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Written by Andrzej
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Monday, 12 September 2005 |
Overview
The Orange SPV C550 is sold as a music phone; it has hardware buttons to control your music/videos and has a whole host of upgrades on top of this, read on to discover them all.
Positives
- QVGA screen with great clarity
- More RAM than previous Smartphones
- Bundled SD card of freebies/trials
- 1.3 Mega Pixel camera is an improvement on previous efforts
Negatives
- Keypad too low on device
- Dust cover
The C550 has been out a while now and has already received mixed reviews from the community, some were valid, others where misinformed, hereÂ’s our opinion on the device.
ItÂ’s best to start with the facts so here they are:
- It has a 240*320 pixel screen (QVGA)
- It has 64MB RAM
- It has a 1.3 MP camera
- It has Windows Media hardware buttons
The Orange SPV C550 is a re-branded HTC Hurricane and, as such, offers some new functions to the Orange SPV range; most noticeably it has an upgraded camera, hardware media buttons and a QVGA screen. It doesnÂ’t have Windows Mobile 5 but seeing as it was released before the new operating system was available this is hardly surprising! So what should you expect from your potential new phone? Well itÂ’s faster for one; with more RAM it navigates menus, plays movies (at a higher resolution of 240*320) and runs applications/games with ease. You get all of the usual functions associated with the Windows Mobile Smartphone including PIM synchronization, the ability to install 3rd party applications (you can application unlock your C550 in the same way as you would do your previous Orange Smartphones using the Orange Partner website) and a familiar Windows feel. All sounds good so far eh? Well read on, we like the C550 and we think you will too!
By now you will have heard, if not experienced, that the new QVGA screen doesn’t work with a lot of applications/games, well in reality it breaks about 1% of the applications available, I know this because I tested lots and lots of them! There are a lot of games available nowadays the Microsoft Smartphone platform and 99% of them work flawlessly on the C550, yes some of them only work in a “postage stamp” type little box in the centre of the screen but they work nonetheless. This isn’t a problem, the graphics look a lot crisper and controlling them is actually fun with the joystick on the C550 when compared to the rocker on the C500.
Media Media Media
YouÂ’ve obviously noticed that the C550 has hardware media buttons; this makes the C550 a music phone allowing you to pause/play and skip tracks using real buttons as opposed to navigating media applications with keys that offer multiple uses. This is great for regular media playback etc.
By default the keys are set to control Orange’s integrated Media Player which is fine if you purchase songs using this application but if, like us, you are more inclined to copy songs and videos from your PC onto your phone then, with a quick change in your “Settings” you can swap the hardware buttons’ function over to Windows Media Player 10. Speaking of Windows Media Player 10, it is very good, now providing synchronization with Media Center Edition PCs, and Media Player on your PC of album art as well as the media itself. With a decent sized miniSD card you’ll be able to build a collection of hundreds of your favourite music tracks on your phone and carry them wherever you go without an extra lump in your pocket, that should make sense to anyone. The bundled headphones double as a hands free kit and provide clear sound quality, the wire is on the long side but this isn’t such a bad thing, if it was too short we’d be annoyed so we’re more than happy with a long wire.
Lights Camera Action
There seems to be a big thing going on in the mobile world based around how many Mega Pixels you can stick in a camera phone, the C550 has 1.3 million pixels of photo taking goodness. In reality there are two things you need to compare the C550Â’s camera to:
- A real 1.3mp digital camera (which is better) and...
- The phone youÂ’re upgrading from (which, if like most, is another Smartphone, is worse)
I found the cam very good in outdoor conditions as well as well lit indoor situations. In low light conditions it was average, the ‘dark’ settings are better than before but still not brilliant unfortunately but it’s a step in the right direction.
Click on the thumbnails below to see the full-size, unedited photos (mostly of my holiday in Rome!)
The Hotel Bernini Bristol in central Rome (where I stayed this August!)
A stretched Hummer outside London Kings Cross
A Lamborghini garage next to our hotel in Rome
The Pantheon, Rome
The Trevi Fountain, Rome
A (converted) video of the Trevi Fountain (3.27MB)
Other Points Worthy of Mention
The bottom of the phone houses the USB port for synchronization and the headphone socket and comes with a rubber flap to keep out dust. ItÂ’s a mixed blessing as it solves one problem (dust getting inside the phone) but can get in the way when youÂ’re trying to plug in your headphones; weÂ’re a fussy bunch and would probably moan either way but its go to be mentioned!
The phone comes bundled with a 128MB miniSD card which is bigger than any card previously bundled with an Orange Smartphone. It has some good content too including a Dave Clarke remix that you can play with in Fireplayer (you can remix the track and record your own ringtone) and a demo of a game called
Joes Treasure Quest 3D
which really showÂ’s of the capability of the C550 (it has a great 3D game engine).
The final point worthy of mention is the fact that the keys are a little on the low side in that when inputting text you feel as if you are holding the phone a little too low, only a minor quibble but a quibble nonetheless.
Conclusion
So thatÂ’s it really, the Orange SPV C550 offers you a decent upgrade alternative as well as a great option to for newcomers to the Smartphone market. With a rich QVGA screen that is truly impressive and offers fonts that are smoother than youÂ’ll see on any other phone (movies look great too!) youÂ’ll no doubt be able to show off the phone which is very important! The 1.3MP camera isnÂ’t the best on the market but it certainly isnÂ’t the worst either, donÂ’t let it put you off, it holds its own.
Finally, with hardware buttons on the front of the phone to control your media the C550 can truly be considered a music phone and with the recent announcement of AppleÂ’s forthcoming iPod phone being limited to 100 songs the SPV C550 really shines through, youÂ’ll easily exceed double that with a 1GB miniSD card, remember that when the iPod phone enters your mind.
You can buy an Orange SPV C550 from Orange retail stores as well as online on www.orange.co.uk.
You can compare prices of Sim Free Mobile Phones and buy online today.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 December 2007 )
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