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Orange intros SPV C200 with Windows Mobile... 5?
While the general assumption would be that handset manufacturers would jump at the chance to pre-load their mobiles with the latest and greatest Windows Mobile flavor on the market, it seems that the SPV C200 is going against conventional wisdom. The Amoi-built handset is slated to launch on Orange, and will include tri-band support, Bluetooth, and an integrated 1.3-megapixel camera. Of course, the expected €9 ($12) pricetag that will reportedly grace this device (if you commit to a two-year agreement, that is) may explain the lack of WiFi and slightly obsolete OS, but this sure is an interesting maneuver to slash the price.[Via TheUnwired]
False alarm: Orange's SPV branding here to stay
Disaster averted! Amid reports yesterday that Orange's well-traveled "SPV" smartphone branding was going the way of the dodo in favor HTC's newer, slicker badges, the carrier has stepped forward to deny the claim. Though its rendition of the HTC Touch won't be blessed with an SPV mark, it turns out there's a good reason: it's not considered a member of Orange's "Signature Series." Only Signature Series devices will be SPVs, and they may not always be HTC sourced. Got it?
Orange kills "SPV" branding for smartphones
Even for those of us in North America, "SPV" feels like one of those storied brands that's been around since the very beginning of the smartphone era -- a time when devices like the SPV C500 (and its successor, the C550) stepped out of the primordial Windows Mobile ooze. All good things must come to an end, though, and it's with heavy hearts that the death knell tolls for Orange's naming convention. It's not all bad news, though: future HTC devices on Orange will actually be branded as such. It seems that HTC has finally earned its wings, gathering enough clout and brand recognition to get its own name silkscreened onto its carrier-subsidized offerings; frankly, we wouldn't mind the same thing happening here.
HTC Hermes launch roundup!
A spectrum of HTC's highly-anticipated Hermes variants are finally coming around in the retail pipeline, and what better way to celebrate than with a launch roundup? Regardless of your continent, odds are one or more of these flavors are available in your parts -- and if not, your friendly local import shop shouldn't have a difficult time hooking you up. As you come across other launches, do your fellow readers (and us) a favor and post 'em in the comments. Thank ye kindly![Thanks, Leigh]Read - Orange SPV M3100Read - T-Mobile Germany, UK MDA Vario IIRead - Vodafone VPA Compact III / v1605Read - HTC TyTNRead - HTC ZRead - Dopod 838ProRead - Dopod CHT9000
Orange launches SPV M5000 (HTC Universal) in UK, France, and Switzerland
Our lust-affair with the not-available-in-the-US HTC Universal is no secret. Now our friends in the UK, France, and Switzerland can get their sweaty anticipatory hands on it with Orange's official launch of the SPV M5000 - you know, that UMTS (3G) brick packing Windows Mobile 5.0, WiFi (now confirmed although curiously not listed on the Orange website), Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, 640x480 touch screen, 520MHz processor, 128MB of ROM, and an SD memory card slot. It will sell for about £400 (€600) and begin shipping in the UK, France and Switzerland in October - available to the network's other territories by the end of this year.
The SPV M5000 makes an appearance on Orange's site
This one slipped by us the other day, but a bunch of people wrote in to remind us that the SPV M5000, aka the HTC Universal, finally showed up on Orange's website (something which typically, but not always, means that a launch is not too far off). Probably not going to see this one over here in the States since it rocks the UMTS and not the HSDPA, but this brick really packs it all in: the M5000 runs on Windows Mobile 5.0 and has WiFi, Bluetooth, a one megapixel camera, a QWERTY keyboard, a VGA touch screen, a 520MHz processor, 96MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, and an SD memory card slot. [Thanks to everyone who sent this one in]
