This is my first PDA out of the many phones that I have owned. I was able to play with this phone for a few weeks before a purchased it and I knew it was the one. Windows Mobile 6 is amazing and very, very user friendly.
Pros:
Windows Mobile 6
Huge screen (great for videos)
Microsoft Office Mobile
Wi-fi
Full keyboard: Nice and big (great for email, text, etc.)
Cons:
Can't send picture mail to other phones, however, can receive from phones. Can only email them.
Can't turn off status light without doing a registry edit (but then you loose all status lights and vibrate) but I can live with a blinking light! :)
All in all, a great phone. I would suggest it to anyone looking into a PDA. Its a little spendy, but worth every penny. Easy to use for those of us who aren't familiar with PDA's.
suz, WI
This is hands down the best phone I have had so far. I have used the Treos(600, 650, and 700p) and the 6700 and find this phone superior to them all. The size is nice and the screen is very nice. I am not going to go into detail about the pros and cons(others have covered that to death). All I know is the phone does it all for me without a glitch. You will not be sorry you picked up this one.
Fred, Stewart
Overall a great phone. If you want a multi media phone look elsewhere...iphone?,?Voyager?. But if you want a business type phone, this is it. Calander, tasks, e-mail, internet. and yes, a phone.
I love the phone overall, but ... the negatives ... battery life seem low. I use many apps thruought the day, and find I don't last 48 hours. I can live with that. The sound is low. Hopefully we see some "update" which addresses this. WI-Fy works well ... dumped the sync and "push" thing. Every 15 minutes ... that's just silly.
Overall, my best phone yet.
Chuck, Mt Laurel NJ
The XV6800 pasted my test compare to the 6700. It doesn't freeze up and it comes with a pdf reader. Mobile 6 is the best software I've seen in a while. The upgraded memory space and 2.0 mega pix camera makes it the best PDA on the market. The bluetooth works better than the 6700 and I like the new keyboard layout. The side scroll wheel was a nice addition. The overall features are much better than the 6700. I also noticed a big difference with using the web service too. It doesn't lockup when searching different sites. Last thing, it supports 4g memory expanded card compare to 1g on the 6700. I suffered with the 6700 but it was worth the wait. I tried the blackberry 8830 (Internet was terrible and no touch screen), treo 700w (Internet and camera was bad), and the samsung 760i (not bad but the XV6800 has a better camera). For now they all cannot compete with the XV6800. The is the best...
Dan, Colorado
I had the XV6600 and this XV6800 is a signicantly improved phone. I'll write this from the upgrade perspective. Here's what's improved:
- No screws on the side of the phone that fall out
- Case is hard plastic instead of dentable aluminum.
- Stylus doesn't fall out.
- so far, no more constant rebooting.
- Size is much narrower, shorter and weight is lighter. Fits in pocket much nicer.
- WIndows Mobile 6 adds a lot of nice User Interface and navigational improvements.
- Battery life appears to be better but my old ones were rather worn so can't really compare.
- Keyboard is much, much better. Buttons are bigger and the landscape style keyboard is much wider and easier to use. Function keys and numbers much easier to use. Has helpful LED for caps lock and function key lock.
- Hard Navigation keys on front of phone seem to be well thought out.
- WiFi switch on side of phone is handy. You can surf the net from any unsecured wireless network in the area.
- Syncing with my laptop was a breeze once I shut down my stupid firewall.
- Love the mini USB connector instead of having the old desk cradle.
- Camera image clarity improved.
I really like this phone and am enjoying the benefits of the newer Win Mobile 6. It fits in my front pocket much better now. Love the multiple ways of navigating: you can touch the screen, use a stylus, use the navigation keys on the bottom of the phone, the keyboard and the scroll wheel. Just use whatever feels best.
Handy Comm Manager button. Allows you to quickly turn on flight mode or switch the ringer to vibrate mode or disconnect from the internet.
Cons I've noticed. The scroll wheel allows you to press on it to select an item. It's a bit stiff. THe power button is opposite the scroll wheel on the other side of the phone so you have to get used to positioning your opposing finger to not press the power button while you press on the scroll wheel.
No headphone jack directly on phone. Have to use the 3 inch long mini USB splitter that is provided. Minor but it extends about 3 inches out the bottom of the phone. It is flexible however and allows you to listen to it while it's connected to your laptop and charging.
Another review said buttons on the screen for the phone are smaller. This is true but I still found it easy to dial with one hand.
What would I change? Although the thickness is not bad, would like it to be a bit thinner like the Moto Q. Allow headphones to connect directly into phone w/o adapter. Wish it knew how to pick winning lotto numbers.
aggieroadracer, Plano, TX
Love the features of the phone as this is my 4th Windows based pda/phone...however, the battery life, even checking email only every hour is about 12 hours and that is it. If I can get the battery replaced or upgraded to a larger one, this might be the end all phone for me.
dave, chicago
this phone is awful, horrible, miserable!! Having said that, I love the idea and perceived usability of the phone- windows mobile (this is my first advanced device). I purchased the phone for ms office and calender features as well as outlook sync. I don't email and really don't use the phone too terribly often. this is a multifunction center for me. don't watch videos, don't take or send pictures. i communicate with my business and use productivity tools. Problems: the device constantly freezes up, the battery life was great for about the first 30 days, now- I can not even touch the thing (literally) and it will be dead at the end of the 12 hour day. the phone signal isn't as strong as my previous no bells phone. i find the volume level adequate.
Bottom line- I desperately want to LOVE this phone because I need exactly what it tries to offer, but i hate it. My wife is tired of listening to me bitch about it not functioning all the time!!!
Adam, Michigan
This device is both a phone and a PDA. Unfortunately, and much to my disappointment, it does neither job very well. I came from using a motorola E815 flip phone to the XV6800 with high expectations, though I don't think my expectations were too high for a $400 phone. Additionally, I own and use an HP iPaq pocket PC. This phone seemed to be the solution that I was looking for to be able to cary one device instead of two. Not so. After 4 months, I have reverted back to the Pocket PC and E815 flip phone and sold the XV6800 on ebay.
Call Quality: Without hacking the phone, I could barely hear the person on teh other end of the line unless I was in a VERY quiet environment. When in the car or shop, forget about it. Reception is no better or worse than my E815. Although on multiple occasions, the phone would simply not respond to incoming calls even though the unit was powered on and the green status light was flashing... this was the last straw for me... what if there was a family emergency?
Ease of use: One would think that this would be the strong point of a touch screen phone, but unfortunately, it was the most frustrating part for me. When tapping the screen to enter a phone number, the lag was so long at times that you would think that you simply didn't press hard enough, so you press again... and again... then FINALLY, all three numbers appear. Then you have to go back and erase the two extras before repeating the drill for the following 6 remaning numbers in the phone number. dialing from the phone book was OK, and even better using some third party software.
Design: Hardware design was the high point for this phone. The sliding mechanism is very durable, and will not break ... even when an outraged, frustrated individual throws the phone into a wall. (the screen may crack though). Software design was lacking severely. Basic functions such as missed call reminder tones and voicemail reminder tones checkboxes are greyed out so they can not be selected. Since the display on this phone is not on when not in use, you can not tell if you have a missed call unless you turn it on.
Battery life: AWEFUL!!! you better buy an extra battery, a car charger, and a wall charger for the office.
As a phone this device was horrible. As a PDA the device was OK... not good, but OK. The alarm function may or may not work based on the standby / powersave status of the phone (not user controllable). If you set up birthday reminders, be prepared to be woken up at 11:30 PM the night before each persons birthday. I never did get it to send email properly, however it received email just fine. Solitaire works GREAT!!!
Good Luck!!!
ben baker, chesterfield,va
this aint really a review i just want to know just how bad the volume is because i need to beable to hear my ringtones!!!!
thanks
Will, Austin, TX
PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING!!!!!! I really want to love this phone. The features are great and the interface isn't bad either. But . . . HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A SCREEN BURN IN. Because if you buy this phone that is what you will get in a few weeks/months. I bought this phone right when it came out in December. I am now on my fourth, yep, fourth phone. Here is a run down.
Phone 1 - bought in store noticed a bright spot at the lower left corner.
Phone 2 - exchanged for phone without bright spot. Guess what, it came back in the exact same spot on this phone.
Phone 3 - Getting frustrated but not wanting to let go of the awesome features I exchanged it in store again. Dealt with the bright spot burn in on this one in the exact same spot for 5 months. It got worse, and worse to the point where it was unbearable.
Phone 4 - received the refurbished phone from customer support today, powered it up and wouldn't you know it, BRIGHT SPOT BURN IN, EXACT SAME PLACE. I opened the phone up and saw the design flaw. There is a component that is heating up too much and causing the screen to fail in that specific location. I don't have bad luck, just a fatal flaw in the design of the phone. DON'T BUY THIS PHONE IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY. WAIT UNTIL THEY FIX THIS. I don't want to imagine what the bright spot will look like in 18 months when I am still waiting for the new every two deals.
