone out and spent £20 on it because of this omission.
No messenger is not so bad for me as we use office communicator but I can see it annoying some people – there are suggestions that Orange’s new flat rate tariffs will exclude IM and VoIP so this might be the reasoning
Stability
Overall stability is good apart from when the battery runs low when you get occasional application errors – this would have been a problem on WM5 however on the E650 the device seems to recover without a glitch and I’ve yet to lose any data at all – apart from a momentary annoyance this is much less of a problem than it has been in previous versions.
Ease of Use
The handset feels great in the hand and one handed operation is easy in phone mode, all the keys falling easily under the thumb, in landscape mode with the keyboard exposed a juggler can manage to use the E650 one handed.
Missing Links
Could I get rid of my c600 at the moment? – absolutely the E650 outclasses it in every way how about the m3100? no I use TomTom navigator 5 a lot and memory map when walking neither of which are windows mobile 6 compatible. I do miss the touch screen in some apps however the E650 is rapidly weaning me off it.
Overall Assessment
I use the word slick a lot in this review that’s exactly what the E650 is, slick; very, very slick.
There are a few minor niggles but they are outweighed by a factor of 10 by the improvements
Do I use the E650 more often than the equivalent WM5 devices? no
When I do use it is it faster brighter and better? sure thing
Do I get more done? oh yes
Will Orange get this eval unit back ? NO CHANCE
The Orange E650 isn’t my perfect device but it’s not far from it.
Should you buy one – at £0 on most contracts and £165 on the Orange business price list yes you should, it’s a steal. if you are a business you’ll get that £165 back in a couple of weeks in improved productivity.
————————
Our sincere thanks to Alasdair for letting us use his review and for providing the screen shot images. You can find other news and reviews on Alasdair’s own site Mashup of Mayhem.
Posted by: Matt
Photo credit: Tracy
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Orange, E650, HTC Vox, HTC S710, SPV, Orange SPV E650]
Orange announces the availability of the Orange Call Abroad SIM which provides customers with an easier and more convenient way to call abroad. The new SIM offers the cheapest rates currently available for international calls and competitive Pay As You Go rates apply when calling numbers in the UK, so there is no need to swap the original card in and out of the phone.
Orange research shows that people currently find making international calls confusing due to misleading price structures and the lack of transparency around calling cards. In response to consumer needs, the new Orange SIM offers customers a secure and reliable way of calling long distance with the ease and flexibility of their mobile phone.
With the Orange Call Abroad SIM, there are no hidden costs, users only pay the advertised rate for the call and are not subject to third party carrier costs or the national call charge of 25p usually incurred with calling cards.
The new SIM also provides peace of mind to customers calling abroad as they are able to calculate the exact price of their call in advance and are assured of a clear and quality connection.
Following a six month trial in a limited number of Orange Shops and through selected distributors, the SIM is now available to buy individually without a handset from Orange shops, other Orange stockists and newsagents nationwide, priced at just £5.
Customers can top up their phones in the same way they add credit to standard Pay As You Go accounts, by credit or debit card, in Orange shops, via cash machines and other retailers.
Pippa Dunn, PAYG Director, Orange says, “We developed the Orange Call Abroad SIM to help people stay connected with friends and family overseas. There are approximately 5.5 Million ethnic British nationals living in the UK and 18.7 million foreign visitors to the UK every year who are looking for an affordable and convenient way to phone home. The low cost calls offered by our new SIM, provide customers with the perfect solution.”
Posted By: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): GPRS, 3G, wireless, roaming, Orange, Tracy & Matt]
Back in March we told you about one of HTC’s new devices, the Elf. Since then the trail went cold, that is until today when a few new photos of the device surafaced on newsmobile.
The HTC P3450 (codenamed Elf) looks like being an intersting little device. Not a very well specified unit but the size it what is likely to set it apart – it’s just 14mm thick thin.
The P3450 now looks a little differnt to the original pictures (below) that we saw a few months ago. According to the source, the device should be released in a few months but no news regarding carrier uptake.
HTC P3450 Specification:
Note the lack of 3G/HSDPA and WiFi.
Posted by: Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, HTC Elf, HTC P3450, Tracy & Matt]
HTC announced today that it has signed an acquisition agreement with Dopod International, one of the leading PDA Phone and smartphone distributors in Asia, to purchase the assets of nine Dopod subsidiaries, including Dopod Taiwan, Dopod Hong Kong, Dopod Singapore, Dopod Malaysia, Dopod Indonesia, Dopod Australia, Dopod Thailand, Dopod India and Dopod Philippines.
The acquisition agreement, still subject to shareholder approval, was approved by HTC’s Board of Directors on May 8, 2007, values the assets of Dopod International’s subsidiaries at the sum of Dopod International’s adjusted net worth at the end of second quarter of 2007, certified by CPA as of June 30, 2007.
The transfer of all assets will become effective on July 1, 2007. HTC estimates that the sum will not exceed US$ 14.5 million. The combined marketing, sales and service capabilities of both companies will strengthen HTC’s position within the Asian market, providing consumers in the region with a comprehensive range of mobile devices and services. To maximize the synergies of the acquisition and to implement new joint business initiatives, Dopod International’s entire workforce will be expected to join HTC. Dopod’s vast, accumulated experience in the retail market will benefit HTC as HTC expands its brand presence in the future.
After the acquisition, HTC will unify the products under a single global brand. In the future, all of HTC’s new products will be marketed under the HTC brand. However, Dopod International’s current on-the-market products will still be sold under the Dopod brand name. Furthermore, to provide first-class service to existing Dopod customers, HTC will offer after-sales support to consumers who purchased products before the acquisition.
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, HTC, Dopod]
It’s been some time since we first reported that the Orange version of the HTC S620 (HTC Excalibur) would be made available to business customers as the Orange SPV E600. Since then the news on this device has been rather thin on the ground. However, we have now managed to get hold of and E600 for review. So, once again, we bring you another unboxing video and a preview of the SPV E600.
As mentioned in the video, the E600 has the same hardware as the HTC S620, the differences are software related. One of the biggest differences being that Orange have again removed MSN Messenger and Hotmail support from this device forcing you to look for a third-party IM solution.
The SPV E600 is only available to business customers at the moment. I’m not sure how they make these decisions but if you are a consumer customer you might have a battle on your hands if you want this device!
Orange SPV E600 Specification:
Check out the Orange E600 page HERE.
As always, you can download a higher res version of the video HERE.
Posted by: Matt
[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Orange SPV E600, HTC, HTC Excalibur]
After months of delays Dopod has today announced the release of the Dopod C730, their version of the long awaited HTC Cavalier.
The HTC Cavalier can be thought of as a much improved version of the HTC Excalibur packing a 400 MHz processor and 3.5G HSDPA. Measuring only 13.5 mm, this slim device has a built-in high speed 802.11 b/g WiFi connection, while supporting quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and WCDMA UMTS/HSDPA.
Jack Tong, CEO of Dopod International Corp says, “Once again, Dopod International has bested itself by pushing out another device that caters to the needs of its consumers. Seeing the rapid growth of mobile enterprise E-Mail subscribers throughout Southeast Asia, we’ve decided to market the 3.5G messaging phone that will not only ensure you of total connectivity, but also enhance your efficiency while meeting the rigorous demands of a professional lifestyle. In the business world, power and connectivity are essential tools and the C730 has them all.”
Jason Lim, Regional Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft Corp. said: “As one of the first Smartphones powered by the new Windows Mobile 6 operating system, the C730 allows users to fully embrace the benefits of mobile computing. We have already seen significant traction for Windows Mobile in Southeast Asia, and by integrating our software with Dopod International’s innovative devices, we will continue to redefine user experiences for mobile office workers and consumers alike.”
Dopod C730 Specification
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone, Pocket PC, Tracy & Matt, HTC Cavalier, Dopod S730, HTC Excalibur]
One of the limitations of owning and using a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone device is that opening and editing Word or Excel documents was impossible and you had to opt for third-party tools simply to view them. This all changes with Windows Mobile 6 Standard (WM6 Smartphone) in that the OS natively supports Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile.
So where does that leave you if you are one of the 90% of people with a WM5 device? Fear not as now so clever folks have managed to extract the required files from a release version of WM6 and bundle them all up into a cab file that will provide you with the ability to open and edit office documents on your WM5 Smartphone.
So what’s the catch? Well the bottom line is that this is a crack and it’s breaking the copyright Microsoft has on Office Mobile and is therefore illegal.
You can read more over at Tech[dot]Blog.
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Pocket Office, E650, HTC Vox, HTC S710, SPV, Orange SPV E650]
EDIT: Our review is now live and can be found HERE.
I’m sure many of you will have seen our Orange E650 vs HTC S710 unboxing video, we certainly had a lot of positive feedback since we started recording videos.
One question that we have been asked a lot this week is “Where’s your Orange SPV E650 review?”. Unfortunately we do not have an E650 of our own at the moment. The devices in the unboxing video were kindly on loan from Clove Technology. There is, once again, a shortage of the new devices and as a consequence, Orange have been unable to provide us with one that we can use long enough to review.
We are hoping to get our hands on an E650 this coming week so we’ll get a review online just as soon as we can!
If anyone has a spare E650 then please get in touch!
Posted by: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, Orange, E650, HTC Vox, HTC S710, SPV, Orange SPV E650]
O2 and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of the new BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphone in the UK. The smallest and lightest full QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve from O2 delivers the proven and popular BlackBerry smartphone experience – with a 2 megapixel camera, enhanced media player and microSD memory expansion slot – in one easy to use handset.
O2 offers a wide range of compelling data tariffs for users to take full advantage of the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry service. O2’s Unlimited tariffs* on both the BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server enable customers to access email, web browsing and instant messaging for a fixed monthly price. Alternatively users can select O2’s unique Pay as You Use option for the BlackBerry Internet Service, which is ideal for lighter data usage.
O2 customers can take advantage of these flexible data prices when using the enhanced multimedia functions of the BlackBerry Curve. Featuring a 2 mega pixel camera with built-in flash and 5X digital zoom, the BlackBerry Curve includes enhancements such as a full screen viewfinder and a nightmode indicator enabling the camera to automatically adjust to dark environments. Users can choose to send their pictures using MMS, BlackBerry email or BlackBerry® Messenger or simply transfer them to a desktop computer over USB or Bluetooth® 2.0 technology. The BlackBerry Curve also provides enhanced multimedia features with a new BlackBerry desktop media manager that makes it simple to transfer, convert and manage media files.
In addition to its exciting new multimedia capabilities and a new integrated spell checker, the BlackBerry Curve also features renowned BlackBerry smartphone functionality such as push-based wireless email with attachment viewing, Internet browsing, organiser and instant messaging. With trackball navigation and a large ultra-bright display with built in light sensing technology, the BlackBerry Curve offers an unrivalled mobile experience.
For international users, the BlackBerry Curve offers quad-band functionality, supported by a battery life of up to 17 days standby and 4 hours talk time, plus voice activated dialling for quickly making important calls.
“The BlackBerry Curve is a great addition to the range of popular BlackBerry smartphones already available through O2,” said Phil Ledward, Head of Data Marketing at O2. “The enhanced multimedia features, and small and lightweight design of this all-in-one handset will appeal to both the business and individual user.”
“The BlackBerry Curve is the ideal tool for anyone that wants to stay connected to their work and play, but will not compromise on performance and ease of use. It combines a proven and popular user experience and iconic QWERTY keyboard with a stylish design and impressive multimedia features,” said Charmaine Eggberry, Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA at RIM.”
Posted By:Matt
[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Tracy & Matt, O2, Blackberry, Blackberry Curve]
Today Orange announced plans to launch its new flat rate pricing for data, making it easier for users to understand the costs involved when browsing the mobile internet.
From June, five new bundles, starting from just £1, mean both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go customers can browse safe in the knowledge they will know exactly how much they will pay.
The five different pricing bundles are:
Orange Pay Monthly
Orange Pay As You Go
so put in place a price cap for customers who don’t sign up to a bundle. These customers will be able to browse the mobile internet as they do now, but will only be charged up to a maximum of £1.50 per day (Pay Monthly) or £2.00 (Pay As You Go).
Furthermore, all Orange customers will now have free access to their own personalised Orange World homepage, as well as news headlines and favourites. Customers will also benefit from free mobile internet searches and can browse the full catalogue of downloadable video, games, music and ring tones for free. If they see something they like while browsing, they pay just for the download, not the download traffic or any other hidden data charges. They can also make use of the Orange Local service for free throughout the summer (July – September inclusive), letting them know where they are and what they can get up to with information on restaurants, bars and local services.
Jean-Pascal Van Overbeke, Vice President Mobile & Convergence for Orange, says “Our new pricing structure makes it easy for our customers to understand exactly what they are getting and for how long when they access the mobile internet. Customers can get access to the web on the move, without the fear of being caught out by any hidden charges.”
Posted By: Matt
[Technorati tag(s): GPRS, 3G, wireless, Unlimited data, Orange, Tracy & Matt]
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