 |
|
|
|
|
Orange to launch SPV successor
|
|
|
|
By Jørgen Sundgot, Friday 21 February 2003  
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UK-based operator Orange will in April be launching a successor to its Smartphone 2002-based SPV, sporting an improved display and a sleeker form factor over the original SPV.
Following the launch of its Orange SPV smartphone, the first commercially available device based on Microsoft's Smartphone 2002 platform, Orange has now committed to launching a successor to the SPV in April. Codenamed internally by Orange as the SPVx, it features a slightly different form factor and an improved display.
 | Orange's SPV successor is based on Taiwan-based HTC's Tanager reference design, also to be used by T-Mobile for its upcoming smartphone
|
Orange said its research indicates that the average user of the current SPV model is either a mobile business worker or early adopter, with a high use of e-mail and synchronisation with their PC. With the addition of the SPV successor, Orange aims to widen the SPV portfolio to target consumers more directly, with a focus on games, music and entertainment services.
To launch in April, the SPVx includes features such as a joystick for gaming and menu navigation, and will be offered with accessories such as entertainment memory cards (complete with games, songs and video clips) and a camera link cable that gives customers more flexibility when Photo Messaging. The SPVx will have the same power and capabilities as the SPV, but the applications and look and feel have been designed specifically with consumers.
Orange is also in talks with a number of companies with regards to launching a detachable cradle that transforms the phone into a gaming console. The accessories will also be available separately for purchase, allowing customers to independently mix and match their package depending on which phone or add-ons they require.
Special SPV and SPVx retail packs will be offered which will include the phone and specific accessories or accessory discounts for different market segments. The SPV will be focused at business customers, application developers and early adopters, and will be offered with accessories including a new plug-in soft keyboard, a fully-integrated car kit and a Bluetooth headset which plugs into its serial port.
In related news, Orange also announced the first official Orange group release of new software for the SPV. The software update was said by Orange to improve functionality and battery life, and also gives customers two new applications - sound manager and picture manager. The update will be available for all SPV customers to download from the Orange web site on Monday 24th February.
The SPVx is due to be available in stores across the UK, France, Denmark and Switzerland in the next six to eight weeks. The price point has yet to be announced.
Additional hi-res pictures of the SPVx are available on the following pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
iTunes-enabled Motorola RAZR V3im now available
11 May, EU Edition Take one Motorola RAZR V3i, add support for iTunes synchronization and voilá; you have the tune-toting V3im, complete with a 100-song memory cap, microSD memory expansion and more - now shipping. More...
» More Music phones | | |
| | Nokia N73, Sony Ericsson K610i and more hot 3G phones coming soon
11 May, EU Edition From high-performing multimedia specialists to light and nimble handsets; several hot 3G phones are due out shortly, among them Nokia's feature-packed N73 and Sony Ericsson's sleek K610i. More...
» More 3G phones | | This week's coolest gadgets
10 May, EU Edition Among the most coveted gear this week rests leather-clad ultraportables, Sony's new hard drive-equipped camcorder, GPS navigators supreme, two next-generation gaming consoles and more. More...
» More Most coveted gadgets | | Stylish Nokia 5500 Sport handset debuts
10 May, EU Edition The latest addition to Nokia's range of rugged phones arrives with an unusually stylish splash and dust resistant exterior, an integrated 3D accelerometer, text-to-speech technology and music playback. More...
» More Nokia phones | | Petite phones, massive memory
9 May, EU Edition Can't get enough storage, you say? Three brainiacs from Samsung along with offerings from Nokia and Sony Ericsson hold enough memory to store between one and two thousand MP3s. More...
» More Music phones | | Samsung SGH-X820 claims throne of thin
9 May, EU Edition Besting its own record, Samsung's SGH-X820 measures a mere 6.9 mm yet manages to pack a landscape high-resolution screen, 2 Megapixel camera, EDGE, stereo Bluetooth audio, TV out and more. More...
» More Slim phones | | Review: Nokia E61
8 May, EU Edition Jørgen Sundgot gets up close and personal with the Nokia E61 business phone, sporting a BlackBerry-like design with a thumbboard, landscape-oriented high-resolution display, 3G, Wi-Fi and more. More...
» More Business phones | | Slimline Qtek 8500 business phone revealed
8 May, EU Edition Boasting Windows Mobile 5.0, a 1.3 Megapixel camera, high-resolution display and microSD expansion, Qtek's clamshell 8500 is the slimmest business phone yet - and no heavyweight either at 99 g. More...
» More Business phones | | This week's most coveted phones
5 May, EU Edition Nokia contributes a 4 GB music phone and a thumbboard-toting BlackBerry killer; LG lines up a sleek and slim 3G phone; and O2 chips in with the brainy yet pocketable XDA IQ. It's been a good week in phones. More...
» More Most coveted phones | | BlackBerry clone business phones ready global assault
4 May, World Edition Business phones from veteran maker RIM have won the hearts and thumbs of road warriors everywhere; fresh entrants from Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Palm want in on the action. More...
» More Business phones |
|
|
|
|
|
| Hands-on impressions, news, reviews, prices and release dates; now all-in-one-page: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hands-on impressions, news, reviews, prices and release dates; now all-in-one-page: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Archive