SPV M5000 review - pics heavy

[Malt_Vinegar]

I had been converted by SPV phones for a long time, right after i saw the original SPV, then after lusting for a while, i ended up getting the SPV e200 when it first came out.

This was followed by the C500, and then finally the daddy! M5000!

I have never done a conclusive review of one of my phones before, but consider myself an experienced SPV user now, and qualified to comment on the features and improvments with some authority.

Lets start with the basics, its not a small phone (12cm/8cm/2.5cm) and is billed as a PDA/laptop replacement with phone features. Its a flip phone, with a rotating screen. The weight is considerable but not inconvenient, i happily fit mine in the back of my jeans without hassel or looking silly. This is a bit different from my two previous SPVs which were very much phones with pda features, and phone sized.

Here are the two phones side by side..



First thing you notice on opening the phone is the large bright screen, its very nice to look at, its easy on the eye, clear and bright with an even colour tone. The phone has cleartype as a standard feature, but i prefer it off. I use the smallest text setting and find browsing the net and reading from BBC mobile site very easy.



It plays full screen video direct from my PC with no conversion. (10 points to the first person to guess what music video that is, more clues to follow later in the review) The video is crisp and not jerky at all, using pocketTV. Media player works well too.
The touchscreen is very accurate, and works well with fingers or the neat little stylus that hides away well in the back of the phone. Pretty much anything than be used to select things really.



When closed the phone is quite tough, and i have dropped it a couple of times already, and its working fine, hit concrete today from waist height, with no problems, just a couple of minor scratches. What the hey, phones get scratched, just look at my C500 in the first photo!



In the above picture you can see the buttons that allow you to answer calls when the phone is shut, however, you cant see who it is, slight design error there. I think a small screen on the outside would have been a good idea. However, its not a real difficulty flipping the phone open to see who it is. Im quite used to it now, and have done it many times without ever missing a call. (there is also a small recessed reset button in-between the jack and the usb plug)

There buttons on the other side launch functions like the phone, voice dialling, and backlight, and the speakers are visable too.



The flip is neat, and often gets funny looks from nearby commuters, as you switch from a closed phone to a mini laptop to a PDA in two swift movements! Laptop users look over eagerly and i have been asked on more than one occaison about the features which im more than happy to show off

couple of shots - mid flip..





The image on the screen rotates automatically mid flip, and you can easily change it with a quick tap on the screen icon in the bottom right if you fancy a change of orientation!

The decent quality 1.3megapixel camera is great for both video and pictures and handles low light much better than previous SPVs.



The phone also has another camera mounted with the screen, for 3g video calling! this is also available for taking pictures of youself with a preview of the pic on the screen, if you so wish!

The preview mode is full screen on the main camera, and works really well and has a fast refresh.

The keyboard is more than adequate for typing on, your never going to touch type with this, but i was happily taking notes in a meeting with four finger typing, and with few mistakes. The backlit keys are nice, they have a comforting red glow when its dark. Makes it easy to type even in the dark. When the phone is in PDA mode, the typing it taken care of with a small but very usuable on-screen keypad. However you always have the option to choose your preffered method when the phone is in laptop mode.



General usage

The phone seems a lot faster than my previous SPVs, probably down to the 500Mhz processor working away in there, the applications will come as windows mobile 5 becomes more common, and more stuff is written for it.
It has mobile versions of word/excel and powerpoint. Its got the usual MSN, IE, explorer, java with a few other random things lobbed in.

The wifi is good, i have used it a lot at home, and continually pick up networks when walking about! There are lots of unsecured networks around, which means free net more often than not. The wifi manager is simple enough to pick up, and works well switching between networks and seeing whats available.

GPRS seems quicker than on my old phones, and browsing just seems a lot easier with the large screen, the stylus and decent connection. I have not used the 3g option much, but it seemed as quick as my wifi at home, but then i was using mobile websites with very small page filesizes.

The standard SPV sd card is working well, i use mini SDs with an adaptor, it seems quicker than on the old SPVs. The storage space is welcome as i can encode films down to 200meg and 25 min tv episodes down to 20-30 meg! Its soon easy to load the cards up! (I use a 256 and a 512)

The phone feature utilises the touchscreen mostly, and in PDA mode.Its a bit difficult to use it as a phone with the keypad out. Handsfree works well, and the speaker and mic work well, no crackly noises like on my old E200!

The battery is lasting me over a day with heavy usage, but its always a good idea to have a mini usb plug at work, and one at home, then keep the mains charger for travelling. Also, dont keep the screen on and open if the phone is not being used, its just a waste of battery. Its not let me down yet, and im more than happy with the performance considering the features and heavy usage.



In short, i love this phone!

[Apex]

Thanks for that

[TheAnimus]

thats something seriously worth considering, you guys seen the SP5 too?

I don't think its pocket worthy, but as an alternative to a standard PDA, looks great!

Excuse me while I talk into my laptop sized phone.

[eloquence]

My colleagues got one... they're solid-feeling, and as a PDA they're great. As a phone, they're a brick, and that's coming from someone that owned one of the first 3G video phones. If you'd otherwise want a PDA or laptop with you, then this is a great combination device... all it's missing is a GPS antenna (which is perhaps more significant when you consider how the Sat Nav market has taken off of late).
The problem that I can see if that it's likely to come up against the Treo and Blackberry as an organisation device, or the recent HP which includes phone and GPS (just not 3G and VGA screen), so it's got quite a bit of competition if you don't need video calling.

That said, my colleague has dropped his a few times, and after one the touchscreen stopped working overnight, but started working again, and apart from that glitch it's working fine, so it does seem to be reasonably well built.

Still, I don't think anyone tempted by the likes of the Motorola V3 would be even considering a convergence device like this, so it doesn't really matter if they think it's a bit too big (unless you object to all your friends calling your phone a brick, that is).

[Malt_Vinegar]

Originally Posted by smtkr

Excuse me while I talk into my laptop sized phone.

Hands-free is a winner with this phone, be it bluetooth or cabled. However, does this really matter, im far past needing a phone as a fashion crutch!

eloquence - I can see what ya mean with the other devices available, but the winner for me is Windows Mobile 5, and the large screen with a full qwerty keypad I think thats where this phone excels. Im pretty sure its going to hold its own.

[specofdust]

Don't mind smtkr, think he likes being sarcy

Great review, I actually forgot I was reading a review in a forum there, was like reading one on hexus.net itself

Thing looks good, and you told us pretty much everything i'd wanna know. Only one thing though, what does SPV stand for?

Originally Posted by specofdust

Don't mind smtkr, think he likes being sarcy

Oh dear, they're on to me

/ME considers not posting in General Discussion...nah

[podman]

Sound, Pictures, Video. According to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPV.

And that was a very nice and well written review, thanks

[RedPutty]

great features but too big to hold up and use as a phone IMO. I have a c500 they have a good amount of cpu power and a keyboard must be great to have but the tradeoff is size.

roll on flexible screens

[Malt_Vinegar]

Cheers for the review comments peeps

Red, i love my C500, and i still use it when if i need a smaller phone for any reason, but the M5000's features just blow it away.

Particulary when i can terminal service onto a server at work without being anywhere near a PC

[Parm]

Apologies for breathing new life into such an old thread, but as I pointed in this thread over here, I was recently given a NAVMAN PiN 570 and have had my first experience with a Pocket PC.

I'm already hooked and on the look out for future devices for when I upgrade my phone on my Orange contract. Having had a look around, I really like the look of the SPV M5000 and the features seem fantastic.

I currently own a Nokia N80 and although I think the phone is great, I now find it pales in comparison to a Pocket PC. It does have Wi-Fi mind you, a definate must have for any future phone I get.

Thanks for the great review Malt, I'm so tempted to get one of these now.

[Malt_Vinegar]

Hiya! lol, no worries, i had forgotten all about this forum!!

Glad u did! I upgraded recently to the M3100 on Orange still. I also have the T-mobile version for work.

I might be tempted to do another review, i will be sad to see the m5000 go especially as it was replaced on insurance a few days before i upgraded! Should get me a better price when it goes on ebay, as its mint . The M5000 was a real stepping stone in regards to pure functionality. Alas, its time for it to go, i cant justify 4 Smart/Pocket PC phones!!! (Still have my C500 too!)

[Moby-Dick]

Nice Review Malt

I've just got myself an XDA mini S and so far would say almost the same things about it ( albeit with a slightly smaller keyboard and a touch slower processor )

I do kind of think I'd have been better off with the XDA orbit which has built in GPS , but I already have a tomtom bluetooth GPS unit + tomtom mobile licence from my old SPV M1000 so I might as well use that !

[Parm]

Malt, is the M3100 newer than the M5000 then?

[Malt_Vinegar]

It is indeed