XV6600

Overview

The XV6600 is one impressive unit. It has just about every feature one could want in a Smartphone except for weight. The PPC version of the OS is pretty stable (not perfect yet) and it supports so many features and capabilities that it is mind boggling. In the CDMA version it supports EV-DO which makes the browser very fast. My biggest gripe has been fixed since I returned the loaner I was given to evaluate. That gripe had to do with Bluetooth. The Bluetooth stack had serious problems that needed to be fixed. Speakerphone, sound quality and speed were excellent.

Basic Information
Talk time: 150 minutes
Standby time: 72 hours
Size: 4.9H x 2.75W x 0.74D inches
Weight: 7.4 oz

Basic Features

	All-digital (800MHz CDMA/1900 MHz) operation
	NationalAccess/BroadbandAccess Capable
	VZEmail with Wireless Sync
	MSM5500 Chipset
	3.5" QVGA 65K Color Transflective LCD
	Connectivity via Bluetooth^® (for certain profiles
	Integrated QWERTY Keyboard
	SDIO Expansion Slot for additional memory and peripheral devices
	Microsoft^® Pocket PC 2003 Phone Edition
	Intel^® Dalhart 400 MHz Processor
	ROM 64MB / RAM 128MB
	TXT messaging
	Image Formats Supported: .bmp, .jpeg, .gif
	Audio Formats Supported: .wav, .mp3
	Meets FCC SAR limit. Manufacturer's highest FCC reported SAR 0.09 at ear, 1.47 on body. Actual SAR may vary

Results

This unit is a very good Smartphone. With the newer Bluetooth firmware this unit should provide very good all around capability. It has a QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the bottom and it is usable though given the top heavy nature of the unit it requires a little more effort than a Blackberry. Integration of the keyboard with the OS is still a little lacking and their are times you find yourself having to use the touch screen to move the cursor to a desired location because nothing else seems to work to get it there. It has a replaceable battery, an excellent screen that can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode. Battery life is acceptable but not great. I suspect that the GPRS version provides better battery life but you give up the EV-DO speed. I would take the speed over the battery life as the browser actually becomes usable when you get 200-400kbs down load speeds. The biggest drawback is that it is heavy and not something I would want to carry in my pocket. Used with a belt holster and a Bluetooth headset and it might be very usable. Especially if you got the voice dial function to operate over the headset. I understand that there are some issues getting this functionality to work. While it lacks push email it will fetch email on a periodic basis and for many users that is as often as they need it. Especially when you get attachments and they look like the original documents including formatting.

Conclusion

I gave this unit serious consideration. For me the fact that it is not currently available without a camera was the primary reason I did not get one. I can't take a camera phone into work so I have to have a version without the camera. If you can deal with the weight and size this is one very powerful Smartphone. You may want to give it a try.