Audiovox SMT 5600 / SPV C500 (HTC Typhoon)
Average Ratings
This phone is just about perfect
This phone has almost everything I've been looking for. I had it unlocked and am using it with T-Mobile. I was able to get everything, including web access working fine. I've even got it checking my POP3 Email too. I also have it syncing with my laptop and desktop, thereby keeping both Calendars, contacts and tasks synced up.
Good:
Great screen, prefect size, nice and bright.
Phone feels nice and solid but isn't heavy.
Very fast interface...wonderful after several years with my T68.
Some people have complained about slow boot and shutdown times but I haven't seen this. It boots and shuts down in under 15 seconds.
You can charge and sync the phone at the same time with one cable
Speaker phone is good, not great, but very usable.
Camera is fine, but I don't use it for everyday picture taking, more for picture ID, and it serves that purpose well.
Good key feel and despite the complaints about the joystick replacement, I've found it very easy to get used to.
Great battery life
Great reception
Recommended improvements rather than cons:
Bluetooth should be easier to use, like the latest Pocket PCs. I can set it up to sync with one computer via bluetooth and my bluetooth headset, but can't sync with second computer via bluetooth. Not so bad since I use the USB cable on one machine to charge the phone anyway.
Should find an easier way to disconnect the bluetooth device after sync completes.
Maybe I just haven't found out how yet, but I'd like to be able to change the order of the start menu items.
If you want to see a list of your tasks based on category, you have to download a third party app, but fortunately there are plenty out there.
Need to add the ability to initiate a voice dial with the bluetooth headset while phone is locked.
They need something rubbery on the side to keep if from sliding out of your hand.
If you're a power user and need a phone to keep you organized among other features, this is the one. Been 2 weeks now and I love it!!
Please Read!!!
I'll tell you now, the half point off is because there doesn't seem to be many regular headsets (corded ones) that you can buy at the store to use with this phone. The mic won't work for some reason... it comes with stereo headphones, I just wanted an upgrade. I'll be going bluetooth soon.
Having got that out of the way... I plug my phone in every night before bed. Why is this difficult? Why is a slow startup such a horrible thing? It's not 3 or 4 minutes, its maybe 60 seconds.
The phone is tiny, and has a large screen. The pictures are fine for a camara phone (lets be realistic here).
I put a 512 MiniSD in it and can shrink movies down to put on it. I currently have Napoleon Dynamite, Vanilla Sky and Bourne Supremacy on it. If you watch your task manager, there will be no hitches in performance or play. MP3's sound great. Movies look great. Ringtones are whatever you want. Wallpaper is whatever you want. I downloaded a Windows mobile program that allows you to create a wallpaper and pick all your color schemes. It's great! Navigation is simple. Reception is as good or better than I'm used to where I live. Voice dialing is excellent. You can customize up to 20 buttons to either dial numbers OR OPEN PROGRAMS. That's right, I programed the #9 key to open my task manager. I programed my #6 key to open my file explorer. Here's the thing... it has everything you'd want, lets check them off...
Windows Mobile 2003
Windows Media Player 10
Watch full length movies and listen to MP3's.
Make your own wallpaper
Make your own color schemes
Take pictures and video with sound (all normal phone quality)
One touch Voice Dialing
Infrared
Bluetooth
Access the internet
Comes with Sync software and data cable
Drag and drop files to the optional MiniSD
Decent battery life
Fully operational calander with reminders
Alarm clock
Photo caller ID/photo contacts
Number dialing
One touch Voice recorder
Sync all your contacts from your desktop MS Outlook.
This phone does everthing you'd want.
The Greatest Big Little Thing!!!
This is the best thing to happen since notebooks happened to PC.
If your looking for a great quality phone that has the capabilities of or are comparable to your HUGE "smart phones" you have just been beamed straight through the clouds. This thing is the only thing I carry on the go, I update my calendar during business calls via my notebook on the plane, and by the time I touch down and take my 5600 off of flight mode I pop my bluetooth in and I have no worries!
Cons
Minimal if any this may be a slightly difficult structure for some first timers.
Pros
Super light, good camera if your not shooting a full length picture, great outlook linking process. The beam link is even faster than the RAZR. The sound and reception quality are both supreme Good Job Cingular you guys struck gold with this one!
This phone is the works for a quick easy was to base a start up company on your wire less handset and still be incognito!!!!!
NICE PHONE!!! Too bad only Cingular has it here...
I tried this phone with Cingular and aside from the middle paddle button being a little difficult to get use to and the fact that it has a camera (I can't stand phones with cameras) it is quite possibly the best phone out there for the money.
The PDA functionality works quite well and for my use of a PDA/phone it doesn't matter that it lacks a qwerty keyboard, I only input on my computer and just transfer to my cell/PDA to read from it so not having the qwerty and thus being able to significantly reduce the size of the phone was really nice.
Overall just an incredibly nice phone for the price, I wish I still had it, but Cingular in my area drops calls like theres no tomorrow, so I had to give it up to go back to Verizon.
Oh well...
SIMPLY THE BEST!...
This phone is simply the best! I used this phone when I worked for my previous wireless employer, and LOVED it in every sense of the word. Great signal, no dropped call problems, great battery, awesome features! The OS was smooth, applications included were great. I downloaded Microsoft Streets and Maps, and the maps that I needed. Browswer was above average, I could pull up just about any website that I tried to. The camera was VGA but better than most, much better than the V551 which my co-workers used. Video was much longer also, especially if you use an SD card.
PROs
= Bluetooth
= Video & camera better than most
= OS works great, no flaws or bugs
= Long battery life
= The whole phone rocks!!!
CONs
= Not a 1.3mp camera
= Not CDMA (no longer using Cingular b/c of where I now live)
I absolutely loved this phone while I had it. Sold it because I now live in a non-GSM area and can't use it. Bummer! I have used about 20 different phones, including the TREO 650, Blackberry, Nokia's and others...this one is by far best!
Perfect Phone
If you're looking for a true smart phone that allows email access, web access, media player and decent camera/video all wrapped up in a small form factor, this is it!! I have owned more than 60 phones in the past 5 years simply because I am a gadget geek. I have been looking for a smart phone that will allow me access to email with access to attachments. This phone does it all and is surprisingly small and well made. I tried the Moto MPx-220 when it came out and returned it 3 times in the first month before finally selling it. This phone is LIGHT YEARS better.
PROS**
Small form factor - not TOO small
Well made and durable
Excellent screen - visible in daylight
Fast interface and web access
Easy sync with Outlook
Camera/video is more than decent
MiniSD allows for MP3's
T9 text is one of the best I've used
CONS**
I really, honestly can't come up with a real con. The battery could be better, but it's not bad at all. I used it quite a bit for data and phone for three days without a charge.
I would recommend a case to protect the screen if you plan to drop it into your pocket, but it's a GREAT phone with features that I haven't even tried yet. Usually, I am on the hunt within 30 days of every phone purchase looking for the latest and greatest, but I haven't even thought about it with this one. I think I may have found a phone that I can actually get my money's worth from!!
Mostly happy
I've had the phone two months. I have Cingular and the coverage is great in Cincinnati, where I am, and in other cities. My pros are pretty much the same as all the rest. Cons: The stereo headset is horrible. t9 text gets on my nerves when I get stuck in it, haven't figured everything out yet.
I have ordered a 1 GB mini SD card and can't wait for that. Overall, great phone and I've owned plenty.
Best Phone Currently Available!
I've had this phone for a week now and am convinced it's the best available. My previous T-Mobile PPC Phone was bulky and flaky. I also tried and returned the Motorola MPx200 (ATTWS) due to sluggish UI and data connection and bad reception.
PROS:
The size/weight of this phone are tiny. The screen is big, bright and sharp. An easy lock/unlock and USB sync/charge cable top it off. I'll review Windows SmartPhone 2003SE software separately, but it is quite smooth and very stable.
The AT&T reception with this phone is fantastic in Redmond and Seattle even with no protruding antenna! Data connections are speedy, and my experience with customer service has been great over 3 calls.
CONS:
Of course even the best will have some flaws, hence the 4.5 rating.
1. Elusive Enter Key: This rocker design is awesome for up/down, left/right, but clicking enter (press down) is an exercise in surgery.
2. Flat Number Keypad: The flat, continuous buttons have little tactile separation. There is just enough room to have shifted the text to the outer edges and have more bevel along the center column to make them truly discrete.
3. Tiny Volume/Camera Buttons: The volume button is so tiny it's hard to differentiate between up and down. Plus the location is directly opposite the camera button (also tiny) so it's too easy to accidentally press both. There is enough real estate for these to be twice the size.
4. Low Volume: Even at max the volume is too low. Fortunately the speakerphone is great and I'll probably use that most often. I haven't tried the earbuds.
5. Camera Limited: Outdoors or in great light it's good. But the resolution is low and in moderate to dim light it's useless.
6. No Accessories Yet: Want a desktop cradle and car cradle with audio hookup to play MP3s. Also the included belt holster is high quality but doubles the phone size.
Even with these flaws this phone is the best one on the market. A marvel of miniaturization.
Highly recommended.
A month with my 5600
I give it a 4.5 because nothing made by man can be perfect. I had become so frustrated with the reception of my old MPx200 that I actually migrated back to tdma for a while. During this time, I was miserable without my PDA/phone. When the 5600 came out, I decided to give it a shot since it has GSM850 and GSM 1900. My experience here in the DC area is dramatically improved reception. I can now use my phone at home. I also notice that tower handoffs are handled easily rather than simply dropping the call.
Windows Mobile 2003SE is a godsend for those of us that suffered through WM2002 and begged for an update. Activesync now works correctly unlike in WM2002. WMP10 is amazing!! I subscribe to Napster To Go and have sync'd several hundred tracks to my phone in just a week. Certainly makes for a more pleasant train ride to work. A few add ons make the phone complete. I now have Mobipocket Reader for eBooks, Mapopolis, ClearVue Suite for when I need to take MS Office docs with me, Agile Messenger to pass the time chatting on yahoo and AOL, Oxios ToDo List because I use tasks extensively. I now have everything I need on my phone and am happier than ever with my 5600. Extra bonus, my MPx200 car charger also works on the 5600.
I was a little concerned with the Cingular transition, but I paid $38 to get my phone unlocked and they will sell me an Orange SIM for $25 and migrate me so I can get a comparable plan with Rollover minutes and unlimited internet for $5 less than I pay now. Now I am truly happy.
Pros: Size, bright screen, cleartype, WMP10, great reception.
Cons: Lousy camera (not a big issue for me), tiny volume buttons, keyboard backlight doesn't stay on long enough and doesn't come on when keys are locked, the supplied case stinks, would prefer a holster or clip.
Windows Mobile must have
This is a truly remarkable phone - everyone I have shown the SMT 5600 to wants to buy one immediately (let's hope ATTWireless has lots in stock).
Only minor issue I've come across is the joystick - which is hard to press in without going left or right or up or down.
Also I'd have preferred a higher resolution camera - but what's there is good, just not best in class.
Everything else is terrific:
Charging & Sync via mini USB works a charm.
Display is one of best I've ever seen.
Works great as a phone (which wasn't always the case with it's predecessors).
Best of all though is when you use the multimedia capabilities: this phone was built from the ground up to work with the new Windows Media Player 10 - it automatically syncs all your MP3 & WMA content, as well as video & TV content (and by the way video playback in Windows Media Video looks beautiful - no jerkiness) and here's the really cool bit: it works with any of the Windows Media Music Services (ATTWireless has their own but so do MSN & Walmart & a ton of others) - I have Napster's Music Subscription service so for $15 a month you can have practically any songs you want sync'd to your phone.
I haven't checked out the Bluetooth functionality but it's there for anyone that needs it.
