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I've had the privilege of using the Orange SPV C500 as my primary phone for the past few months. The C500 replaced my previous E200 Smartphone which I reviewed last year. Despite the impressive features, the E200 still lacked in its ability to perform as a phone. While it was a significant improvement over the original SPV, it still had some trouble with basic phone functions. A successor to the Orange E200, the C500 brings Microsoft's Smartphone brand to a whole new level. Finally we have a phone with the advanced characteristics we've come to expect from the SPV line and that is more than capable of functioning as a phone Touted as "the worlds smallest Smartphone", Orange's latest addition is much welcome to the Smartphone industry. It's truly the first Microsoft Smartphone that targets enthusiasts while remaining an exceedingly attractive option for business and consumer users. *Note: This review could also apply to the Audiovox SMT 5600 from AT&T Wireless in the United States. There are some minor differences between the devices, but they are essentially the same. The GSM radio on the Audiovox is tri-band (850, 1800, 1900 MHz) and therefore is not considered a world phone. The GSM radio on the Orange C500 is tri-band (900, 1800, 1900 MHz) and therefore will not work on the expanded 850 MHz GSM networks in North America. However, the Orange C500 is still considered a world phone since 1900 MHz networks are still common in North America. 
The C500 comes with the fastest processor (200 MHz) of an SPV phone yet. Combined with the more refined Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, this yields a much friendlier user experience. Menus are appropriately responsive, and having multiple programs running doesn't affect speed too much. The new intuitive navigation menu is a refreshing change from the old cluttered home screen. It provides direct access to Messages, Contacts, Missed Calls, etc. from pop out menus on the left side of the screen. The integrated camera offers a one-step method for changing the background picture of the home screen.   
There are a few fixes in Internet Explorer (IE) from the previous version (such as the preceding http:// that remains even if you clear the address bar to enter a new URL). Navigation with IE is improved—it will no longer reload the page unnecessarily when browsing your favourites or returning to the page you were previously viewing. There are still a few features that I'd like to see in IE. The ability to download files is one. I wanted to download a small video file from our website but the extension wasn't supported. While I'm on this topic, I may as well mention that there is still no GPRS counter on the phone. While unlimited GPRS data is getting cheaper, it's still not down into the impulse purchase range. I'm on a fixed transfer data plan, and remaining under the transfer limit is a major concern of mine as overages can be quite expensive. Text input is marginally better than its predecessor. Orange has managed to fix some of the problems with the T9 that it had with previous models. Words would often be forgotten from the T9 dictionary, and there wasn't a clear way to see alternative words from a menu. The C500 fixes these two problems and offers an easier way to switch between modes; there is a popup menu that is displayed if you hold down the * button.   
As we learned with previous SPV models, all these features are of no benefit if the battery is dead. Missing the daily phone charging routine used to mean no phone for the day. Now it's possible to go up to 4-5 days without a charge. I can get between 2 to 3 days of charge with heavy music playback.
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