If you're on the market for a PDA-type cellphone, the SPV M600 from Orange may be the phone for you. According to a review at RegHardware, this may be the best Windows Mobile smart phone available.

The reviewer says the new control design makes the SPV M600 easier to use than earlier devices. Four new buttons: two soft keys, a Start menu button and an OK button make control easier. On the left side are three controls: the top one starts the camera application, the middle is the volume rocker, and there’s a new button that launches the Comm Manager if pressed briefly or the voice recorder if held in. The Comm Manager allows you to set the phone to flight mode, enable the Wi-Fi radio, enable silent mode, turn Bluetooth on and off, and enable the sync applications.

The top of the SPV M600 has a slot for a standard-size SD card, which also supports SD IO cards. On the right side is the stylus, the power button, and the infrared window. On the bottom is a 2.5mm audio jack and a mini USB 2.0 port. The camera at the rear has been upgraded from the M500 to two-megapixel resolution and a macro mode, with no flash. There’s also a loud speaker.

The processor is a kind of slow Texas Instruments OMAP 850 at 195MHz, the reviewer said. The Flash memory has been increased from the M500's 64MB to 128MB. The RAM is still set at 64MB, though you could upgrade. The phone has a quad-band GSM radio, and the M600 also supports EDGE for faster GPRS data transfers. The M600 has Bluetooth 2.0 which is handy for faster wireless data synchronisation and it supports 802.11g.

The screen is still a 2.8in, 240 x 320 LCD. But according to the review, you can flip the display into landscape mode, for better use with certain apps, websites, and the camera application. He said the screen seems to collect dust and is awkward to clean. Still, it's easy to read in most light except for direct sunlight. The battery's charge seemed to last a long time, and you should get three or four days use from a single charge.

The boxed accessories include a USB-to-mini-USB cable, a charger, a carry case, and a stereo headset with microphone.

Overall, their reviewer says the Orange SPV M600 is a good Windows Mobile 5 smart phone at a low price. It doesn't have 3G support, but with EDGE you still get fairly decent download speeds and, if you need faster access, the built-in Wi-Fi gives you the option to access wireless hotspots.