Mobile phone network Orange's next smart phone has made its web debut in the form of an allegedly leaked pic of the handset.

The SPV C550, as it's being dubbed, appears to be the successor to the current SPV C500, made by Taiwan's HTC, which calls it the Typhoon. The C550 also appears to be an HTC product, an updated version of the manufacturer's Amadeus music-oriented handset, better known as the T-Mobile SDA Music.

Certainly, the leaked picture - assuming it's genuine, of course - shows a keypad and control layout that matches that of Amadeus. However, CoolSmartPhone's published specification, suggests that the C550 is a kind of Amadeus 2.

According to the site, the new smart phone will sport a 240 x 320 LCD capable of displaying 262,000 colours. There's a 1.3 megapixel camera on board too, along with 64MB of RAM and a Mini SD slot for extra storage. The handset offers the usual USB, infra-red and Bluetooth connectivity.

Apparently, the hints are that Orange is preparing a May 2005 release date for the new handset. The network is already known to be preparing a version of HTC's Universal 3G palmtop handset, along with versions of the Taiwanese ODM's Alpine and Magician PocketPC phones. Clearly, Orange intends to beef up its line of own-brand handsets, as O2 and T-Mobile have done. ®

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