UTStarcom PPC-6700 / XV-6700 / HTC Apache
Average Ratings
Good but not great
I loved the phone until I couldn't send picture mail to other phones. I'm going back to the treo.
much better
I've had this phone since March...I tried to trade it in for the Q due to issues with the phone portion of the unit, but VZ CS wouldn't budge...they sent a replacement unit one day before the ROM upgrade...
I have to say the new phone is much better, I haven't had any of the issues as I did with the original one....even the battery life seems to have improved slightly...no lockups and the software upgrade makes it even better....
PROS
1)great PDA
2)large screen
3)Bluetooth
4)WiFi
5)works great with Exchange since the software upgrade, I don't have to use wireless sync and leave outlook running on my desktop
6) lots of software
7)voice dial now included with upgrade, although you have to train it
CONS
1)could be thinner
2)screen get washed out in the sunlight
3)not designed for the average user
IT DOES MORE THEN I THOUGHT!!!
This phone is a well rounded phone... It does more then i thought it would..
Battery Life is not to great but then again I txt, pix, flix, play mp3's, go on the Internet, get phone calls, sync my work email, do excel work, word files, use my powerpoint for presentations to customers, (out of breath).
I have this phone on the Verizon network and I must say if you need all that in a phone you must get this one.. It is very durable and easy to use..
it has quick buttons to the internet, voice record, volume up and down, and camera.
it has a slot for expandable memory (which i recommend getting at least a 1gb card)
SO basically if you loved the LG VX9800, Treo 700w, Motorola Q, you will love this phone.
PROS:
-Bluetooth 1.2v
-expandable memory
-internet explorer
-microsoft word
-microsoft excel
-microsoft powerpoint
-huge 2.5 inch touch screen
-Windows mobible 5.0 ce
-inferred sync
-windows media player (mp3s and other formats)
-full length Video (none of this 15 sec stuff)
-programs you can download
-full capabilities on explorer ( I pay my bills online via my phone NICE)
- concealed slide out Qwerty Keyboard
-make your mp3's into ringtones
CONS:
-Battery Life is ok (only when using all of the above through out the day) standby is 2 days max.
-No voice command (you can buy it for like $20 online)
I'm hooked on this phone!
Having used this phone for nearly 5 months now, I LOVE IT!!! It is easy to use, functions really well and I know I probably haven't scratched the surface of what it can do. My sister picked it up & started using it with just a few instructions.
I can go out of town for 2-3 days and not have to haul my laptop with me.
It really is a very versatile and fun to use phone.
Oh, and buy the insurance - I dropped mine on a concrete floor and cracked the screen. For $50 they replaced it.
Pros:
Easy to handle and use.
Love the slide out keyboard as I can use multiple fingers to type and not just thumbs.
Can run multiple programs at once.
Can send email directly from my contacts so I don't have to retype the address when I send a new email.
Battery life is quite good - better than I expected. Also, I can charge it from my laptop via the mini USB port.
The email still works even in areas where I may not have cell phone service (My parents live out in the middle of nowhere where there is NO range whatsoever yet my emails still come through).
The MP3 player is a nice bonus.
Internet searching works well. It's not the fastest, but works in a pinch.
I just love that the screen changes from portrait to landscape automatically when you open the keyboard.
Cons:
The graffiti is not that easy to use so I mostly use the keyboard. I love the keyboard, but it took a while to get used to using the red dot button to access the red functions above the letters.
I wish there were little legs on the back of the device to prop up the screen when you pull out the keyboard.
Screen is very tough to read if you are wearing sunglasses.
I wish it were easier to close programs - it seems like you have to x out of a lot of windows - although that could be "operator error."
Speaker phone could have a little better sound. It seems a little garbled.
There could be a little more rubber on the back of the model to prevent it from sliding around.
Great phone: needs upgrade, read on
This is a great phone. I purchased ten of them for my company as well as personal use. The first thing you have to do is download the software upgrade from Sprint.com; this will drastically increase the functionality of the phone. Once you get the phone set up initially it is easy to use, I recommend buying a headset and a 2GB MiniSD card.
Tips:
1) (functionality) Download software upgrade.
2) (speed) periodically clear out "running programs" in the memory."
3) (battery) Lower the back light and disable the wifi when not in use.
4) (speed) Get a memory card and always load programs and files on it, not the phone. *I got a 2GB MiniSD card for $60 at www.Buy.com
5) (customize) get rid of anything that you do not regularly use from the main screen; go through every item in settings once and customize it.
Pros:
WiFi is as fast as your PC at home
Windows is easy to use
Keyboard is great
Unlimited contacts, easy to find
Sync with Outlook
I use it as an MP3 player with my 2GB mini SD card; add an FM transmitter.
Cons:
Viewing screen in sunlight can be difficult
Needs software upgrade to perform well
Contact list is alphabetized by last name (this can be changed on your computer by changing the "File as" field)
Overall it is a great phone, get it set up and then enjoy. 4.5 because nothing is perfect, if it was thinner maybe I would give it a 5.
-Mark
Great phone, one MAJOR flaw
I picked this phone up in January when they were first available in my area and I love it. It is an amazing phone with plenty of features. Windows Mobile is easy to use and get around in and the slide out keyboard is a nice touch.
The problem is that I am about to call it in to insurance for the second time in 6 months. I was walking in my front door and BAM! phone hit the concrete. Most phones can take a few drops before they show any wear, but not this one. First drop completely destroyed my screen. And this is not the first time. This happened while on a trip as well. One drop and you have to get a new phone. I would recommend this phone to anyone who doesn't have kids, pets, or people with butterfingers. Way too fragile.
6700 The Best PDA ever
This phone is great if you take the time to figure it out it will be the best investment made for a cell phone
Not a Blackberry
To begin, this phone is awkward at best when it comes functionality.
The phone function is very cumbersome, when dialing or even looking up a contact.
The active-sync software is "ok", but don't be fooled into thinking you actually have Outlook on this phone. It only downloads what you have in Outlook from your computer.
The email is terrible. I have had up to 12 outgoing emails sitting in my "outbox", as the phone kept giving me error messages that it could not connect to my outgoing server. Sometimes it worked, mostly it didn't.
Reception was always poor. No matter if I had 4 bars, reception was poor.
Nice PDA, lousy phone
I got this phone so I'd have the same one as my spouse. I'm new to PDA's. I love it. I'm always going to have one from now on.
But.... we both think it's a horrible phone. It makes calls on it's own. It misses calls. It doesn't tell me I've got voice mail. I've had the thing sitting right next to me in an area with good reception for hours - and it won't ring. Hours later (of course, after close of business) it finally tells me I have voice mail. For voice mail it will beep or vibrate exactly ONCE. After that you have to notice that it says "Notification" at the bottom of the screen. (That is, after you turn the screen back on.) You can't change this 'feature.' They could have at least added an LED that would be lit if you have new voice mail or had missed calls.
I had to re-align my screen half a dozen times yesterday. (That can't possible be normal.)
Good phone. . .if you are patient
I had the PPC-6700 for a bit over a week and despite some shortcomings, the device does what I expected to do. But you really must have patience as this will either make or break you.
PROS:
1. Easy Windows Mobile 5.0 interface
2. Great EV-DO, I can access 99% of all web pages. Pages with pictures download real fast.
3. Keyboard slides out has REAL keys, not the tiny Treo needle size buttons.
4. Good signal.
5. Email client setup takes some getting used to but it works great. I have Yahoo and Gmail directly without accessing the web.
6. If memory fills up (which it does real quick), you can easily perform a couple of steps to remove web pages and open programs. I only need to perform a soft reset once or twice a week which is no biggie. Tip: Get a good 512MB mini-SD card.
7. Phone keypad, you can store up to 99 speed dial numbers. Voice quality is excellent, unless you are using speakerphone.
8 Battery life is very good, just
9. Wi-Fi, it can be turned on or off and the phone automatically detects the area networks before you choose.
Now for the cons:
1. Phone book contacts only sort by last name. If you only know by first name, it's a problem
2. The onscreen keyboard pops up, even when you don't intend to use it.
3. You need ActiveSync to download and install programs. I don't have a computer (yet) so it's a problem.
4. No MMS capabilities on the PPC-6700 (but there is a program, if you know how to do a registry hack). A few users are wondering why Verizon has MMS picture and video sharing on the XV-6700 but not on the PPC-6700 for Sprint.
5. Very limited internal memory. 128 MB may seem a lot, but it's divided into roughly half allocated to program files and the other half to storage files.
6. You need to learn how to do a registry hack before you can juice up your phone.
7. Speakerphone is subpar.
8. The choice on Handago Programs on the phone is limited compared to their website.
Go try it, it's still a good phone.
