Verizon's XV6600 delivers the best PocketPC Phone on the market.

This phone it the bane of my existence. I urge anybody in the market for the xv6600 to please listen to my experiences and make your decision accordingly. I have created a list of minimum expectations of PDA's in general which anybody, regardless of the device they are looking for, should make sure their investment meets in order for it to bring the functionality and reliability you really do need. The full version is avb. here: http://johnpatota.com/xv6600.htm

I have written a review of the XV6600 here: http://www.clickclickpop.com/?p=388

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I am thinking of buying this 6600 from Verizon, but I only want it if it really works as a modem. My laptop is a Powerbook G4. Will the modem "tweaking" work on a Mac laptop?

Thanks

I switched from ATT to Verizon a while ago and I have loved my Verizon service. I purchased the PC Card 5220 and have used it for years now and the new EVDO service has been spectacular.

For those of you looking at the XV660 though, I do not find this device to be dependable nor fuctional as a Telephone/PDA replacement. I have been waiting for years to get a reasonable PC/PDA combination.

I thought I had found that in the XV6600. I bought it back in April of this year and have had nothing but problems. Lost calls, missed calls in that the calls did not even ring on the phone, both while taking (with call waiting) and not talking. I have also had the device constantly hang and require multiple hard-resets to get it back and operational. This is all after I had to do a hard reset and not install any of the PDA software I was attmepting to use to make this device more useful like I have done with other PDA's. The first time I called Verizon they sent me to Audiovox and Audiovox said. "If you do a hard-reset and it works then it is not our problem".

After months of missing business calls or not even knowing I had received calls I contacted Verizon again and explained my frustration. This time they sent me out another XV6600. I have now had this one for months and again I can not load any software and expect the device to work properly or as I would expect a regular PDA to work. I have to soft-reset the device every morning to hopefully be able to receive calls and notifications for the whole day. Usually it only lasts a few hours or sometimes until about 2pm.

Over all as I am waiting for my third replacement since Verizon will not give me a refund and allow me to return to a depenedable phone. This has been my worst investment in technology in my life.

I purchase a lot of hardware and software and I use hardware and software for my day to day job and to support friends and family, but, the Audiovox XV6600 is the worst product I have ever come accross and I highly reccomend that you stay away from it if you have any intention to use it as a tool with regular PDA software and if you want a dependable phone/email device. The email seems to work well, but, without a dependable phone/email combination this device is not worth the money.

Save yourself from problems and buy a blackberry or something other than the Audiovox xv6600.

This is an truly honest assessment of attempting to integrate this old technology into a single device that does not meet the bare minimum requirements of functionality or dependability.
Whitney

It's actually a good device if all you're looking for is a Windows based PDA that can access the net. All the positive comments in the review are valid ... however .......

Volume and sound quality in general is a big time flaw in this phone whether it's the ringer, the speaker, wired headset, or ANY bluetooth headset. Inferior in all these areas to the Samsung i700 (no bluetooth) I upgraded from. This XV6600 was a service replacement, brand new. The max volume and clarity of the speakerphone alone on the i700 blow this phone away. Downloading the exact same WAV file into the windows\ringer folder that I used as a ringer in the i700 helped, but not by much. Bluetooth headset volume is so low it's pitiful! Took the same Scala 500 BT headset and paired it with a friend's Samsung i730, the headset's volume blew my ear off and I had to turn it down by half. Also, there's another Bluetooth bug in this phone that once you've used a BT headset, you may have to do a soft reset in order to get ANY audible sound from the speaker or wired headset again.

Last week in my local VZW store, I tried one of the native ringers and could barely hear it. Then tried the ringer on the Treo 650 right next to it. The 650's ringer made everyone in the store on that busy Saturday afternoon stop what they were doing (if not jump) and wonder what the noise was, and its ringer only set at ˝ volume!

A call to Audiovox tech support yesterday had the tech admitting all this and that they're barraged with these very complaints about this model daily. He said they were promised a software upgrade 3 months ago to fix the sound issues, yet still don't have an ETA on it. This phone is also not upgradeable to the new Windows Mobile 5 coming out later this year.

Great PDA for what it is, but when whomever you're talking to has to repeatedly say to you "Can You Hear Me Now?", well then .... Houston, We Have a Problem.

The only thing keeping me from an i730 is lack of a camera.

I just bought the phone and unlimited service from verizon about 4 weeks ago now, and I love it. I have the camera version of the phone. The camera is not too shabby for a phone camera, but like most it works better in a bright environment. However, it does come with a flash so that when you can't get into a daylight environment you can still grab a quick pic. I am currently using my laptop with the phone as my modem so as of now, that is still an option. In fact I still have the EVDO pcmcia card that costs $80 monthly for unlimited access. I'll be cancelling that immediately, and start saving on their $45 unlimited plan for the phone. Just as a side note, the modem thing will work with the USB cradle, so no need to buy the $30 data cable if you don't want it. I'm buying it for the convenience of travel. I also definitely recommend an extra battery for those that intend to travel a lot with it. On average use the battery is fine, but for extended music or game playing sessions on a cross country flight you definitely need a back up. As of yet I have not needed wifi since I travel to mostly EVDO ready cities, and most of my hotels offer it so my laptop works just fine there. The phone has locked up on me a few times, but usually because of something that I've done. It's very easy to add and amplify the ring tones if you can use the built in "sound recorder" application in windows. The one beef that I do have is that they still have not provided a patch for the camera version of the phone, and you can only have one ringtone for all of your contacts. The cool thing about having free reign over your ringtones is that you can have as many as you want, of anything you want, but if you can only use one at a time it takes the fun out of it. I was hoping that there was some third party software that would add that feature, but I 've yet to find it. Anyhow, I love the phone, it's by far the best work tool / personal toy I've ever had.

With EVDO, do you really need WiFi? Has anyone tried the higher capacity batteries and if they help in run time? I will try them and post the results and pictures here:

EVDO Info and EVDO Forums

USB antenna wont work..

I am already a Verizon customer and want to upgrade to this phone. but I need to know if it's possible to load Microsoft streets & trips into it and will I be able to connect my USB GPS antenna to it to use this software? I am basically looking for a cell phone/PDA that I can connect my USB antenna to while I am on the road for business. If it IS possible, can someone tell me how to do it? email me at scott@keydigital.com please. Thank you.

I also have the XV6600. I have discovered that all my numerous iPaq 5v power accessories will work with this unit, as long as I use the supplied plug adapter for the unit. Has anyone seen where you can buy just the plug adapter for these units?
Also, if you want to use multiple ringtones for your contacts, I highly recommend the MUTX RingtoneX utility, which I purchased for $10. http://www.mtux.com/info_ring.aspx

Is the workaround for Connectivity EVDO Via Laptop still valid or did Verizon shut it down. I am very new to this technology and looking at it for my transportation business. With the workaround, are you stating that you can utilize the Verizon BroadbandAccess via your XV6600 and surf at broadband speeds on your laptop? If it true and does work, it is exactly what I have been looking for.

Dave, only 1 ringtone for the Audiovox xv6600? IS there a app that I can buy that will have custom ringtones for my contacts?

Talk about information overload! I am in the market to replace my T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone. Like a lot of others I am not all that happy with T-Mobile coverage and service. I have been attracted to the SX66 aka Audiovox 6600, etc. and have been trying to sort out all the goods and bads for each variant and service provider. So how about a quick vote on variant and provider.

It seems you failed to mentiont that the Sprint version (Sprint PPC-6601 and 6600) also supports EV-DO. Sprint has yet to rollout their EV-DO service, however the PPC-6601 is their first phone that will support the service when it is activated.

As for the device itself, I love it. I've had mine for a few weeks now and I could never go back to my Treo 600.

The battery life is acceptable for me. I've yet to come even close to draining it, BUT I haven't been traveling much and put it in its cradle every night. With the Treo, I would often go a week without charging it. However... that device didn't have a cradle (and I never bought one) - and I also didn't sync it as often as I should have.

With the Treo I had to rely on text messaging to receive alerts. With the 6601, it syncs via the 3G connection every hour during the day using my VPN connection. Instead of getting an SMS alert about an e-mail, I actually get it delivered to my phone. Granted... a true "push" system would be preferred, but my current e-mail setup doesn't allow for that. When my company does move to its own Exchange server soon, that will become an option.

The Treo 600 was the first PDA+Phone or Smartphone device that I used which got the Phone part right.

The 6601 is the first device I've used that nails them both. If I want WIFI I have my laptop/tablet. And the 1xRTT wireless coverage here is superb. At $20/month for unlimited use it's also quite affordable.

just a quick note. the SuperCharged! xv6600 is finally available. 33% faster cpu. near double battery life. VOIP preinstalled and working - internationally... ummm what else... i forget... theres more on the website... its late... i tired. see: http://video-phones-evdo.com
thanks.. robert kim

This is my single issue with this PDA - you can't hear the bloody thing. I would love to know to do it as well. I have the ringer set to the highest level. If anyone knows, please post it here.

I just got this thing yesterday. I planned on carrying it in my Franklin Planner Pocket PC size, but its impossible to hear it ring. Does anyone know of a way ot increase the ring volumn? A phone you cant hear is like no phone at all.

Can an "un-locked", CDMA 6600 type (like the similiar phone with another name on them) phone be set up to work on Verizon or is the Audiovox XV 6600 the ONLY one that will work on Verizon?

Verizon has not come out with the camera version yet.

i JUST recieved a audiovox xv6600. I was told it would have a 1.3Mpixle camera but it doesn't seem to. Are there or will there be a version with the camera? Otherwise pretty good and the broadband EV-DO is nice.

Hopefully in the next few weeks Ill have the review up

What I actually want is a SDIO card that allows me to pop it into the SD slot and serve as a 'software radio' to connect to a wireless network. Then I could use the nice form factor of the ipaq 4350/55 with the longer battery life and nicer form factor than the 6300 series!

Dave, a 3000 battery? When will you post your review? I continue to wait for my SX66, but want to know what type of battery to add.

Yeah the battery is terrible. Please stop back since I will be reviewing a huge 3000 battery for the unit!

The best pda phone on the market? I would agree. After having the treo 600, Blackberry 7750, 7100t, and 7230 I would agree. With Good's email push technology its better than anything out there (I used good with the 600 as well). My only issues are that it does eat up battery, no real speakerphone, and I have not figured out how to have the ringer sound high enough so that I can hear it if the phone is my coat pocket (its set to max on the phone - I simply can't believe it that low)

The broadband is out of this world - no need for wifi in Manhattan

Paw I am sure you will be happy. But dont forget an extra battery

""Hmmm very interesting point Ben but I can tell you the EVDO network speed is enormous. I live in the tristate area and seriously see no need for WiFi. But that being said I did try the Sandisk 256mb Wifi card and it worked like a charm
Posted by David Ciccone, Sunday, Dec. 19th, 2004""

I have both the phone and card, and have yet to get them to work together. I would be in my happy place if you could tell me how you got the card to work with this phone.

You won't believe this, but brace yourselves. I contacted my Cingular corporate representative to obtain the Siemens SX66. He has his team searching for one through the corporate channel. I can't believe that I will abandon my iPAQ, but the quad band, wifi, bluetooth, and all of the other bells make me want to try it.

I hope my experience will be as good as Dave's review. In the meantime, I must remain patient for its arrival.

I think you hit the nail on the head cgavula.. For corporate users (esp. IT users like myself), the lack of wifi and battery life makes it unusable..

Just today I'm on the phone for over 4 hours with an ISP troubleshooting circuits and when time (and money) is essential, you can't be interupting your call to change a battery. You're right.. It's very close..

Bottom line though, I guess it depends on what you want out of your phone.

I have a 6315, I can't use it in Vietnam, that is locked from T-Mobile, my imei 352795000474311..please help me

I think WiFi is a must for my corporate users. Forcing me onto a pay network to do data surfing is not what I want. $45 a month is too much for 700+K when I'm getting 3-6MB on my home broadband for the same amount.

Worse - I've been evaluating the Sprint flavor of this device (the Audiovox PPC6601) and the battery time is terrible. On standby the thing was dying after only 36 hours. Again - I can't distribute this to my corporate users. This device is close, but the awful battery life, lack of WiFi, and the high cost of EV-DO make it a no go for me and my users.

Also: The Cingular version has wi-fi included.

*

Seems a bit expensive still...

One year plan cost of ownership at: $2,471.17
Two year plan cost of ownership at: $4,208.45

I think it's cheaper to wait the extra 5 seconds for the page to load and pick up a T-mobile Sidekick for free on Amazon and pay the $30 a month for unlimited data and basic phone.

Hopefully someone will release the right combination soon: Keyboard, speakerphone, bluetooth, wi-fi, PPCPE, small form factor, and ample memory. This device is about as close as a PPCPE has come, but there is still a long way left to go. Hopefully the new support for square screens will give the hardware designers some better ideas to work with.

Regardless, I still think EV-DO is overkill at this price, the few hours of each day that I'm not under wi-fi coverage I can deal with the extra page load times.

My 2 cents.

*

dave,
I was wondering if it is possible to use bluetooth to connect to your laptop? you gave instructions for usb but what's about bluetooth? that would be sweet.

I need a new phone...this looks real good! Thanks Dave!

Everyone has their nitch and mine was the EVDO since I travel alot for work. I dont think you csn go wrong. I am just disappointed that HP didnt jump on the EVDO bandwagon.

First, Dave, thanks for the review. You have heard my long-time admiration of my iPAQ, but the 63xx disappointed me.

Second, this morning my beloved 3870 died. I received the blue set up screen. Now, I must have a replacement.

Cingular's version offers quad band, wifi, and bluetooth (which I never used on my 3870, but might with a headset on the SX66).

With Cingular / AT&T even the phone might work.

First of all William you crack me up....Ben I dont know but I find it hard to believe you are getting 21hrs of talk time?

I misread the review, I thought you could buy an extended battery.. at 3.6 hours worth of use time, I would have to buy 6 batteries to equal 1 extended battery on my 3615.

Thanks Dave,
As uasual your review is excellent. I appreciate that even though this site is called Dave's IPAQ you have the openess to look at other competitive products from whomever they come from. Having owned a 6315 (and we both know how long I waited on this) and dealt with its problems I can say I would be more inclined to try anything from HTC (since they made the original IPAQ's). I agree with you, with download speeds of 700+Kbps who needs WiFi? Also Verizon has it in the pipeline to go even faster with EVDO. I think I could handle the 700+ speeds, and not having to be at the office, airport, or a coffee shop. Knowing that if you truly needed WiFi one could go to the SanDisk card is all the more reason to highly consider the device. They are supposedly comming out with the XDAIIi in Eroupe after the first of the year. It offers all the great stuff here but with a 520MHz processor and a 1.3 Megapixel camera! If they outfit this bad boy for CDMA like they have yours well I would have to buy it. Currently I am highly tempted to purchase this fine device, expecially after your fine review. I will force myself to wait a little longer. I agree that T-Moblie is tuff to have from a coverage standpoint. Are you getting every call on this device, even when it is in standby mode? If you are that is 10 times better than T-Moblie could do in Nashville, TN on the 6315. AW screw it I want this device and I should just go buy it NOW!!!

I need wifi for home and work.. High speed internet doesn't help me. I can't imagine not being able to connect to network shares.

If you can get the same battery power as the 6315 w/wifi card I'd agree it would be better, but I bet even with extended battery, it's less than 8 hours which is useless to me.

I'd like to have the processor speed in my ipaq, but I'll take over 20 hours of straight use(not standby) over that.

Hmmm very interesting point Ben but I can tell you the EVDO network speed is enormous. I live in the tristate area and seriously see no need for WiFi. But that being said I did try the Sandisk 256mb Wifi card and it worked like a charm

"Best pocket PC phone on the Market" With no wifi?!??!

I like the way the phone looks and the processor speed is impressive, that being said it's useless to me without wifi and the talk time is just unacceptable.

I have a 6315, I can use wifi to admin my servers while at meetings at work, and stream my mp3s and videos from my servers at home...

The XV6600 gets broadband at airports, but how can you even use it when your battery will run out before you reach the next airport. I purchased the 6315 extended battery, and last weekend I spent 18 hours (because of delays)traveling between 3 airports and I played everquest, listened to mp3s surfed the internet and talked on the phone the whole way through.

I guess it depends on your needs, but without wifi I would be less productive and with the battery life, I would've been very bored and without a phone.