Verizon's XV6600 Pocket PC Phone
By Peter Rojas 
posted November 9th 2004 9:57AM
posted November 9th 2004 9:57AM
Here's a little something to chew on: if you're a Verizon Wireless who's been feeling left out of the Pocket PC Phone lovefest lately, you're in luck. Apparently Audiovox is going to make a Verizon-branded version of their new PPC-6601 Pocket PC Phone (the Sprint version of which just started shipping yesterday), that'll be renamed the XV6600. To jog your memory, this is basically a CDMA version of the XDA III/MDA III that comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 128MB of memory, a 400MHz processor, Bluetooth, and an SDIO expansion card slot, but no built-in 802.11b WiFi.
This article doesn't say anything about release date, nor the high speed access. I couldn't imagine a PPC Phone without WiFi, but the word is that Verizon's going to be releasing this on their ED-VO network, and unlike Sprint who has not got their shit together yet on this network, Verizon will release this without disabling the EDVO, therefore, who needs WiFi? 17 cities in the US are "WiFi" with EDVO. The big question is WHEN?
VZW was going to release this phone in 4Q2004, but they feel they've saturated the market with more new products than they usually do in a short window of time. Plus, they've pretty much locked up their holiday retail offerings. So they're going to sell through their Treo (which is evidently selling well) and release the XV6600, which is already tested, in 1Q2004, confirmed.
It'll run on EVDO, so it won't have WiFi. It'll have BT enabled only for headsets.
What is it with service providers castrating their phones? I am a verizon customer who is *leaving* just because verizon feels this need to limit their supported devices.
Is the greed so rampant that you don't want to allow users any access to your phone that isn't through your private portal (ah Brew, how I hate thee).
what would people recomend for a PDA phone with wifi and no crippled bluetooth?
I have tried them all. The best one is the MDA III (also known as the XDA III). This is the same phone as what Verizon is going to release, but it has WiFi and non-crippled Bluetooth. I may be able to get one for you or at least point you in the right direction if you're interested.
I talked with a Verizon rep yesterday (11/22) who said the release date is 12/2 and there will be a VX6601 version with WiFi.
I can't confirm if the guy is on crack, but he had all the specs right and seemed to be very knowledgable.
I talked with a Verizon rep yesterday (11/22) who said the release date is 12/2 and there will be a VX6601 version with WiFi.
I can't confirm if the guy is on crack, but he had all the specs right and seemed to be very knowledgable.
Followup - the VX6600 will be first avaiable in the Kansas City market.
I found out information this week direct from Verizon: the bluetooth is not crippled! It's fully compatable with not only BT 1.1, but also 2.0! The best news of all is that you don't have to wait for this phone to be released by Verizon (1st quarter, 2005), you can get it right now at www.imaginationent.com/edvo. The wait is over as the United State's first 3G phone is finally here!
ImagineEntertainment is selling the XV6600 for an outrageous $950, before taxes and shipping. So There ya go. Enjoy blowing $1000 on something that will be outdated in 6 months.
I just got off the phone with our companies rep. They have the phone in stock for business channel customers. Price for 2 year contract is $499 & $529 for 1 yr. I also got hold of a document showing the specs of the phone.
It apparently has full bluetooth support including DUN, File Transfer, Hands Free, Info Exchange and PNS. It also has full EVDO support. Battery is 1490mAH, you get the option to buy a 2nd one at half price ($29) when you order the phone. No flash memory so data storage is volatile. There is apparently a feature to keep data safe via a reserved portion of the main battery for 72 hours if you run out of power. There is also a backup battery to keep data safe for 20 mins while you swap out the main battery.
I'm planning to pick one of these up and will post a review when I do. It is expensive and Xmas is coming so I'll probably wait until around then to make it a pressie to myself from the Missus and myself! This looks like a great phone. One thing that would have been nice is that if instead of sliding, the keyboard swivelled so that you could use it in landscape mode as well as portrait mode which is now supported by the OS. I'm also sceptical of how good the battery life will be with such a small battery. I think this is the reason for the deal on the second battery at 50% off. I would have expected a 2000mAH battery at least. Oh well.
Lastly, good on Verizon for saving me from V710 hell, I had been just about to buy one!
Forgot to add that there is no WiFi on the XV6600. Nor is there a camera, which I doubt I will miss to be honest. I would be interested to know if there is going to be a version with WiFi. I would doubt it though as Verizon are not a player in the Hotspot market.
JuBu - Personally i wouldn't worry about the no WiFi option on this phone seeing how it's EVDO capable. Therefore no worrying about having to go to a hotspot for internet access.
JuBu: Could you tell me who to call and at what number to get this phone from Verizon?
WiFi isnt missing because VZ crippled it... It isnt in the HTC Harrier spec.
I have not been able to get my Verizon agent to help me get one of these phones. Can anyone help with specific info on how to get one. Seems like an excellent device. I just sent back my i700 because it was a slow pig after trying it for two weeks. Am currently without a phone - big problem!!
You should all check out this thread. Apparently there is a lady who is a Sales Rep for Verizon who is hooking people up with great deals on this phone.
http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread.php?s=7a62427dbabc5805e06bae16933ecc20&threadid=38558
I just got mine this weekend and while we don't have EVDO in Boston yet, I'm still getting speeds up to 115kbps. This is a fantastic piece of technology. I got mine for $400 (NE2 + B2B Customer). There is supposed to be a further discount of $100 if you also sign up for the unlimited $45/month data plan. I've emailed my rep to find out about this.
Check out the thread and the entire forum
http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=7a62427dbabc5805e06bae16933ecc20&forumid=168
VX6600. ONME question: Can I take a photo? Can I recieve a photo? Answer thisa and i buy one tomorrow.
Can I take a photo or recieve a photo with the VX6600?
OK.I'll xplain why this this is so seriouus to me.I don't need to take a photo; but, I am in instant news. If I can recieve a jpeg, etc, FAST, you can get the infoi to my editor fast....which is one reason wa get paid so well.
I also read that I could buy a photo attachment for the Verizon. Does anyone know about this?
The TREO camera was a KILLER but we worked around it by having good quality shots sents to us,thn, forwarding them to the bossman. saved mu butt msny a time,,,, Any help here>
I received my 6600 on dec 20th. and I think I'll be returning it. For starters it's really BIG. As far as EVDO, well I have been lucky to get 20 kbps. The batery is a joke. On what i call a slow day it lasted me 4.5 hours and it was dead. B.T. works well but there seems to be a dalay when answering calls, and forget 30 foot range, try 5 but not in your pocket. My treo was always connected to the internet but this has to reconnect everytime I open I/E.
Long story short... I hope I grow to love this phone, but its not looking good so far.
Anyone should be able to purchase one of these now by contacting VW Bus. Support Center 800-511-1150, got mine yesterday. If you are a power user I would suggest buying an extra battery (4 hours digital usage time, 168 hours of standby time). The base has an extra slot on this unit to charge/sync the phone and charge an extra battery at the same time.
Because it has a SDIO slot, you can buy and a SDIO Camera - several in the market. I have a feeling that they will be releasing a built in camera version soon (similar to what Sprint did PPC-6600 vs PPC-6601). Have not been able to confirm this with Verizon, but the packaging on the extra battery shows model XV6600 and a XV6600WOC (WOC means without camera). Keep in mind that the version of the phone that Sprit distributes with the build in phone is only 640 x 480. Many of the aftermarket SDIO cameras (ie HP Photosmart Mobile Camera and others) are 1.3 megapixels, may offer flash, etc..
Just got my phone the other day. It is a great phone. The only complaint I have is that it is very hard to here it ring. I was sent some new ring tones by the VW rep but they didn't work. Has anybody found a solution
Is the XV6600 Mac compatible? Or do I have so suffer who know's how long for Verizon to bless us with the Treo 650? They have the Best coverage by far and worst equipment!
Is the Verizon XV6600 Mac Compatible? Do you need anything extra to run it with a Mac?
T-Mobile offers the MDA III with Blackberry Connect software through Deutsche Telecomm, anyone tested it with this phone from Verizon?
I've heard mixed reviews on this phone. What's the latest on how well this works?
Also - how does the size compare to the Treo and the Samsung smartphone that Verizon sells?
I've heard mixed reviews on this phone. What's the latest on how well this works?
Also - how does the size compare to the Treo and the Samsung smartphone that Verizon sells?
I've heard mixed reviews on this phone. What's the latest from people who've had it for a while?
Also - how does the size compare with the Treo and Samsung's VZW smartphone?
Looks like a promising phone from Verizon. One question I do have is if the rumors that the PDA times out on battery and turns off. Has anyone seen this? I'm trying to see if Exchange activesync will be a viable option here with their over the air up to date notification, but worried it will turn out like the Samsung I600 did with half the features turning off when the PDA goes to sleep.
Any insights?
I can add that Exchange Activesync works like a champ on the xv6600. I've been using it for a couple of days now and I'm seriously considering migrating from our company off of the dirt slow Blackberry 7750s we're using now and onto the xv6600.
I think I might return my Audiovox XV6600 (Verizon) and go with HP Ipaq 6315 (T-Mobile). Audiovox XV6600 has too many problems! It has serious problems with Bluetooth headset. I tried all updates and still doesn't work right. When the phone go into sleep mode, you will lose connection to headset or takes long time before it re-connects! Who's going to have the phone "ON" all day and kill the battery? Tried with many different Bluetooth headset with same results. This is known problem and Verizon and Audiovox is very slow to fix the issue! Second, you cannot play Media Player and Voice Command through Bluetooth headset! This issue is in the software that Verizon nor Audiovox included in their software. Also, there is NO WiFi connection. Verizon did this so customer sign up for their expensive data plan. I should have done more research before I purchased this PDA/PHONE. HP Ipaq 6315 (T-Mobile) could do it all and is much more versatile. It has WiFi (wireless b network connection), better software, works great with Bluetooth device, and seems faster...
I am considering picking one of these up. It seems like a great buy - strong processor, ample memory, and Verizon reliability.
I bought an iPaq h6315 from TMobile a couple weeks ago, and of all the calls made to me so far, only about 20% of them actually made it to the phone. Also, if you want to use VOIP with it, you have to get a special edition of most softwares (bc the 6315 only has a 160MHz Proc so everything is really slow). I heard quite a few bad stories about the 6315 but I wanted to believe that it actually COULD do what the specs indicated it SHOULD be able to do. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I don't think I have much of a choice but to return it.
I can understand the position people take against phone providers when it seems the provider is trying to lock users into their services, but what alternative do we have at this point in time? I'm just as fed up as the next guy when it comes to "overage charges" and "peak/off-peak minutes" but if I can't use the device in a standard cell-phone capacity, it's not much good to me.
That being said, IMO the cellular-reception-peace-of-mind(of verizon) is worth more than circumvention of minute-counting at this point. We, as consumers, can only do so much in our choices of devices/carriers. It seems that SIP on a smartphone is too much hassle RIGHT NOW. As VOIP builds more steam, we will see a more consumer-centric phone company (probably skype but who knows) that is to cellular what Vonage was for POTS lines. Until that day comes, I would advise you to sit tight and enjoy the ride.
This blog/thread has been useful to me in terms of the headset, WiFi, and battery issues, as well as comparisons to other PDA phones. What I'm most interested in, though, is how well the XV6600 works with a Bluetooth or other external portable keyboard for typing in applications (especially a to-do list or Excel, and a word processor) and during web browsing. And, given that I'm going to stay with Verizon, whether it is the best phone to get. By the way, I tried their re-released Nextel-like walkie-talkie phones and they had a couple-of-seconds delay on each transmission (I think they are using VOIP to accomplish push-to-talk).
I just spoke with Audiovox tech support. Looks like there is a upgrade for the XV-6600 that is suppose to fix the bluetooth headset connectivity issues. Ring volume issues have not been addressed. Has anyone tried this patch yet?
Audiovox Web Site:
http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProdLinksCmd?type=upg&categoryId=&langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&pageSize=20&beginIndex=21
I looked at this phone at the Verizon store yesterday. Definitely the ring is too quiet - put it in a pocket or on your belt in the car and you'll never hear it over the stereo. The EVDO speed is as good as the EVDO PCcard I have today, the screen is beautifully clear and sharp. But no voice dial. For me that and the quiet ring is a deal breaker. Then the salesman slyly mentioned that the Samsung i730 was due by the end of this month and that it might have all the features I want ... I hate to think what the price might be, but the rumormill featurelist looks great!
Well I installed the upgrade provided by Audiovox for the XV-6600. Bluetooth integration with my Motorola HS820 headset is definately much improved. See previous comment for path to Audiovox's web site. The HS820 volume level is still an issue. It is much too low to hear anything in a noisy enviroment.
I agree the ring volume is much too low. I hope they tackle this issue next.
Just as a side note, on a recent trip, with my wife driving us up I-95. I was playing Everquest II on my laptop while connected to the internet via bluetooth connection to my XV-6600. I'm sorry but thats just too cool!
Would appreciate any feedback on the web browsing experience folks have had with the Audiovox and Verizon EVDO...specifically,
1. Do you see the full web page, or do you have to scroll around?
2. Can you surf web sites like you would on a laptop or a PC?
3. Does the web connection stay connected on the unlimited data plan if the device is inactive for a while?
Thanks in advance.
I live in a city w/ the EVDO Network. Can't wait to buy one but it must have the camera built in. Any word floating around when this might happen?
I just ordered My 6600 With the built in camera for Verison. It should be here in the next week or so. They dont actually get them in until next week but I was told that I would have it the next day. If you have any questions about picture quality and functionality, just ask.
Do you think that I will still have to upgrade the Bluetooth and such even though it is a new model, or should it include the patches?
If anyone knows if they fixed anything else in the new version with the camera, please let me know.
Just a couple of questions:
1. Do these Phones have a Vibrate option or mode for when you are in a meeting?
2. Is there anyway to lock the keys so that if you have it in your pocket, you do not make any unexpected phone calls?
Just a couple of questions:
1. Do these Phones have a Vibrate option or mode for when you are in a meeting?
2. Is there anyway to lock the keys so that if you have it in your pocket, you do not make any unexpected phone calls?
They do have a vibrate option and yes you can set the phone to only be activated by the on/off button on top of the unit. There is one problem though. When using a bluetooth headset, the phone will automatically wake up. I have actually made unexpected calls with the unit in my pocket due to this issue. As far as the bluetooth upgrade you may want to have Verizon tech support check the version on the phone and have them install it. Not sure if they will or not. They seemed pretty clueless about the upgrade when i called to see if they supported it.
The web experience is a little limited. On web pages not specifically deisgned for PDAs you have to scroll around the page to view the full page. Page with alot of frames do not display well and there is actaully a frame count limit of 10 frames I think. But I think this is a limititation of the Pocket Internet Explorer. I have actually used the device to lookup numbers at www.anywho.com and get directions via www.mapquest.com.
In addition, I have actually use the device to Terminal serve to a pc. I also subscribe to the GoToMyPC service which supports remote control of a pc via a PDA. This feature has come in handy a few times.
The device is designed to stay connected. With the unlimited data plan, this is not a issue. It may affect battery life however. The only issue I have is that when you receive a phone call, the internet connection is interrupted. If you are in the middle of a page download or file transfer, this will be interrupted. Also, when connecting via bluetooth from a laptop through dialup and you answer an incoming call, the connection is dropped. This will only occur if you answer the phone call.
I recently got the Wireless Sync feature working. I am not sure if this is cause, but i have been having trouble connecting via bluetooth dialup ever since. I have also been experienceing some issues reconnecting to internet after an interrupted connection. Still working on the exact issues involved so I don't want to speculate on the cause of the problem.
Hope these comments help.
Yes thank you very much.
I look forward to seeing more comments from you and others, as I have learned to enjoy this comment board
I just purchaced the VX6600. Pretty please so far. DOes anyone know of a hard copy manual that goes with this? Or am I the only one who didn't get one. The cd just didn't give me enough info.
Went to the audiovox site to search for manuals but no luck.
Help.
I have a copy of the online manual got it from pocketpccentral.net
http://www.pocketpccentral.net/audv_xv6600.htm
scroll all the way down to the bottom and you will see user manual. =) it will take a while to load since it is 158 pages.
I am considering purchasing the VX6600 and would like to use the PDA to take notes in meetings, but do not think the thumb-sized keyboard will work for me. Does anyone have experience with connectivity to foldable or laser projected portable keyboards via bluetooth or a port?
Thanks in advance.
How can I get some louder Ring tones for the VX6600.
Thanks to some other research - 100+ tones, a great deal for $8.49 from Handango and Recon Ringtones.
http://www.handango.com then search for "Recon Ringtones"
Some really loud ones. Simple loading too. This was my biggest concern with the phone before purchasing and these solved it for me.
Check out: http://davesipaq.com/news/004622/verizon_bluetooth_issues
For more info on the bluetooth issues... These are all software issues afaik, so we shouldn't worry too much. I'm sure a patch is right around the corner, but I will probably wait until it arrives until I buy the unit. (hopefully within a month or two, people are really pressing Verizon to fix these issues).