Microsoft begins Smartphone blitz in UK

Am I just being paranoid or does anyone else worry that putting Windows on a phone is a bit of a scary idea?? I mean how long till you start getting trojans that record your calls and.... ok maybe I am going a bit over the top, but still, article below can be found at http://news.com.com/2100-1033-963059.html

By Matthew Broersma
Special to CNET News.com
October 23, 2002, 9:55 AM PT


The first Windows-powered Smartphone to hit the high street will be Orange's SPV, offering picture messaging and desktop connectivity.
Orange on Tuesday unveiled the details of its upcoming Smartphone, the SPV, which will be the first Microsoft-powered handset on the market when it arrives early next month. The handset aims to combine consumer-friendly features such as an attachable camera and MMS (mixed-media messaging) with Windows software integration along the lines of Microsoft's Pocket PC-based handheld computers.

The SPV made its debut at the same time as Sendo's long-anticipated Z100, also based on Windows Powered Smartphone software. The Z100 has many of the same features, as well as add-ons such as Java support, and will carry a somewhat higher price tag when it hits the market late this year or early next year.



The Orange handset is aimed at a mainstream market and carries a lower price tag than the Z100, at about $277 (179 pounds), subject to a 12-month contract, compared with the Z100's $308. Unlike the Z100, the SPV's price includes several add-ons, including a snap-on camera, USB cradle for connecting to a PC and an SD memory card.

The company said the handset would launch in France, Denmark and Switzerland in the weeks after its U.K. launch, and in its international markets such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Romania and Thailand in early 2003.

Microsoft software provides such services as MMS, e-mail, calendar, contacts, instant messaging, text messaging, Web browsing, and audio and video playback. Like a Pocket PC-based handheld computer, the phone can synchronize with desktop applications via a USB cradle.

Calendar and contacts data can be synchronized over a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) wireless connection using Microsoft Mobile Information Server--functioning like Research In Motion's BlackBerry.

Orange will also offer an over-the-air backup service for contacts and calendar data.

The handset features a 2.2-inch TFT LCD screen displaying 176x220 pixels and 64,000 colors. It has a Secure Digital/MultiMedia Card expansion slot, allowing for storage cards of up to 256MB to be added. The battery provides three hours of talk time or 100 hours in standby mode, Orange said.

The hardware, designed by Taiwan's High Tech Corp. is based on Texas Instruments' OMAP technology, and uses a 120MHz ARM-based processor. It includes 32MB of flash ROM (read-only memory) and 16MB of SDRAM, more than 6MB of which is available for user storage. It has an infrared port, but no built-in Bluetooth, although an add-in Bluetooth SD card may later become available.

Orange said that other accessories such as a car kit and attachable keyboard would be available soon.

On the other hand, both the Z100 and the SPV are aimed at PC-savvy consumers. By contrast, Nokia's first mass-market Smartphone, the 7650, doesn't include a PC synchronization cable, and its marketing focuses more on consumer applications such as MMS and taking pictures with its built-in camera than on handling data. Nokia's handset, with a service contract, costs around the same as the Windows Smartphones.

Orange argues it has hit the right balance between consumer and data features, and sees the device as key to revenue growth. "With the SPV, we now are able to deliver a suite of advanced services well before the advent of third generation networks," said Richard Brennan, executive vice president for OrangeWorld, in a statement. "The SPV will help drive Orange toward its predicted data revenue target of 25 percent of total revenue by 2005."

Time will tell how receptive buyers are to a mobile phone handset made by a manufacturer such as HTC, which doesn't brand its products. Handset makers such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson have argued that mobile phone handsets are not a commodity, like PCs, and require manufacturers with hardware, software and branding expertise.