The Orange Rio II is very pocket friendly but if you buy this handset then there will be certain quirks to live by on the day to day basis. On paper the Orange Rio II claims to be a great bet with Blackberry-style features and a QWERTY keyboard with that landscape touchscreen. The handset supports microSD card slot and also has the HSDPA features.
It should be noted that the first sequel too had impressive features but was a difficult thing to use, so the question is that is the second part any better? On paper the Orange Rio II claims to be a great bet with Blackberry-style features and a QWERTY keyboard with that landscape touchscreen. The handset supports microSD card slot and also has the HSDPA features. It should be noted that the first sequel too had impressive features but was a difficult thing to use, so the question is that is the second part any better?
Features
The handset is light and slim with a D-pad control along with a touchscreen which makes it accessible by a single hand.There is a 3.5 mm jack at the top of the phone, although the retail box doesn’t have a stereo headset. There is a micro USB port on the right side meant for syncing and charging. Alongside is the camera shutter press. Volume rocker switches are also present on the body.
In-between the two call control keys is the D-pad which is dedicated to client emails and the main menu. Beneath the D-pad is the keyboard with similar keys and a rising edge. For novices this keyboard may actually seem too cramped and it will possibly take an ample lot of time for beginners to get used to this. A plus point is the dedicated locations allotted to the punctuation keys, so the layout is good. The space bar provided is also big and easy to access.
High points
The price tag of Rio II is exceptional. The landscape screen of Rio II comes with a resolution of 320 X 240 pixels, which actually isn’t that high but is good enough for a budget handset like this one. The screen is bright with great viewing angles something that most budget displays lack. This is the reason why cheap phones usually have those dull and murky photographs and videos however Orange is way better than that.
Various features and a classy design are two things that will attract most buyers toward this handset. Another watch out factor is the QWERTY keypad.
Low points
The phone lacks a Wi-Fi network so a user should have Orange’s internet connection for accessing the web. There is no GPS facility in the phone and the battery works dull. Also the screen is really slow when it comes to registering that touch input. It makes use of the older technology instead of the capacitive one. The older resistive technology isn’t very efficient when it comes to registering finger presses. So the screen has to be pressed firmly in order to register your input. This can turn pretty annoying at times when the user is in a particular hurry. In fact users might find it easier to navigate with a D-pad instead of the touch screen.
The set has a custom operating system which pretty much resembles the android however it lacks the advanced features. The phone has basic stuff like web browsers and certain dedicated apps like Facebook and Twitter. When users switch between the apps, the phone functions really sluggishly.
The multimedia experience that this phone delivers is quite average with a basic video camera and a reasonable memory space for storing some audio tracks. The camera has nothing exceptional too, it has a fixed lens with no flash facility. If the light isn’t adequate then users will have to compromise with the quality of the pictures taken.
Price
You can get this Orange handset for a paltry sum of £70 so it’s not that hard on the pocket. Overall the final verdict about this phone is that the phone is somehow quirky and though it tries to portray itself as true value for money but the features area just sheer compromise on the quality of phoning experience.
