Pauls C500 Review - Updated 12/08 23:45

[Guest idrisito]

thanks for the review: any chance of technical specs for the C500 iwanna know how it fares with the MPX220

[Guest squall]

not sure what specs you are after but have a look here, may help

http://www.wmdevices.com/smartcom.htm

[Guest mcfc2134]

DDMF,

You said: "Edit: Aaarggghhh, £75 upgrade fee, i swithered and swithered, and i'm getting it tomorrow... Remember, the bonus ordering direct from Orange is that you get 7 days to change your mind (due to the mail order consumer laws!)"

When i did my upgrade I was told there is no return policy in place as it is an upgrade. You either had it or got stuck with it. Thats happened twice to me, on my past 2 upgrades, I would check that out mate just to be on the safe side.....

[Guest ddmf]

DDMF,

You said:  "Edit: Aaarggghhh, £75 upgrade fee, i swithered and swithered, and i'm getting it tomorrow... Remember, the bonus ordering direct from Orange is that you get 7 days to change your mind (due to the mail order consumer laws!)"

When i did my upgrade I was told there is no return policy in place as it is an upgrade.  You either had it or got stuck with it.  Thats happened twice to me, on my past 2 upgrades, I would check that out mate just to be on the safe side.....

Did you upgrade through a shop, or through orange customer services though?

If you upgrade through a shop, you've no comeback at all - but there is consumer law that protects mail order, because you are "buying unseen" :)

If you did upgrade via phone through orange, then i'd contact orange customer services, or orange exec! and demand some justice :x

[Guest dreamweavel]

I'm 8 months into my contract and the guy in Stafford Orange shop says i can upgrade for free mid contract as long as I'm on a tariff that costs £25+ per month. I really pressed him on this and he was adamant  :shock:  Is this true?

oops - just found prices thread - so it IS true then!

Update - just upgraded to the c500 today direct with Orange (orange retail shop). The handset was free but you pay a penalty of as many months' contract charge as you've got left.

I had 4 months left on a £25 a month contract so it's cost me £100... :?

[Guest Bob the Gooner]

Great review Paul, I have been waiting for this release what seems like a lifetime. I have a question. I started with an E100 which I used for work, I used to go onto www.streetmap.co.uk which is a better map site simply because when you put in a postcode an arrow would point to the exact spot i.e what side of the road as apposed to a circle on multimap. I upgraded to the E200 thinking this would be the same, but was I disappointed, the phone wouldn't view the maps on the streetmap site, but would on multimap. So, my question is, Does the C500 view maps on www.streetmap.co.uk? It might seem trivial to some but to me it was an important black mark against the E200.

[Guest Vector]

Great review Paul, I have been waiting for this release what seems like a lifetime. I have a question. I started with an E100 which I used for work, I used to go onto www.streetmap.co.uk which is a better map site simply because when you put in a postcode an arrow would point to the exact spot i.e what side of the road as apposed to a circle on multimap. I upgraded to the E200 thinking this would be the same, but was I disappointed, the phone wouldn't view the maps on the streetmap site, but would on multimap. So, my question is, Does the C500 view maps on www.streetmap.co.uk? It might seem trivial to some but to me it was an important black mark against the E200.Great review Paul, I have been waiting for this release what seems like a lifetime. I have a question. I started with an E100 which I used for work, I used to go onto www.streetmap.co.uk which is a better map site simply because when you put in a postcode an arrow would point to the exact spot i.e what side of the road as apposed to a circle on multimap. I upgraded to the E200 thinking this would be the same, but was I disappointed, the phone wouldn't view the maps on the streetmap site, but would on multimap. So, my question is, Does the C500 view maps on www.streetmap.co.uk? It might seem trivial to some but to me it was an important black mark against the E200.

Tried it on C500, Ijust get red x's where the map should be :)

[Guest daskew]

Good review Paul - thanks, I will upgrade as soon as I have completed my 12 months with the e200. My pet hate with the SPV/e100/e200 is the inabilitiy to set 'delivery notification' defaulted for all messages. Any change with the C500?

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Yep, you CAN do this now, I use it. Hurrah!

P

[Guest loratio]

3 quick questions:

1: Is the screen just as easily scratched as on the SPV Classic?

2: Is it possible to use mp3's as ring tones, or for that matter any other compressed audio format?

3: How much memory is built into it?

Thx for the review!

Cheers!

[Guest Uzay]

congrats for the nice review and the audi - manufactured just 20 k away from where i live. matiz is your wifes car? you should change this...

:-)

cheers, lutz

I Agree !!! (a nice a3 would fit her better, make sure she reads this Paul)

;-)

[Guest hothands2]

8) Great review ,you,v convinced me ,cant wait to get my hands on one and get rid of my E100 Thanks for a great review.

[Guest ElwoodPDowd]

Hmm could do with a new phone after what the dogs did to my old one :cry: and my e200 won't lock without turning messenger off... gonna go beg orange for an update i think :twisted:

[Guest MaximilianWeisheit]

OMG

Did the SD Card make it out alive?

[Guest martin]

Take it into an Orange shop as a trade in :)

[Guest ElwoodPDowd]

Could always sell it on ebay... minor cosmetic damage :^o

[Guest ddmf]

do you have orange care?

[Guest aristoBrat]

Hmm could do with a new phone after what the dogs did to my old one  :cry:  

Was your dog trying to tell you that he prefers Nokia? :)

[Guest tester_-_]

Great review, but can you give an indication for the standby time with bluetooth on? I use the cradle with my spv200 at work and a bluetooth connection at home, but the bluetooth standby time on the e200 isn't that long... And since I'm thinking about buying a bluetooth handsfree set for my car I'm very interested in the standby time with BT on... Thanks

[Guest ElwoodPDowd]

heh max thankfully the 512 sandisk was in my e200 at the time... the 32 that came from orange with trial software i think i can live without :)

[Guest lutzh]

@ElwoodPDowd:

i can help - choose one of the three phones in the attached picture...

cheers, lutz

ps: just kidding, the black one is not for sale!!!!

[Guest Maverick]

Great review ..

Am not buying the C500 though.. I am waiting for the Mpx (and for Paul' review of it) :)

[Guest beersoft]

Lutz,

i'll offer you 2 bags of magic beans for the sexy black phone :)

i bet that gets better battery than a pre update spv classic

later

Owen

[Guest lutzh]

hahaha, you are so damn right - this phone still makes it over 8 hours stand by. i remember my first spv classic two years ago - pretty comparable in stand by and features ;-)

can i swap the magic beans for magic mushrooms????

cheers, lutz

[Guest kevlar]

lutzh, you have an mpx too? what do you think of it?

Kevlar