 Motorola MPx200
 Motorola MPx200 - Open
The first thing to say is that this phone is very nice! It's smaller in height and deeper than the SPV/e100/e200 as to be expected as a result of its clamshell design. This is my first experience of a true clamshell handset and I quite like it, the key benefits for me being the reduction in height in relation to a candy bar handset and the protection of the screen. The MPx200 comes with a tweaked version of the Smartphone 2002 platform, something that it is criticised for when you consider that the e200 has Windows Mobile 2003 pre-installed. The other key features that the MPx200 lacks are Bluetooth and a built in camera, both of which are present on the e200. Having said this, if these two functions are not your main priority then I would recommend the MPx200 ahead of the e200 as, in my opinion, it offers a sleeker design and greatly improved battery life.
Now for some detail...
Hardware:
The phone is a clamshell design and is nice to look at; it has a solid feel to it but is somewhat let down by the material that the outer body is made of in that it seems to be susceptive to fingerprint marks, having said that it is still a very nice handset.
All buttons are nice to the touch and well placed as is the convenient mini USB port in the bottom of the handset to allow for information synchronisation. Buttons on the side allow for powering up/down and the adjustment of the earpiece volume via a jog dial that doubles as a shortcut key to the voice memo tool. The battery life is also greatly improved when compared to the e100 and e200. In a side-by-side test the e100 died after 40 hours whereas the MPx200 lasted a further day! A lack of Bluetooth support and built in camera lets the MPx200 down somewhat when compared to the e200 however, it must be remembered that it is a Smartphone 2002 device and therefore cannot support Bluetooth. The handset has had a memory boost when compared to its 2002 counterparts the SPV and e100; it has 8MB available storage, 11MB total storage and 18MB available memory (approximate values) which provide a far smoother ride! A problem with the SPV/e100 was that the spinning egg-timer like icon often hindered the use of the software; this has been all but solved as a result of the increase in memory. The screen on the MPx200 is very nice, not quite as bright as the e200 but far better than average and the sound is great too with full midi, wav, wma and mp3 support and ring tones (wma, wav and midi) on the storage card (finally!).
+ Good build quality
+ Nice to look at
+ Buttons easy to use and naturally placed
+ Mini USB
+ Great battery life for a Smartphone
+ Increased memory
+ Nice screen
+ Great audio output
- Finger marks show up on exterior too easily
- No Bluetooth
- No Camera
 Motorola MPx200 - Closed
 Motorola MPx200 - Battery
 Motorola MPx200 - Battery
 Motorola MPx200, SPV E200
 Motorola MPx200
Software:
As previously mentioned the MPx200 runs the Smartphone 2002 platform which has now been replaced by the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system (OS) as seen on the e200. At first sight there are very few differences however under the surface the 2002 OS lacks .NET support which is a shame but again, not essential as the vast majority of Smartphone applications and games currently on the market are built around the 2002 OS present on the MPx200. So what exactly is missing? Well the first thing to notice is that the e200 says Start and not Programs, something that Microsoft has obviously decided to do to bring their 2003 OS inline with their other platforms. Nothing to report there then!
The first change worthy of detail is the inbox in that it only allows for one POP/IMAP account unlike the 2003 OS which allows for multiple accounts. Depending on your requirements this may or may not be of interest to you. The usual software is present in the menus, a calendar that synchronises seamlessly with your desktop computer/laptop via Microsoft Active Sync (as bundled with the phone on the software CD), Internet Explorer, Orange Backup to allow for the backing up of contacts/calendar entries etc. on secure Orange servers, Orange Update that allows for new backgrounds, sounds and minor updates to be downloaded by the user, MSN Messenger and Windows Media Player. With such a rich array of software built into the 2002 platform as standard it is a pleasant surprise to see IA Album and its Camera utility pre-installed onto the handset as well. The album software is a great utility to view and manage your photographs and images and the camera utility, were you to purchase an add-on camera works well with no complaints.
Solitaire is the only built in game not surprisingly as it is an ever-present throughout the Windows range. The exclusion of a task manager from the standard 2002 OS was something that we felt was an error, thankfully the MPx200 builds upon its IA software pre-installed with IA's Task Manager as well as IA Space Maker and SIM Manager. The task manager allows for the closing of resource heavy and/or troublesome programs, Space Maker is a handy tool to free up memory by erasing emails, SMS, call history, speed dials and/or voice notes and the SIM manager allows you to import contacts from the SIM or create new contacts on the SIM.
...and breath!
Well after that vast array of software I think it's fair to say that the handset has no problems keeping up with the competition in this area!
+ All the usual Microsoft software such as MSN Messenger, Pocket Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player
+ IA software pre-installed on the handset
+ Easy synchronisation of contacts, inbox and calendar entries with your desktop PC/Laptop via Microsoft Active Sync
- Lack of 2003 OS (no .NET support and only one POP/IMAP account)
- Only one built in game (solitaire)
Conclusion:
There are many things that I could discuss when concluding the MPx200 but for me one issue stands out and it is previously unmentioned in this review, the price of the handset. The MPx200 is Motorola's first entry into the Microsoft Smartphone market and is a successful one, not only as a result of its function but also as a result of its extremely competitive pricing from Orange! With the option to buy the MPx200 on certain tariffs free of charge it seems the ideal handset to attract people to the Microsoft Smartphone market. It offers improved reliability over its direct competitors as a result of the increase in memory and features all of the usual Smartphone software for browsing the internet, instant messaging, listening to MP3s, watching video clips etc. as well as some extras from the IA range including a much needed task manager.
All in all this is a great phone, nice to look at, fast and at the right price. It is a simple decision of whether to buy the MPx200 or not, do it, especially if the lack of Bluetooth and integrated camera are not an influencing factor for you.
You can by the Motorola MPx200 from Orange by clicking here , or you can enter our competition to win one here! (link removed as competition expired - Ed)
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