I have tried and returned EVERY Orange SPV phone they've released. They are all utterly useless:

They "run" Windows, which perpetually crashes and is really slow, they have VERY poor receive sensitivity, low transmit power, poor bluetooth (both range and quality are awful), and poor battery life. In short, they're USELESS.

I'm now happily using a Treo without problems.

'They "run" Windows, which perpetually crashes and is really slow'

Ummm.... my MDA compact last crashed about 7-8 months ago (nothing major, quick soft reset sorted it) and its fast enough to play Doom, listen to music and watch full length films.

I wont bother trying to counter the other points but will say that as an ex-Palm user ( 4 different models), Im happy with my MDA (no I dont like MS but pragmatism kicks in every now and then)

This new model looks interesting but I will wait and see, doesnt seem a huge step up from what I already have.

Many HTC TyTNs have been returned by owners because of screen alignment and keyboard problems. Most machines with serial numbers starting HT626, HT628 & HT630 are affected. I know as have returned two myself.

As for the SPV M3100, I have had my one for a day. The main issue is that to make a call you need to press the 'on' switch before you can press the key for the keyboard - how can you call this a 'phone'? Call quality is not as good as the SE P990, SE M600 or Nokia 9500. Will add more comments as I have more experience of this device.

Nice phone, nice PDA, much better build quality than the previous small factor HTC PDA phones (vario/MDA). Good quality camera, excellent use of buttons and scroll wheel. Even the voice dialling seems to work without a hitch. Looks good, feels solid (haven't dropped it yet tho!).

Gripes ?

Explorer through 3G seem to take ages "Locating" - moving between cells can leave you with a frustrating "Locating" message - problem with explorer or Orange 3G ?

Twice now (in three days) my phone has dropped off the network and getting back on has been either by hard reset or into and out of flight mode.

Finally - ORANGE!! - spend less money on silly inflatable animals and let me have a resonably priced 3G data access package! - if you don't I'll start using wi-fi n skype !

can i use older/slower version of skype on the M600 ? any one tried it ? does it work ?