Latest Orange SPV gets Bluetooth and integrated camera

Orange has unveiled the SPV E200, the latest and most feature rich version of its smart phone based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system.

The phone looks like the earlier SPV, which received a facelift four months ago, but adds Bluetooth short-range wireless connectivity and an integrated camera which can record "almost camcorder quality" video clips, according to a spokesman.

The phone should be priced between £150 and £250 in the UK from November, depending on tariffs options, and is an Orange 'signature phone' - one of a select line up of high-end models that include features such as Orange Backup, a network-based service. Other Orange signature phones will be based on software from Palm and Symbian, while Motorola's MPx200 is one of the first Microsoft-based smart phones from a well-known handset maker.

At the same time, research commissioned by Orange and carried out by Edge Strategies in Europe and Asia has found Windows Mobile-based smart phones see a 25 per cent up tick in ARPU (average revenue per user). Orange, like other operators, is trying to glean an ever-greater proportion of its revenues from non-voice services.

However, an Orange spokesman also pointed out that SPV users also increase their time speaking on the phone as they typically follow up emails and other messages.

It was also pointed out that while the camera takes good quality video clips, they are not designed for messaging over the current Orange network. Research has shown around 83 per cent of SPV users sync their devices with PCs and for now this is how the phone’s creators foresee sharing of clips taking place.

The launch comes on the eve of the four-yearly ITU Telecom World event in Geneva, where Orange, Microsoft and all the major players in the industry will be making a number of announcements.

silicon.com will be following developments, including Bill Gates' keynote presentation, from this weekend onwards.