UTStarcom PPC-6700 / XV-6700 / HTC Apache
Average Ratings
Mac Users Beware
I've owned this phone for less than a week and I am so frustrated by now that I'm ready to resell it already.
Need to buy third party software to sync (Pocketmac or Missing Sync), but neither works with Windows Mobile 5 yet. So, I can't sync any of my contact/calendar information.
Can't seem to find a way to access the speakerphone before making a call. I can only access it during a call.
And for some reason, the phone is already out of memory. I downloaded ONE program, a mozilla browser to use instead of IE. Now, I can't even take a picture because it's out of memory.
And it ran out of battery yesterday while I was at work. It hadn't yet been away from the cradle for 10 hours.
There is no star or pound key on the slide out keyboard.
Plus, I can't get it to work as a modem for my laptop, something I'd read it would do in more than one place. I've followed all the instructions very carefully, even got it to pair with my laptop through bluetooth, but it still won't send any information back and forth. So, the two machines see each other but they won't talk.
Not only that, but it won't even SEE my bluetooth headset!
So, other than the occasional incoming call, which I blindly answer wondering who it might be, this phone is useless to me.
I thought I'd done all my homework before buying this phone. Saw all the reviews, most were great. The negative ones were silly (can't see in the sunlight, slide keyboard looks cheap, etc). Read how other Mac users were using it. I thought it was a sound purchase. But I was SO wrong. My recommendation for Mac users is to steer clear of this phone.
New Purchase Rebate Plan for Geniuses
The next generation of this phone should be available soon so I suggest that the executives at UTStarcom get busy planning a New Purchase Rebate Plan exclusively for current users (geniuses) of The 6700. Current owners should get an option to trade in their old 6700 in exchange for a $100:$200 discount off the purchase of the new âGeniusPhoneâ or âComplicatedPhone.â
I think The 6700 is awesome (I use it to edit & FTP web pages), however it is too slow, too user unfriendly & has too many bugs. As a new product engineer, I am totally offended and I donât understand why this phone ever passed its internal Usability Testing. As many hardware suppliers do, UTStarcom, donât blame Microsoft, if you know that the OS is lacking features then write your own WM5 add-ons to increase user appreciation for your hardware.
I hope you donât have to be a genius to operate The 6700 Successor, however if the planners at UTStarcom are struggling with this then they should take note from LG. LG does a great job of designing hardware/software user interfaces. I have three degrees however if the planners at UTStarcom don't learn from their mistakes with The 6700 then I may need another to operate this new âComplicatedPhoneâ.
Not a Review but a recommendation
I don't have this phone but if you are looking for a charger for this phone you will find that the Motorola RAZR chargers work just fine. The input on the phone looks slightly different than that of the RAZR, however it plugs in just fine and charges the phone.
Are you listen to yourselves?
If you want a PDA, ill give that this one is a decent PDA but we are talking about a phone with windows mobile. This is a lousy phone because all the cons you have already said. Some of you said well i have to hack it get some future. Why would you do that? Don't you think it was done in that way for a reason?? Other said well i don't have good signal (what phone you got there) Some other said: well, i can see it very under the sunlight (so how could all those feature help you if you can no see under some circumstances) Other said, the battery run time has some trouble. The slide feature is not good at all, i want to see you doing several stuff at once and you need to send an important message on your way. You said the best of both world, come on, it may some good stuff from the PDA world (but definitely not the best) but as phone, well sorry to say a complete fail. Don't worry, I not a Treo fan because I was really disappointed about the Treo 700. I thought after Treo 650, the Treo 700 would be the greatest but I was completely wrong. neither the Treo 700 and the PPC 6700 can compete as phone to my old palm OS Treo 650. neither the EVDO, more talk than use at the end. Therefore, until a true PHONE /PDA appears in the market, I just stick with my Palm OS Smartphone Treo 650 (cheaper and does the job better for the phone part and still I can send my documents without any trouble, plus the sound system is better than the PPC)
Regards,
RG
PS: I gave it 1.5 out of 2.5 for the PDA features and 0.5 out of 2.5 for the phone part. So, out of 5 point it gets 2 (and I am being nice by considering his PDA features taking into account we are evaluating here smartphones)
No Thanks
Although this is a nifty gadget you need to ask yourself how you're planning on using it. It's certainly more PDA than phone. Do plan on using this when driving with or without a bluetooth headset? If so this is not the unit for you. I found myself accidentally pushing buttons (especially when in its your pocket). The back light would go off and you must push the power button over and over again to get to the main screen. The speaker is AWFUL. I don't use the speaker phone but as far as hearing it ring, forget it. The earphone speaker is pretty crappy as well. You have to go into the sync menu and into the Windows folder to add any tunes you want to assign to different contacts and then add those tunes yourself. A real drag especially when it's eats up memory. The plastic case is easily dinged and the slide feels cheap. The keyboard is ok but the Blackberry is much easier to see and use. The screen is invisible outside in the sun. It looks really cool but I am going back to my BB as user friendliness is much more important that the gadget factor. You would think Audiovox would at the very least make the thing easy to hear with a good speaker for $579. The mail took forever to load and I had to send manually every time I wanted to check my hotmail. No thanks.
A feature-laden geek device
My first draft was 3500 characters. 2000 are allowed so the most crucial points survived.
I've used a number of phones, a number of PDAs, AND a number of PDA-phones. This is by far my favorite. First, my only CON is its looks. It's somewhat stylish, but square. It's solid, durable, and managed to withstand my 1yr-old and I dropping it many times.
The screen is huge compared to most PDA-phones. The slide is sturdy and after 10 months of abuse, it hasn't jammed or loosened unlike other sliders I've had. The keys are well-spaced and easy to use. The joystick feature can't be beat to scroll websites, documents, and spreadsheets. The stylus is the perfect length and girth. The phone has greater battery life than I had first expected, lasting a good day with casual use. It also has many battery-saving options.
Windows Mobile 5 is phenomenal and easy to use. The Office Suite is first-class and Internet Explorer is the best mobile browser I've used. Syncing the device to your computer and/or exchange server is easy simple, and bug-free. The third-party software availability is excellent. The processor speed is sufficient for any program currently available. The music and videos are awesome on this phone with the support of up to a 2GB miniSD card. You can also access internet radio stations with Windows Media Player. The camera takes great pictures and huge videos.
The WIFI functions right out of the box with any 802.11x router and is very sensative to near-by networks. Overall, the phone is arguably the most feature-laden on the market today. Even having been released a year ago it beats the more-recent Treo 700WX and Samsung IP-830W hands-down.
Overall, this phone is geared toward tech-savvy people. To avoid some of the CONS mentioned by some reviewers, edit the registry to improve your experience. I recommend http://ppcgeeks.com.
Bottom line is if you are looking for a feature-laden geek device, this is mecca. However if you want style, go elswhere.
This Phone Took Over My Life
I bought this phone at full retail price, and it is my third experience with a PDA - my previous two being Palm devices.
I originally used this device in the Bay Area, where the EVDO high-speed service was excellent with web-browsing (Verizon Wireless).
I live in Western North Carolina now, and I can still vouch that although the internet service is slower with the 1XRTT platform, functionality is only slightly decreased.
Pros:
Windows Media Player (took over my iPod)
Opens all documents I get in work-related emails.
The AWESOME keyboard is the easiest to use, save for maybe the unbeatable QWERTY keyboard of the Sidekick II.
Screen clarity is awesome.
Super resilient to drops and falls. (I drop this thing all the time, and it keeps on working.)
Camera is awesome for taking spur-of-the moment pics. (Especially the video mode - that came in handy for a little "bedroom tape" I made with my ex-girlfriend.)
Web browser is awesome for viewing "adult sites".
Bluetooth clarity is terrific. (That leaves my hands free for my girlfriend.)
Cons:
Vibrate mode doesn't vibrate enough. My girlfriend said that she definately needs this phone to have a "constant vibrate" mode. (I guess some people just like their phones to vibrate more.)
Phone is sometimes hard to grip when your hands are wet.
I really can't say enough awesome words for this phone.
cool features... when they work
This phone looks awesome. It has the most features of all the other PDA phones available for Sprint. But don't let these fancy features convince you that this is a good phone - because it truly is a bad phone. Lots of lock ups. Bluetooth volume is very low - with any paired device (and buggy). After using the camera the phone is so sluggish it's virtually unusable. The WiFi won't connect to my linksys home router - even with all the security turned off on the router. I have to stick the stylus in the hole in the bottom and reboot it at least once a day. Oh, and the software has not been thought out. In order to change the ringtone for a text or e-mail message, you have to convert the sound file to a wave and copy it to the Windows folder. Also, if you're on a call and a text message comes in, your selected ringtone will play away, blasting in your ear. Don't let this phone woo you with its features. Buyer beware! I have had many other PDA phones before this one. The 6600 (though buggy as well) functioned better as a phone. And yes, I've done all the troubleshooting and software updating.
GREAT PDA PHONE
This is my first PDA/phone and I have owned it for about 2 months. So far I'm very happy and love this phone already. This is not a perfec device, but I guess nothing is perfect anyway, at least not for everybody. If this is your first phone of this type, you may need some patience the firt few weeks while you get used with the features but once you get used with it, you won't go back to a regular phone.
Pros: PDA functions and Phone in one device is great, the size is small enough to get used very quickly. There are 100s of 3rd party software available that allow you to customize your phone to do what you want.
Handles my Jabra bluetooth headset smoothly, I like being able to append notes to my callers' phone number while talking. I find it easy to use the stylus with letter recognizer to write notes, the internet works very fast in most areas around phoenix, I love the fact of being able to add storage memory via mini SD cards, Pocket streets 2005 works great for maps.
Minor Cons. You must have a charger handy as the battery runs down quickly if you are constantly using functions other than phone or PDA. Windows media player sucks, but I POCKET PLAYER 3 by conduits, really transformed my pda into a very exciting and powerfull multia media player for stored music and streaming content from the internet, camera not as good as my LG FUSIC, but its a decent feature, limitted to only two themes, but you can download more for free or buy a software to create your own themes.
Good luck! I hope my comments have helped a little in your desicion.
Can't stand it any longer
I have had this phone since April 2006. When it works, it does an ok job, but it simply doesn't work very often. I am very computer literate but still found this thing super-frustrating. 3rd party software slowed it down, froze it, etc. The Windows Mobile software is horrible. Mobile "Word" "Excel" and "Powerpoint" are a joke, they are simply text writers or a pic viewer. Not much help in the real business world I found. Not even good as a phone. If you are a business exec and don't have time to reboot, strain to hear the volume, put up with the quirky software and other annoyances, forget about buying this.
Pros:
Works pretty well as a modem for data.
Keyboard is nice to use.
Cons:
Ear piece volume too low even at full blast
Quirky, unreliable software
Display is unreadable in daylight
Settings change by themselves
Outlook email software lacking in features
Camera is grainy
Too many other cons to warrant purchase imho
I wanted to like this phone, I put up with it for 7 months, but I can't stand it any more. Not for serious email road warriors. Off to try the new Blackberry for Sprint.
