Paul's Orange C600 Review

[Kris Kumar]

http://www.modaco.com/Paul_s_C600_Review-t235788.html

"It’s 3 years now since Orange proudly launched Microsoft Smartphone to the world, with their ‘SPV Classic’, based on the HTC Canary reference design. The SPV E100 and E200 - HTC Tanager and Voyager respectively – followed, updates that slowly addressed the many issues raised against the first offering. Then, without warning, Orange launched the SPV C500, based on the HTC Typhoon platform, developed closely between HTC and Microsoft. Prior to the launch of the device, a member of Orange staff (who shall remain nameless) told me that Orange wanted the C500 to become ‘the new Nokia 6310’, that is the new ubiquitous business phone. A bold statement, and one I probably dismissed at the time… but then the C500 arrived, and promptly blew everyone away."



Our readers on the other side of the pond can check out the review of the hump-less cousin of the Cingular 2125, the Orange C600. Based on my experiences with the Cingular 2125, I can agree with this statement made by Paul - "It doesn’t have WiFi, it doesn’t have 3G, the camera has no flash and is distinctly average, but to me, these things don’t matter. What matters to me is that the things the phone DOES, it does well."

[Kris Kumar]

http://www.modaco.com/Paul_s_C600_Review-t235788.html

"It’s 3 years now since Orange proudly launched Microsoft Smartphone to the world, with their ‘SPV Classic’, based on the HTC Canary reference design. The SPV E100 and E200 - HTC Tanager and Voyager respectively – followed, updates that slowly addressed the many issues raised against the first offering. Then, without warning, Orange launched the SPV C500, based on the HTC Typhoon platform, developed closely between HTC and Microsoft. Prior to the launch of the device, a member of Orange staff (who shall remain nameless) told me that Orange wanted the C500 to become ‘the new Nokia 6310’, that is the new ubiquitous business phone. A bold statement, and one I probably dismissed at the time… but then the C500 arrived, and promptly blew everyone away."



Our readers on the other side of the pond can check out the review of the hump-less cousin of the Cingular 2125, the Orange C600. Based on my experiences with the Cingular 2125, I can agree with this statement made by Paul - "It doesn’t have WiFi, it doesn’t have 3G, the camera has no flash and is distinctly average, but to me, these things don’t matter. What matters to me is that the things the phone DOES, it does well."

[randalllewis]

I agree with this reviewer's conclusion that this is great phone, which to me is what a smartphone must do well before it does other things.

I know the 2125's hump has been discussed here at length, but I don't think I ever saw what the conclusion was as to its purpose. I am no techie, but I gathered that the hump serves some technical purpose. So I am curious as to what it different about the Orange network over Cingular's that the phone didn't need the hump.

[shindullin]

The hump is for the antenna. I just got one myself a 2125 and the phone reception is pretty good.

[Foxbat121]

US is the only country in the world has 850MHz GSM instead 900MHz. The lower frequency might translate into the need for a slightly larger antenna to achieve the same level receiption as rest of world. Hence the hump.

Just my 2 cents.

[stumpy]

I also think that speaker on c600 is on the side like the Audiovox 5600 compare to the 2125 which is in the hump which makes it louder.

[Kris Kumar]

Originally Posted by Foxbat121

US is the only country in the world has 850MHz GSM instead 900MHz. The lower frequency might translate into the need for a slightly larger antenna to achieve the same level receiption as rest of world. Hence the hump.

Just my 2 cents.

Good point. That could be possible. I believe its because the GSM coverage and signal strength is in general poor in US compared to Europe. The size of country makes it difficult to put enough cell towers to improve coverage and off late the shrinking nature of the antenna has led to some unhappy customers. This hump with bigger antenna could be an effort on the part of Cingular (and T-Mobile) to win the loyalty of its customers.

[robertotores]

The smt 5600 does not has the hump and the reception in the US is incredibly high.

If you look at the FCC documents for the 2125 when opened the hump is empty, on the similarly humped T-movile phone the hump houses a Wi-Fi antenna.

Maybe cingular was planning to inlcude Wi-Fi but dropped it at the last moment and the phone kept the hump but empty inside.

By the way the Nokia and Motorola phones are known for the best reception of any US phone and they don't have humps or external antennas.

[Foxbat121]

Originally Posted by robertotores

The smt 5600 does not has the hump and the reception in the US is incredibly high.

I beg to differ. Here in Washing DC area, I usually get next to nothing in signal strength. Cingular has good signals in wast coast though. But it's pretty poor in east coast.

If you look at the FCC documents for the 2125 when opened the hump is empty, on the similarly humped T-movile phone the hump houses a Wi-Fi antenna.

Maybe cingular was planning to inlcude Wi-Fi but dropped it at the last moment and the phone kept the hump but empty inside.

Doubt it. The same phones released in Europe with Wi-Fi never had any hump.

[Kris Kumar]

Originally Posted by robertotores

If you look at the FCC documents for the 2125 when opened the hump is empty, on the similarly humped T-movile phone the hump houses a Wi-Fi antenna.

I must remind you of this post. ;-)

[randalllewis]

Kris, thanks for posting the link to your earlier examination of the 2125 hump. I had missed that post. You clearly answered my original question. I would add that after two weeks of use of the 2125, the hump seems to be doing its job- I have yet to find a bad signal in the Puget Sound area.