24 replies to this topic

[TimmyG]

I'm fast approaching my C500's renewal date and just made a phonecall to Orange to discuss upgrading to the SPV M500. The nice lady on the other end of the phone told me that they were out-of-stock but suggested I wait 'till the M1500/C600 (now on their system) are released before deciding which to buy. The woman told me that the M1500 was WM2005 and also that it had Wi-Fi.

It sounds like an awesome phone, but I'd like to see some pictures of it before I decide to wait until its release. Does anyone know if there are any pics/previews out there? Will it be a direct replacement of the existing M500??

[Disco Stu]

I was just about to edit your title there but congratulations on being the first MoDaCo member to type the name 'M1500'  =D>

The C600 is basically the C550 without the music buttons but I've no idea what the M1500 is. Did you get any other nuggets of info out of her ?

We have heard that Orange may already be about to discontinue the M500 so I was wondering if she was referring to the M5000, whiuch is already on the Orange site under 'Coming Soon.'

And it's your first post !
Way to introduce yourself and welcome  

Edited by Disco Stu, 18 September 2005 - 05:06 PM.

[Disco Stu]

What might make sense is if she was referring to this bad boy :
HTC Blizzard Pocket PC phone
  =p~

[TimmyG]

Thanks for the introduction Disco Stu!

I'm 100% sure she was talking about the SPV M1500. She read a list of specifications to me, many of which I forget, except that it had WM2005, WiFi and 128Mb onboard RAM. I asked to be informed on its release date as and when they know, but in my experience they never do.

I'm a big fan of the M500, and if it's on its way out I might bag one while I can. Wifi would be useful though....

[TimmyG]

Disco Stu, on Sep 18 2005, 17:13, said:

What might make sense is if she was referring to this bad boy :
HTC Blizzard Pocket PC phone
:)  =p~

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I didn't get the feeling it was 3G. She would have made a point of mentioning that I think. Maybe not...?

[Disco Stu]

That does sound like the Blizzard though Paul remarked that there was no mention of WiFi in the specs he saw. Not that that means anything at this stage.
I'm due an upgrade soon so it's fantastic to hear that this baby will be along soon !

[chrisbpr]

what are the specs on the 600 as from what i can find it isnt much different from the 550 ( no 3g but EDGE instead & no wifi)

[dazza12]

I spoke to Orange last week about this when I was asking about the M5000.

It would be good if it was the Blizzard, but it's actually the Alpine, but with WM5. So much for Orange being an innovator, O2 released their version of the phone early this year.

It's expected to be released shortly after the M5000, possibly mid October.

Edited by dazza12, 18 September 2005 - 05:39 PM.

[Disco Stu]

  :cry:
Finding out that Santa Claus didn't exist was easier to take than this.
Thanks dazza12  :evil:

[TimmyG]

Sorry to get your hopes up people!

So whats the thinking, should I go for the M500? What will be your next upgrade Disco Stu? I'm tempted by the C600 with WM2005 but it just not all that disimilar to the C500 I have. A shame really.

[Disco Stu]

I've got the M500 in it's iMate Jam guise but use my C550 more now.
The bigger screen and extra memory is nice but you're right to think that it's not much of an upgrade from the C500. So neither will the C600 be.

You may struggle to get an M500 from Orange of rumours are correct. If you fancy a laptop replacement that's not that much larger / heavier than the M500 then I'd go for the M5000.

As mentioned before though, I want the Blizzard and I'm going to sulk until I get one  

[mcwarre]

Disco Stu, on Sep 18 2005, 17:05, said:

Did you get any other nuggets of info out of her ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fnarr, Fnarr

[Disco Stu]

?!?!???
How did you get innuendo out of that ?
:?:

[Pondrew]

I've been waiting so long for the Alpine to be released on Orange! Given how the Alpine shares the same 'chassis' as the older SPV M1000 it actually makes more sense then the name we used to band about for it (SPV M2500).

Dazza12 says about Orange not being an innovator in releasing the HTC Alpine so long after O2 but if they're releasing it with Windows Mobile 5 then that will definately upstage the O2 offering! And remember that T-Mobile haven't even hinted at offering the Alpine so I would actually say kudos to Orange for possibly making the wait worthwhile and releasing so many Pocket PC Phones in a short space of time.

Stu, is there anything firm to suggest that the M500 is being discontinued? I'd assumed that was just rumours, similar to those we had about the M2000 last year...

[Disco Stu]

I've no first-hand info but various members have reported being told that; by Orange and Expansys (or another reseller) from memory. Orange's prolonged lack of stock naturally fuels the rumours, as does idle tittle-tattle by me !  

These XDA-type devices are confusing the hell out of me. Hopefully we've got guides up here to explain the difference between the M1000 & M2000 ! I wish I could understand Orange's Smartphone / PPC strategy too... :?:

[Pondrew]

Disco Stu, on Sep 18 2005, 22:45, said:

I've no first-hand info but various members have reported being told that; by Orange and Expansys (or another reseller) from memory. Orange's prolonged lack of stock naturally fuels the rumours, as does idle tittle-tattle by me ! 

These XDA-type devices are confusing the hell out of me. Hopefully we've got guides up here to explain the difference between the M1000 & M2000 ! I wish I could understand Orange's Smartphone / PPC strategy too... :?:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We've all been guilting of guessing wrongly, I used to be convinced the C600 would feature Wifi whereas the signs now point to it not including that feature.

As to the guide, that's not a bad idea! Watch this space...

[amo]

FYI: the m1500 is an update to the M1000 - from the pictures i've seen on my intranet review section it looks almost the same as the M1000....

[Pondrew]

amo, on Sep 19 2005, 20:01, said:

FYI: the m1500 is an update to the M1000 - from the pictures i've seen on my intranet review section it looks almost the same as the M1000....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In other words the HTC Alpine (as I said, it shares an almost identical case with the HTC Himalya (the old SPV M1000 - oh how badly I used to want one of those!).

If it is the Alpine we can expect 525mhz processor, wifi, 1.3megapixel camera. Don't know about Windows Mobile 5 but maybe, just maybe...

[amo]

Sorry Pondrew - didnt see your post mate! It does indeed have 1.3Mpx, Wifi however am not 100% sure of the processor clock or the OS.

[faphillips]

Whilst the HTC Wizard (i-mate K-jam, Qtek 9100) has  been rumoured to soon be available from Orange as the M3000 it may be more logical for it to be the M1500. The format of this device is more in keeping with the 'M' format (M500, M2000 and very soon the M5000 (i-mate Jazjar) etc) whereas the HTC Alpine doesnt seem to fit the bill. The Wizard has the specs that were  described including WiFi.

The Wizard in various guises will be available from a number of direct vendors in the next 2 weeks and I would expect 02, T Mobile & Orange to all offer this phone by the end of October or early November.