NEW SPV LAUNCHES

Over the past few years Orange’s range of Windows Mobile-powered smartphones – the SPVs - have gained something of a cult following. The latest in the series, the SPV C600, sports a similar candy-bar style and set of features to its predecessor the music phone the C550, but Orange has made a couple of significant improvements. The handset now boasts Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, which certainly speeds up menu navigation, and also the handset has a joystick control system as opposed to the slightly less usable rocker switches of its forbears. Other facilities include a 320 x 240 colour screen, a 1.3 megapixel camera and 64MB internal memory. Alas there’s no Wi-Fi and the phone is GPRS in the UK, and it runs on EDGE in other countries.

FUJITSU PALMSECURE

For those who want extra security on their Laptop or PC, there is nothing better than a biometric security device. The latest in these is the Fujitsu PalmSecure, which uses a person's veins as the password. The device emits near-infrared rays that are absorbed by the deoxidised haemoglobin present in blood flowing through a user's palm veins pattern, which is then verified against the users pre-registered pattern to grant (or deny) access. The PalmSecure will retail in India for Rs 15,750 when it launches in July this year.