UTStarcom PPC-6700 / XV-6700 / HTC Apache
Average Ratings
Pretty darn close to perfect
I'm on day 12 now and I've been using every feature the phone has to offer minus the camera. I sold my SMT5600 for this so I was very worried about the size but after the last two weeks I'm ok with it.
Pros
-Very easy WiFi setup
-EVDO, I'm getting about 480k sustained
-Bluetooth DUN for laptop
-Bluetooth Activesync actually works!
-Perfect remote sync with Exchange OMA
-Great screen, need to get a protector though
Middle of the line
-Reception
-Size
Cons
-Netstumbler and Highjack install but don't work with WiFi
-Keyboard seems to unlatch every time I take it out of the case, they should have spring-loaded it or something.
-Battery life of course, I'll probably buy a 2nd one and I believe the cradle has the slot for it.
-Installed version of Goodlink doesn't work
-I've seen a few PPC2003 apps complaining the main memory is not the main memory when I install stuff.
-My version of Trendmicro Mobile does not install, just locks up. Not the phone, the install routine.
I have both soft and hard reset the phone but I was install stuff left and right and tweaking stuff so I'm not blaming the phone.
Software I've installed would take forever but here's what I actually use:
-Voice Command
-iNav iGuidance
-SPBweather
-GSPlayer
5 hours with the little gem
Ok, this is a hot off the press review.
Pro:
Small, clear screen, works pretty good in the direct sun, small, keyboard is good for two hand use, setup was easy, active sync is better, small, and overall it is pretty fast. The wifi is a great add on! Feels solid when open or closed.
Con:
I hope first power cycle is not the true battery life.
The keyboard is too long for one hand use, and I have big hands
The slide is a little weak, when you hold the unit is feels a bit like the top rocks. I had to push the top shut a couple of times when I pull it out of the holster. So a little on the weak side when it is in the middle of the slide.
Oh, battery life - better not be that bad.
Sim slot is great, USB is perfect and the camera is quite nice. The closeup mode is PERFECT! Why not more of that on other phones.
In short, I like the phone after day one and will post more reviews. This is the 8th phone this year, so I have some clear ideas of good and bad. The scrap heap includes.
Treo 600 -650
Nokia 9300 - 9500 (I sill love this phone)
Sony this and that
Moto Razor MPX 220 and others (love hate)
SMT-5600
Misc other phones that were just phones. But for PDA - this and the 9300 are the best so far. I like the 9500 - but too bulky and not fast enough.
Knowledge is Key
OK so this is my 1st PDA/Phone device. I love it. now I'm not saying that just because the internet is fast (Verizon EVDO)the interface is smooth and the phone service is great... but those are 3 pretty good reasons.
Those of you who have reviewed this phone and scored it anything less than a 3.5 are either Sprint Customers or don't know what you're doing. I'm not saying that to cause offense or start a chain of nasty messages this is my opinion.
Anyone who expects a PDA device to have a regular battery that lasts more than one day while using a phone, the Internet, calendar messenger service or whatever else you choose to do with it are fooling yourselves. Buy the extended battery... if you can afford $400 or whatever for a phone you can splash the cash for another battery. I get a full days use and I'm a heavy user... I don't mind putting on the cradle when I get home... it's not so tough.
As for bugs and freezing, I have had it over 2 weeks now and not once have I had to reset it. If you clear the running programs occasionally neither should you. Also check the forums for some handy registry edits... they work wonders on speed of the device...
This phone does everything it should be expected to do and if you're looking for more you can buy a laptop stick an air card in it and call it a day.
This is a device for someone who doesn't need the power of a PC but needs the mobility of a cell phone... it's almost perfect.
Cons
screen could be better quality, if Audiovox can stick a 260K screen on the 9900 why not on this? Other than that nothing really that I wouldn't expect from a pocket PC
AMAZING!
With out a doubt, this is the best cellphone device i've ever owned. Coming from a PPC 6600(also one of the best), and a few other phones Iver had and tested, this one really stands out.
PROS:
1.Very nice form factor. I love the size of the phone, and its keyboard is nice! Better than my 6600's keyboard.
2.Nice camera for a cellphone. I had an Hitachi G1000, a Sanyo 8200, a Sanyo 5600, and a PPC 6600 and the camera quality on the PPC 6700 is MUCH better than all all of them.
3.EVDO! That's the main attraction to me. Unlike my PPC 6600, i can now download mp3's, video, or whatever at broadband speeds! Its really nice!
4.WM5 adds new features like windows media player 10 (nice!) and other features that i had to get 3 party apps to use on my 6600.
5.Its really simply to use. Not treo-simple, but much more simple than my hitachi and 6600.
Now for my cons...
1.I do miss the larger screen of my 6600. The 6700's screen is by no means small, its just that the larger screen on my 6600 has spoiled me... lol.
2.WM5 is very new so there isnt much apps or support for it yet. Plus it feels kind of sluggish compared to WM2003 SE. Hopefully there will be a update/fix for this in the future. Its not really that bad though.
3.PIC/VID MAIL. Why sprint didnt include it is beyond me. A phone with a camera this good should of included it. I heard that sprint will release an update so that's cool. In the meantime u can just email pics and vids to people. Its ok, but pic/vid mail is way better...U can share MUCH easier with different carriers. Its easier than trying to email them a pic because u have to include their phone#, carrier email, and u may not be familiar with email addresses from different carriers.
I gave it a 4.5 because of those few cons. While no phone/device is perfect, this one comes close. The Baddest phone i ever had...BARNONE!
MONEY WELL SPEND
I was hoping for a good smart phone to come out , and man was it good to wait for this one. the phone is great battery on the phone is excellent, easy to use even for a beginner in smart phones. well to make thing easy and short i can tell you that if you are the tipe of person that ones the best don't look anymore, this is so far the best phone out there. so if u have a few bucks to spend GET IT . NOW
Beautiful Little Beast
The sales rep suggested the 6700 when I called to order the 6600, because the price was the same. I've had this phone for about 12 hours now, and it came with 90% battery life already in it. WiFi was turned off by default, so I kept it that way based on the user reviews so far saying it increases battery life. 12 hours later, it has about 30% left. I've made a few phone calls. Signal strength appears to be good thus far. I haven't dropped any calls... (Sprint). I streamed online radio for probably a good 45 minutes. Every once in a while I'd get a jitter or rebuffering of the stream, but otherwise went without a hitch.
Came with travel and desktop charger (convertible), and a sweet set of headphones with mic for handsfree talking. Speaker phone works beautifully. Camera is good, but is definitely 1.3 megapixel quality. Picture size is nice, fills up the entire screen. Standard PDA screen size is nice, but the landscape mode is truly awesome.
Whoever reported that your backlight goes out for no apparent reason, it's because you're holding the power off button down to long. Just press the button to power the PDA off. Holding it down toggles the backlight on and off.
Pros:
Bigger keyboard buttons
Choose screen orientation whether keyboard is out or not.
Good sound quality, especially with included headphones.
You can turn the PDA portion off during a call, as well as use the PDA during the call (except for audio players).
Seemingly decent battery life vs other PDAs I've tested.
Cons
Joystick, I was skeptic at first, but it's really not that bad. Rubber top for easy control. Not like the cell phone joysticks of the past (i.e. Samsung N400).
IE Default home page loads each time you hit the side IE button to open Internet Explorer, even if you have changed the Home page to something different.
Can't seem to remove any proprietary Microsoftware (i.e. Pocket MSN, Action Info, etc) to make room for more space.
I would say this PDA-phone is the most perfect yet!
Great Phone
I have had this phone about 1 week now. I feel it is much better than my Blackberry 7520:
Pros:
Nice keyboard for typing responces
Very nice camera
Screen is larger than the Blackberry
Form factor is more comfortable to hold than the 7520
using Wmodem can be used to access Sprint 1xRT/EVDO network for high speed access
Cons:
The signal strength does not appear to be as strong (but it does not appear to effect voice quality or data through put)
Every now and again I need to enable flight mode then disable to get active sync to work again
Battery life is bad (But appears to be getting better...not sure if my interaction with the phone is lower or the battery is better after several cycles)
I did not use the PTT on my 7520 so that is not a hit for me. I find the features and vocie quality much better than my old 7520.
This is the almost perfect PDA phone
Well, after 4 days with the PPC 6700, I'd have to say it is near perfect. I have had the treo 650 and it was horrible (just my opinion). The Bluetooth is perfect and the wifi is great. The reception of the phone is a big improvement over the PPC 6600 and the treo 650. The video does play the full length and width of the screen. The only cons on this phone that made just short of perfect were the battery life, and the slide. I love the qwerty keyboard, but the slide should have been spring loaded like the Samsung A800 and the LG MM535.
XV 6700
First, thanks to all who have posted in the past. Your reviews have not gone unheard. I think I've read them all to help me decide in which direction I needed to go.
I just activated my xv6700 and I like it alot. I needed a phone first and web access next, PDA function will come in handy but was critical in my choice. With a push of one button I have phone, with one click I have internet...Its' simple to use, end of that story.
Service in MPLS is great and haven't lost a call. Internet service is relatively fast but work has WIFI in all buildings so I'm on line fast anyway. Had one glitch that needed fixing...needed to toggle off the "My Phone" feature, now all I get is the start/home page. Battery seems good so far...one charge a day.
Was looking at the Samsung I730 and this is much easier to use overall. Also bought the Seidio holster and This is the best of the best.
Does anyone have suggestions for screen covers/protectors...bought some but they seem cheap and very reflective. I'll add more info as I use it more. As of this time it will replace an older Dell laptop...can you believe it!!!
Great phone
i just got this phone and i already got through all the ups and downs of the device. windows Media Player 9 is a lot better then Windows Media Player 10. Windows Media Player 10 just needs the playlist features that Windows Media Player 9 had. if i were in charge of Windows Mobile i would have never made Windows Media Player 10 for it. the device speed is ok i guess. if speaker quallity the the phone is really good. the screen is just a bit small though. i upgraded from an HP iPAQ H6315. overall i like Windows Mobile 2003 better but i do like some of the new stuff in Windows Mobile 5. the backwards compatiblity sucks but i did get a few things working. i do like the add-ins to Microsoft office for the device. the camera is great. the connection stuff is better then ever. i hate that there is no MMS messaging in it. Sprint says that the device has 128MB of ROM but only 48MB of it is apearing. what the heck did the put on it to depleat that much storage space. in ways i like the ROM storage better but not if there is not even enough space on it to install more then 5 applications. some of the stuff that Sprint put on the device i don't even know what it is for. i really like the keyboard that the device has. even with its flaws i think its a good phone.
