Audiovox PPC-6600 / PPC-6601 / XV6600 (HTC Harrier)
Average Ratings
Is this the one for you???
Ok this phone has so many pros and cons I really think if you can tolerate the inconsistencies it may work out for you. Ok the fone obviously has a great screen and keyboard. The Microsoft platform makes it wonderful from afar but there are alot of problems that you have to adjust to such as the ringer, it rings too low but you know if you add a ringtone, put the phone on vibrate and ring and you will possibly get the call. The problem is sometimes it says unable to answer the call and there isnt a damn thing you can do about it but call back. Another thing I dont like about this fone is that for it will often ring once and drop into voicemail or sometimes it wont ring. If you have a bluetooth connected you cant answer using the headset all the time and by the time you do you missed the call. The volume is always too low to hear anyone without a doubt, here is your answer for that. You hold down the send button and the speakerphone will come on and if your in public turn it down, if not turn it all the way up and move forward. I do not like the way that Verizon knows absolutley nada about the phone and forget about calling in for a simple question coz there is a big chance that the rep is winging it like the rest of us.Also if you have Verizon switch to T-Mobile if possible coz Verizon charges you to download a simple pic msg. If you dont have a unlimited data pkg they will charge you at their discression with no explanations for the charges coz noone in the company can explain any of the data charges. Also the phone is too bulky to attach to your waist and wear comfortably so forget about it! I really hate the way the phone locks up about every couple months(if ur lucky) and reseting the thing is the biggest pain coz you are forced to redo all of your ringtones picture photos and it takes forever to get the setting just right. IF YOU CAN ADJUST TO ALL THE BLIPS IT CAN BE A FAIRLY DECENT PALM/FONE if this is too much work for you you may want to try the Palm Treo.
Great phone, not as bad as people put it out to be
This is a great phone. I work in the wireless industry and see and use many different phones & PDA's. This one here is great, very easy to use/sync with your computer.
By the way, contrary to the previous review, it does have a speakerphone! Press & hold the green "send" button for 2-3 seconds. It will then pop a little message up telling you that it is on.
Pros:
*Windows based
*shortcut buttons below & above the screen.
*Shows upcoming events on the main screen
*Has an external antenna port on the back
*battery life is much better than expected!
*infrared/bluetooth
*menu setup
Cons:
*very low ringer/weak vibrating
*no voice dialing
I would recommend this phone/PDA to the consumer.
I thought it was just ok
Well as of now 2-5-06 I've had this phone for about a week and a half and I think it's just an ok phone but now for me I sold my Samsung A880 to get this and I miss my A880 but here are my pro's and con's.
PROS-
1.All the cool programs that you can install
2.Good memory
3.keyboard (great for typing it's better than the screen keyboard)
4.big nice screen
5.Awesome web browsing
6.Windows Media Player
CONS-
1.Camera-WORST camera I have ever seen on a phone people considering getting this phone your better off getting the cameraless version (6601)
2.Very low ringtones-you will miss calls
3.Slow and buggy I have to reset it sometimes a couple of times a day and it can be slow and take awhile to load things
4.screen gets dirty a lot
5.sometimes hard to type on the onscreen keyboard
So overall I think if you want a Pocket PC just get a regular one and stick with a regular type phone.
Yet another review
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 at http://johnpatota.com/xv66000.htm
Nice Try, but...
Been using this phone for Bus/Pers use for 2 years. At first Excited because it was Pocket PC based and I'm a Windows Power user. Sync w/Outlook is Fantastic, ability to charge while in cradle is great. Screen is clear but difficult to see in sunlight. Sound quality overall good, but Sprint coverge is spotty at best in S. California.
Cons: Battery life not good, software freezes frequently and decides to randomly freak-out, requiring system resets far to often. Headset jack is not standard size and stereo ONLY works with handsfree (included) wired headset if you want to use it as MP3 player. Side screws seem to loosen up too easily causing stylus to fall out & at $$ for 3 it gets kind of pricey! Buttons over time have become unresponsive. It was a nice try, but overall the phone wasn't built to last and for the $700 price tag when it was released I expected a whole lot more.
awesome device
In regard to saving calls to contacts - this device can do that - Am I missing something? You Tap and hold on the call in your calls log and pick "save to contacts". I found the spin up on theis device to be frustrating - like other folks I had the volume travails, and resolved them by uploading my own ringtone, got a good holster for it, set the button lock so I wouldn't inadvertantly turn it on while carrying it, got a little app called SPB pocket plus that allows changing wallpaper, setting icons and changing menus, made saving web content really easy, and a bunch of other nice items, I put a memory card in it, so I can play 1GB of MP3s on WMP9 - nice! I can't say enought good things about this device.
Oh - one other thing - for the folks who say this cant be used with one hand - wrong! You can arrow through stuff just fine on this phone with the directional pad - I can find numbers in my list and dial with one finger!
Even the new Treos with Windows won't play TV like this thing will, with the kind of screen size and clarity - esepcially on Verizon's EVDO network - slammin quality, no lags...
Pros: almost everything
Cons: learning curve, need to spend a decent amount of time setting it up correctly and getting used to using it. I too almost sent it back and I am SO glad I did not -
I hate this devise
OK, first confession - I am not a techno wizard. I got this devise on the advice of the verizon guy. I've happily used PDA's on Palm platform for about 10 years and also needed a way to get on the internet to check e-mail when away from computers. I'd initially intended to get the Treo but the Verizon sales guy said I'd be much better off with this.
Here are my complaints: the battery life is dreadful and since an incoming call can turn on the devise - you can not be using it and discover that the battery has drained when you do need it.
It is a rotten phone. Ringer is too quiet so you miss calls. And others can't hear me well regardless of the headset (wired or bluetooth) that I've used.
Ergonomically - it's a disaster. You generally need three hands to operate it. I've even installed voice command but the devise is cumbersome to hold and manipulate.
OK, so I can tell you the weather in Tokyo for the next 5 days and the screen is pretty but it has been far more hassle than help in my life.
Unless you enjoy programming - stick with something more user friendly.
Looks Good on Paper... Do NOT Buy!
Pros:
- once in a while the synchronization works
- good speaker
- good character recognition
- Verizon's broadband internet is nice (when in an area supporting it)
- MP3 is adequate, but no comparison to my iPod
Cons:
- no way to program phone to retrieve vmail off my office system. Tech support no help.
- speed dialing (hold down a programmed number) infrequently works. Real buttons would work much better.
- ringer volume way too low (and WHY should anyone have to download an adequate ringtone??)
- synchronization works some days, frequently craps out. Since it will resume working without any intervention it is my phone or the carrier.
- the software which supposedly keeps your password, does not. You will get used to frequently re-entering your login information.
- no voice commands (my fault for not finding out before purchase)
- battery life is a joke. By 3:30pm get warnings about remaining power. Don't even think about 2 days on standby.
- frequent crashes.
- so-called "push" setting for email will deliver incoming email in about 40 minutes.
- camera: joke
I have Verizon service. I give the tech support folks good marks. The phone however is unreliable and doesn't even have features of phones I had 10 years ago (voice dial, and programming for message retrieval). I switched to the XV6600 from a Treo 600, after my Blackberry. I am going back to a Blackberry 7250 next week. Blackberry is bullet proof even though it doesn't look as good on paper...
BUY THIS PHONE ONLY IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO B**** ABOUT.
Jazz
Good Phone/PDA Combo, But Be Careful
a) Make sure to get a car charger and at least 1 travel/extra charger.
b) It works great *because* I've hardly installed anything on it. (I learned my lesson with older PDA's. Never install shareware on your 'live' PDA. Alywas test it first.)
c) Best Practices dictate that all software is to be tested prior to installing on your 'production' equipment.
d) I can't get backup to work, either to the SD card, or as an STG file (created via ActiveSync's backup utility.)
e) I've never used the BlueTooth on the device, so I have no comment on that.
f) It is a Windows device, so get used to resetting it regularly. I recommend proactively resetting it, perhaps every other day, or once a week. That way, it won't tell you "Unable to answer call" when you need to take the call!
g) This is a huge improvement over the Audiovox Thera that it replaced for me.
h) The volume does suck, although I may have hearing issues, and furthermore, there may be certain carries that the earpiece doesn't sound as well when connecting to.
i) As with any computer or PDA, do not give it too much to do. Be patient, give it one thing at a time to do, and regularly use the 'Stop' button on the 'Running Programs' tab within the Memory utility, to prevent crashes, slowness, and hangups.
j) If you are not a gadget freak, or an I.T. Professional, I do not recommend this device.
k) If you are, and you can get a good price, go for it. Or, just wait until the Treo 650 comes out on Windows, which is soon...
Great PDA Phone
I have used the 6600 on VZW since February '05.
Pros:
- Microsoft OS easy to use
- Integration with Outlook makes keeping your PC Calendar and Contacts up-to-date a must
- E-Mail is a nice feature for emergencies
- Wireless Sync with unlimited Broadband Access is amazing (rarely use Active Sync anymore)
- Battery life is pretty good for me, I easily get 1 day from a full charge (although I don't listen to music)
- Microsoft Voice Command is very useful
- Symantec AntiVirus works well
- The soft keyboard is great, I rarely use the slide out keyboard but it's easy to use as well
- Install of 3rd party programs is fairly simple
- Tons of shareware (be selective of what you do and don't install)
Cons:
- Ringers are hard to hear - The standard "Old Phone" ringer solves the problem completely.
- Bluetooth works, but I couldn't hear very well when driving so I stopped using it but it wasn't a show stopper for me
- Can't save calls directly to contacts
- Speed dials are not integrated with contacts, so it takes some work to set them up
- Can't easily use speed dials by pressing the number. Need to fix this similar to what LG and others have developed on their standard phones (pressing # shows speed dial contact)
- Phone is a little bulky, so I forward calls to my wife's cell when out on weekends
My recommendation is to read the directions carefully when you get the phone. It will take some time to set up correctly, but it's worth the effort. VZW Tech Support for Broadband Access was very helpful during the first 2 weeks I had the phone.
Keep in mind, no phone will ever be perfect, I waited a long time to buy a PDA phone and this phone is definitely a good productivity tool for business. I am very pleased.
