E-TEN has announced the M600+, which is an upgrade of the M600. The M600+ features many of the same specs as the M600, but also sports a 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 support (which will enable Microsoft’s push e-mail) and 256MB flash memory.

Via PocketPCThoughts.

From the news release:

E-TEN Information Systems has announced that it will launch an updated version of its popular M600 Pocket PC Phone at Computex Taipei 2006. The new model, dubbed the M600+, retains the elegant design and impressive core hardware features that made the original M600 a favorite among both the media and consumers, and adds increased 256MB memory capacity, an improved 2.0 mega-pixels camera, and updated software including support for Push email services, to make a great Pocket PC Phone package even better.

The original M600 Pocket PC Phone was designed by E-TEN to deliver a complete communications package in a single compact device. The phone/PDA offers quad-band (worldwide) GSM and GPRS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity options, each of which come supported with a comprehensive suit of software utilities that make keeping in touch while on the move simple and efficient. More highlights of the M600 that earned praise from reviewers include; a fast 400MHz Samsung processor that delivers boosted performance with the latest mobile applications, an extra-bright 2.8″ display, and impressive battery life. Consumers loved the M600 for its elegant antenna-free compact design, versatile SDIO expansion slot, and its ease of use.

With the M600+ E-TEN have made a few modest improvements to the M600 specification to offer better value and features without impacting upon the performance that made the original such a hit favorite. Flash memory has been increased to 256MB (double the original capacity) meaning consumers can load the M600+ with even more mobile applications, personal documents and contact information. Secondly, the built-in camera has been upgraded and is now capable of capturing images up to 2.0 mega-pixels in size. Finally, support for Bluetooth 2.0 has been added.

The M600+ comes preloaded with the latest version of Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, which adds support for Direct Push technology. With Direct Push the mobile capabilities of the M600+ are extended even further by enabling most of the information stored on a corporate Microsoft Exchange Server to be updated directly on the phone. Many mobile professionals are now familiar with ‘Push Email’ services that allow the delivery of certain kinds of emails onto their mobile devices, however on the M600+, Direct Push goes even further allowing contacts, calendars, tasks and other information, in addition to emails, to be sent to the device.

The M600+ will be available soon in all regions and will be priced only reasonably higher than the M600.

E-TEN M600+ Reviews

Trusted Reviews has a review of the E-TEN M600+ and writes, “Battery life proved to be something of a let down. My standard Windows Mobile Pocket PC battery test involves turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but turning the GSM SIM on, having the screen always on and at half its maximum brightness level and ramping up the volume. I then play music continuously off a full battery charge. … My main problem with the E-TEN M600+ is that it is expensive. When you compare its cost to that of connected Pocket PCs on contract from various UK operators it seems prohibitively so, not least because you still need to factor in communications costs. … But evaluated as an all round device, if you don’t mind an approach to graphics design for the software extras that border on the lurid at times, the M600+ is a well featured and functional connected Pocket PC.”

PhoneArena has a review up of the ETEN M600+ and writes, “The M600+ doubles the available memory from 128 to 256 MB. However, it’s a pity that the RAM is still 64MB. Memory can be expanded through the SD card slot placed at the upper part of the phone. It supports the SD I/O standard, so additional hardware like GPS can be installed – the location of the port makes it suitable for such procedures. … The Eten M600+ is a Pocket PC Phone and as expected it offers a lot – but nothing more than the standard functionality. A plus is the large amount of integrated memory (256MB), but despite the powerful processor (400 MHz) you should not expect miracles. The display is a standard one and does not stand out neither in terms of quality, nor in size. The major problem is the basic phone functions – the ringtone volume is not high enough and the sound quality during conversation in both directions is low, distorted and annoying. Design-wise it’s pretty ordinary and does not catch the eye, while a bad impression comes also because of the fact that the buttons are not lit and are inconvenient to use.”