SPV Journal – 16 February 2004 - The SPV Arrives

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lthough I didn’t plan it this way, I’ve just gotten my hands on a brand new Orange SPV E200 “Smartphone” just about the time of my birthday.  So, yeah, I’m happy, but to be fair I would have been happier had my last ‘phone, the Nokia 6310i, not of been stolen.  I’d probably feel better about introducing another gadget to the “DervMan PDA Collective” if it were compensation for being mugged, rather than having my pocket picked, but sadly I can’t even use this justification.

So enter the E200 version of Orange’s natty little SPV.  The SPV is one device that followed A Great Idea some time ago, which Microsoft jumped on.  I picked the SPV E200 because it fits all aspects of my minimum criteria - it must have Bluetooth and it must not be too large - even though I do harbour some concerns regarding the battery performance.  Having to recharge it every day may well drive me crazy given my preference for devices (PDAs and cell ‘phones) that only need recharging every so often.  The Nokia 6310i probably did spoil me since it had a standby time measured in weeks rather than days.

On to first impressions, well it doesn’t look much different from either the original SPV or the upgraded SPV E100 model.  It’s typically size for a modern colour PDA, perhaps a bit deeper.  I’ve no complaints with regard to the size of the device.  The screen is magnificent, just as the other SPV models were.

In addition to the SPV, in the box you also get the necessary ActiveSync CD, a USB cradle and a power transformer - thankfully with an adapter so that I don’t need the cradle with me at all times to recharge the SPV.  Orange also include an 8 Mb card which comes with a number of trial applications to get you started.  I’ll not be installing any of these until I’ve had the opportunity to hook the SPV up to my desktop and synchronised all of my personal information data to the handset.  With only 32 Mb of memory and a Microsoft operating system, I’m concerned that all of my personal information database may well not fit onto the device and leave room for any additional applications.