.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE The XV6700, viva la Verizon
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY Senior Editor James Booth has turned to the Dark side. For years he’s been searching for a device that would combine his Palm handheld and Verizon cell phone, but he hates the Treos. James is now hooked on Pocket PCs and Verizon’s XV6700. Read on to find out what the XV6700 is and what’s so great about it.
.OTHER
For years I’ve been searching for a device that would combine my handheld (a Palm), my cell phone (from Verizon), and still have multimedia capabilities. But I had always been reticent to dive into the world of Pocket PCs. My previous experiences found them to be difficult to set up, with a less than user-friendly interface. Not to mention all of the Palm software and accessories I’ve invested in.
But Verizon’s new XV6700 Pocket PC phone in Figure A has changed all of my preconceived Pocket PC notions.
.FIGPAIR A The XV6700, Verizon’s newest Pocket PC phone.
Some of you may be wondering, "If he’s so hot on the Palm format, why not just get a Treo?" A valid question. The answer is: I hate the Treos and everything about them.
Rectangular screens have been around way too long for the Treo to be shackled with a square one. I hate the thumb board, it takes up vital screen space and I want to "write" my input. And finally, they dropped Graffiti as an input method, which ranks right up there with selling off their software division as one of the most bone-headed things Palm has ever done.
.TEASER To read James’ full review, tap here.
.H1 Something in the air
I can smell a change in the air when it comes to the handheld market. Palm, the company that makes Palm devices, has released a Windows Mobile device and sold off their software division (the one that makes the Palm OS) all in one quarter. To me, it spells the demise of the Palm platform.
With this in mind, I realized it was unlikely I would ever see the Palm mobile phone that I wanted; one with a full-size screen, Graffiti input, Office compatibility, multimedia capability, and more storage than the local U-Store-It. It was clear to me that any converged device would have to be a Pocket PC, so I went looking.
.H1 Viva la Verizon
I’ve been a Verizon customer for a LONG time, going way back to when they were GTE. And it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for us. There was a time a few years back when I had a love/hate relationship with Verizon. I loved to hate them. But no other service could match my plan, so I stuck it out.
I must not have been the only dissatisfied customer though, because their policies, service, and support did a 180, and I’ve been quite satisfied since. So naturally, Verizon was the first stop on my Pocket PC phone quest, where I found the XV6700.
.H1 The specs
The XV6700 from Verizon is a CDMA-enabled mobile phone running Windows Mobile 5, with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only) capability. Included in the XV6700 are a voice recorder, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a miniSD expansion slot, and a 1.3 megapixel digital camera with flash. Additional specs are a 416 Mhz Intel processor, 64MB of RAM and 128MB of Flash ROM, a 2.8-inch QVGA (240×320) screen, and a removable and replaceable 1350mAh lithium-ion battery for power. As an advantage, the memory is persistent, meaning it will survive a power loss. Your battery can die, even be removed, and you won’t lose your data like on many handhelds.
Included in the box with the XV6700 are a cradle and cables, and a software CD with Outlook 2002 and ActiveSync. You’ll also find two, count ’em two, styli in case you lose one, stereo headphones with mic for hands-free use, a leather slipcase, and a printed manual. I love printed manuals.
The XV6700 utilizes a single mini-USB connection for both synchronizing and charging. You can charge the device from the AC adapter, the USB cable, or the cradle (whether it’s connected to the USB, AC, or both). Synching can be done via USB cable, cradle (so long as the USB cable is connected), Wi-Fi, or even wireless connection if you set it up, which I didn’t. Keep in mind though, you’ll be charged for the airtime and data transfer.
I like that the XV6700 comes with a cradle, it’s just easier to set it in the cradle than to plug in a cable. Too many PDAs, and even mobile phones to some extent, either no longer come with cradles, or don’t have them available. The XV6700’s cradle also has space to charge an extra battery.
On the topic of the battery, it claims to get between 2.5 and 5 hours of talk time, depending on signal strength and your personal settings. Standby time is estimated at 200 hours, but I can’t say for sure because I couldn’t leave it alone long enough to find out. My XV6700 gets quite a bit of PDA use, in the neighborhood of 3-4 hours daily, but I get around two days of use before I charge it. And I usually charge when the battery is around 40-50 percent.
I must confess, I think the XV6700’s screen looks pretty good. In Figure B you see that the colors are vibrant and the display brilliant.
.FIGPAIR B The vibrant colors of the XV6700’s Today screen.
Font size on WM5 (Windows Mobile 5) can be adjusted to your own particular comfort level, making it easier to read. The orientation can be set to Portrait, or either a left- or right-handed Landscape. In fact, when you slide out the keyboard the XV6700 will automatically rotate the screen to left-handed Landscape so it’s in the correct orientation.
.H1 Windows Mobile
Microsoft has come a long way with the mobile version of their Windows operating system; it’s now literally just like using the desktop version. My previous Pocket PC usage left me frustrated, and feeling as though the OS was trying to keep a secret from me. But that’s all changed with Windows Mobile 5. It’s now every bit as user-friendly as the Palm OS; more so actually, because utilities and applications that are only available as third-party add-ons with the Palm, are built directly into the OS.
One of the really great things about the XV6700, and Windows Mobile, is the file system. It’s just like your Windows desktop. In most cases, your data files, worksheets, images, music, etc. can transfer directly to the unit and function with no conversion needed, unlike the Palm. Also unlike the Palm file system, programs and data can be installed to the external card and still function as though it were in main memory. My biggest complaint with the Palm LifeDrive is that the OS still sees the built-in hard drive as though it’s an external memory card, crippling its usefulness.
A big advantage to WM5 is that it includes the Mobile Office suite, consisting of Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, and Word Mobile, all of which work pretty much just like on the desktop. The great thing about this is that it’s part of the OS and not a third-party add-on taking up your free memory, like on the Palm.
Another advantage to Windows Mobile is multi-tasking; true multi-tasking, just like on the desktop. It’s great to be able to run one application, open another to reference a fact, hop on the Internet to look up a source, and listen to music while you do so, all without closing anything down. I’ve been waiting for this kind of feature on the Palm for years, but it’s not likely to happen now.
For input, the XV6700 offers six options. Six! Can you believe that? The slide-out keyboard in Figure C is one option of course, and probably the best for entering large amounts of text.
.FIGPAIR C The XV6700 features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
I’ve never used a "thumb-type" keyboard before, but I took to the XV6700’s pretty quickly. There’s also Block Recognizer and Letter Recognizer, which are similar to Palm’s Graffiti, an on-screen keyboard, and an on-screen phone pad keyboard. But my favorite by far is Transcriber.
With Transcriber you can write in your own handwriting, print or cursive, and it will be converted to text. I have a rather unique style of writing that is a mixture of print and my own version of cursive, but Transcriber recognizes it nonetheless.
.H1 ActiveSync
Along with Windows Mobile is ActiveSync, Microsoft’s synchronization software. The last time I tried to set up ActiveSync it left me angry, drenched in sweat, and brewing a major migraine. That too has changed. I found ActiveSync 4.0 as easy to set up as Palm Desktop. Simply install the software, plug in the XV6700, and that’s it. ActiveSync instantly recognized my XV6700 and set up the sync all on its own, just like Palm Desktop and HotSync. And it was this simple on both a Windows XP and a Windows 2000 machine.
I did encounter a bit of a glitch later when synching to the laptop after synching with the desktop, but updating ActiveSync to version 4.1 (a free update from Microsoft) solved the problem.
.H1 The XV6700
Our Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz has likened the XV6700 to an Altoids tin, and it is considerably smaller than the Palm devices I’m used to, as you can see in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D The XV6700 is just slightly larger than the screen on the Palm LifeDrive.
I was initially concerned that I might find it too small, but that just wasn’t the case. Phone-wise, the XV6700 is larger than my old Moto, and PDA-wise it fits in the hand quite well and can easily be navigated with one hand using the hardware buttons and mini joystick.
I’ve heard people on XV6700 message boards complain about the various hardware buttons accidentally activating the device and wearing the battery down. I haven’t really experienced that myself because there’s a very simple fix: deactivate the buttons. In the Button preferences there is an option to deactivate all hardware buttons except the Power button when the device is turned off.
Speaking of turning the device off, "technically" there’s no way to actually turn it off without removing the battery. The PDA function can be powered off, but the phone continues on standby. "But wait," as Ron Popeil would say, "there’s more!" Because the XV6700 is a fully functioning PDA in addition to a mobile phone, it needs to be able to function as one at all times. With that in mind, it has a feature called Flight Mode.
With Flight Mode active, the phone portion is deactivated, allowing you to use the PDA functions while on commercial airline flights, soothing that industry’s unfounded phobia of mobile phone interference. It’s also convenient for meetings, movie theaters, and other occasions where you wouldn’t want to be disturbed. As with most phones, it can also be set to vibrate, not ring at all, or a combination of ring and vibrate.
The XV6700 runs Windows Mobile as I’ve said, and because of that you can program your own rings, system sounds, and alarms. I must confess to fiddling with the alarm sounds but not the ringtone. The XV6700 has a ringtone that I simply love. In a time when people seem to program the most obnoxious ringtones they can find into their phones, and they all sound the same, and they can never find the darn phone when it rings, I love that my phone goes R-I-N-G! You know, just like the old phones used to sound?
When it comes to signal strength and quality, the XV6700’s phone, shown in Figure E, is hands down better than the Moto I used to have.
.FIGPAIR E The XV6700’s on-screen phone controls.
God how I hated that Moto. It would drop calls left and right. And if it was anywhere near my monitor and speakers it wouldn’t grab incoming calls. I’ve experienced none of that with the XV6700.
Unfortunately, I’m not in an area where Verizon offers EV-DO coverage, yet anyway. So I was unable to test that feature. But the 1X wireless connection is fast enough in its own right, at least as fast as Wi-Fi connected to cable or DSL.
I must confess to being not that big a fan of IE, at least not on the desktop, I’m a Netscape man myself. But on the handheld, Pocket IE is far superior to Palm’s Blazer. It loads faster, has more features, and displays better. Not to mention that you can copy your desktop IE Favorites directly into Pocket IE.
Along with an Internet connection comes the ability to check email. Checking via Wi-Fi is pretty easy. If you can set up your wireless router, you can set up the XV6700 to retrieve your email via Wi-Fi. Wireless retrieval through Verizon’s wireless network is a little more difficult; the instructions in the manual and quick setup guide aren’t complete. The instructions are available on Verizon’s site, but it’s unlikely a less tech savvy person would find them. So, if you’re stuck and need them, here’s a link.
The actual setup itself is relatively simple; it’s just finding the info that’s a bit difficult. I suppose a Verizon rep could set it up for the customer at the time of purchase, but I recommend that Verizon include a printout of this information in the box.
.H1 The camera
As I mentioned earlier, the XV6700 includes a 1.3MP digital camera, with flash. It’s not so much a flash in the traditional sense, it’s more like a floodlight. This is no garden variety $20 Wal-Mart digital camera. This one can shoot in resolutions from 160×120 to 1600×1280 with digital zoom ranging from 1x to 8x.
In addition, it can shoot stitched panoramas, sports burst from 5-30 frames, continuous burst up to 30 frames, pictures for Contacts, and even video. The video mode will even capture audio, or a format suitable for sending via MMS.
You aren’t going be Spielberg or Lucas, nor will you be Helmet Newton or Annie Liebovitz with this camera. But it does offer more features and settings than you’ll find in most economy digital cameras. It’s perfect for those occasions you wish you had a still or video camera. It even has a tiny convex mirror near the lens for shooting self-portraits. In Figure F you can see a picture I shot of my dingo (actually an Australian Cattle Dog), Sheila.
.FIGPAIR F It’s not a digital SLR, but is good for snapshots, like this one of my dog Sheila.
To go along with the camera/video, the XV6700 has an image/slideshow viewer and the mobile version of Windows Media Player. The image viewer in Figure G, allows you to rotate the image and apply rudimentary exposure compensation.
.FIGPAIR G The Windows Mobile image viewer takes care of your viewing needs.
The media player acts just as it does on the desktop, playing MP3s, WMAs, WAVs, and MIDI audio, as well as MPEG, WMV, and ASF video files.
.H1 The review
This article is getting a bit long in the tooth, so I better wrap it up. I just wanted to make sure I covered as many features as possible. Have I covered them all? No, because there are just too many to be able remember them all.
Two of my biggest concerns with the XV6700 were the screen size, which is considerably smaller than the one on my Palm, and switching to a Windows Mobile device. I quickly realized the latter was of no concern. Navigating WM5 is just like using Windows XP. I did end up spending about $200 to replace my Palm apps with ones designed for Windows Mobile, but it was worth it.
As far as the screen, it took very little time to get used to. It would be "nice" if the screen were larger, but if this is the price we have to pay in order to lure more mobile phone users to the world of converged devices, then I’m willing to accept that.
I found Verizon’s XV6700 to be an excellent pairing of a PDA and a mobile phone. In many cases, a device like this tries to be too many things and fails miserably at all of them, not so with the XV6700. Any of it’s functions, PDA, phone, or camera, could be extracted from the unit and be a fully functioning device in its own right. Not only is it an excellent converged device, it’s also a great first-time Pocket PC for the uninitiated.
Because the XV6700 runs Windows Mobile 5, it uses the same files and file structure as our desktops, unlike Palm OS devices. It also has all the necessary multimedia and Office applications incorporated into the OS, again, unlike the Palm OS.
I have to confess that I’ve turned to the Dark side. I’m now hooked on Pocket PCs and Verizon’s XV6700. With it, I have been able to consolidate everything I need into one device. Its case is my wallet, and the XV6700 itself is my phone, PDA, picture album, dictionary, street atlas, library, Office suite, camera, media device, and so much more.
I really only have one complaint with the XV6700, and it’s that damnable miniSD expansion slot. I realize it was included in the XV6700 due to its small form factor, and that the smaller ones, such as miniSD, microSD, and Transflash are becoming popular with mobile phones, but they are virtually impossible to find in a brick-and-mortar store.
My local Verizon store did carry a 1GB miniSD card, but I knew I could get one online for half their price, and it just wasn’t worth twice the cost to walk out with one in hand. I would have been willing to sacrifice the camera in favor of a full-size SD slot. Because it utilizes the extremely difficult to find miniSD card, I have to pull one point from my rating of the XV6700, giving it a 4 out of 5.
.RATING 4
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources.
For more information on the Verizon XV6700, visit http://search.vzw.com/?q=xv6700&submit=SEARCH&market=53520+All&summary=1&p=all&state=y&fselect=1.
For more information on the Palm Treo, visit http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo650/.
For more information on U-Store-It, visit http://ustoreitchicago.reachlocal.net/default.aspx.
For more information on Windows Mobile 5, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/5/default.mspx.
For more information on ActiveSync, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/activesync/default.mspx.
For more information on Altoids, visit http://www.altoids.com/index.do.
For more information on Motorola products, visit http://direct.motorola.com/ENS/nationalhome.asp?country=USA&language=ENS&Selectedtab=1.
For more information on Ron Popeil, visit http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/popeil.htm.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
