'The SPV M2000's WiFi technology allows you to drop into a HotSpot location and communicate with your corporate network. It has a touch-sensitive screen and a built-in camera for Video and Photo Messaging.'

When I first heard about the Orange SPV M2000 phone, I simply had to get my hands on one.  The specification promises big things so I was keen to actually use one properly and see for myself.

When it first arrived I was eager to get up and running.  The box contained a wealth of goodies, including a spare battery, docking station for PC or mains charging, hands-free kit, leather case and spare stylus.    Turning it on held the same feeling of expectation and fear that you get when you switch on a new laptop for the first time.

Connectivity on the move

 
The SPVM2000 is more like a laptop than a phone, with a 400Mhz Intel  processor, 128Mb of memory and a whole host of programmes and accessories, making connectivity a cinch.  You can connect to wireless, GPRS, Bluetooth, USB and Infra Red networks.

The device is controlled using a touch-screen and stylus, a slide-out mini keyboard and quick launch buttons for opening mail and contacts, etc.  There are a few different options for typing and writing using the stylus, and they are all pretty good. 

The operating system is Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which has the feel of Windows XP mixed with Windows 3.11.  You get a feeling of deja vu when looking around the system for the first time.  Although it feels very familiar, it is somehow different.  However, it is very easy to pick up, to the point where you find yourself trying to stab your laptop screen with your stylus after a couple of hours.

One of the greatest features of this phone is whenever you walk past a wireless network, the M2000 pops up a connect wizard and tries to connect to the network.  What more could you ask for when looking for a hotspot?

I was generally very impressed with the internet and email available from the device.  The M2000 comes preinstalled with Pocket Word, Excel, Internet Explorer and Outlook.  Use Pocket Outlook to check your email using wireless or GPRS.  Web browsing is made easy using Pocket Internet Explorer and there is also a flash plug-in.  Although you are limited by the size of the screen, many websites have specially sized pages for people browsing on a PDA  (e.g. http://www.google.com/pda)  and I can only see this increasing with time

Synchronisation

Synchronisation between the M2000 and a PC can be done using the docking station or a USB cable.  This is a great feature and uses a program called Microsoft ActiveSync.  You can synchronise contacts, mail, calendar, appointments, tasks, etc. within seconds.  All your phone numbers are synchronised with outlook, meaning you'll never have to worry about losing your SIM card again.

Use ActiveSync to install programmes onto the M2000 from your PC.  There are no limitations on installing programs apart from memory, and this can be upgraded easily using an SD card allowing for more than enough room.   There are plenty of programs around,  e.g. Skype, MSN Messenger, Antivirus, Command Prompt, Weather Forecasters ...  Check out the Windows Mobile Application Catalog for a list of approved applications.   Hurry up, Firefox!

You can also customise the device easily.  There are plenty of themes available for download, so you can change the look and feel of your menus and tool bars.

For Network Administrators

Whether you want to connect to your computer at home or administer a server in the office, there is no problem using the M2000, as again it is preinstalled with terminal services.  For a network administrator relying on Microsoft systems, this feature alone makes the M2000 a must-have.  I have been using the Terminal Services client to connect to our servers over wireless and am very impressed with the results. With GPRS it is initially slower, but the "thin client" philosophy of terminal services means it's still pretty darn good.  Sure the screen is small, but there are extra navigation buttons making it OK when you get used to it

There is also a range of tools available for administrators including a command prompt, meaning simple network diagnostics can be carried out using wireless without the need for a laptop or PC.

Things I don't like

The device itself is powered by two batteries,  a main one and a backup.   The backup battery is needed to maintain data.  If this runs out, you lose everything.  The manual says that the backup battery lasts for 72 hours when fully charged.  However, I removed the battery one evening and by morning the system had reset to factory settings when I powered up.  I cannot tell you how helpless and annoyed I felt. All my settings, contacts, calendar and programs gone!

And this is the main thing I don't like about the M2000 - you can't turn it off.  Really, you can't turn it off - you lose everything, remember.  What happens if you are running low on battery power and won't get the chance to charge your phone the next day?  Well I suppose that's what the spare battery and charger is for, but I really don't like the idea of sleeping with all those connectivity waves going on around me.

OK, effectively you can turn the phone off by switching to 'Flight Mode'.  This cuts out all connectivity and stops any calls coming in.  Nice idea, but it still doesn't save on battery power.

Having used this device for the last two weeks, I am not so sure I would want it as my only mobile phone.  It has some great uses and features so I couldn't possibly live without it now.  It doesn't cost much either. But there's something nice about having a plain old phone that turns off. Makes you wonder what will happen to the Ipaq.

Check out the Orange Website for more details at http://www.orange.co.uk. 

The Orange SPV M2000 phone is simply stunning.