The XV6800, more than a phone, not quite a laptop
Written: Feb 12 '09
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Pros: Good battery life, slide out physical keyboard, bluetooth and wireles
Cons: Cumbersome speaker jack, program memory barely adequate
The Bottom Line: With a combination of the built-in features and progams plus a few free 3rd-party apps, I've been able to stay connected and productive almost anywhere there is service.
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| sidraw1's Full Review: XV6800 Cell Phone |
I'm always on the hunt for a single device that will do everything I need when I'm on the road. I haven't quite found it yet but I'm getting much closer. With the XV6800 and a few free apps I'm closer than ever to my goal of shedding the laptop on trips.
What you get:
The XV6800 phone with 400mhz processor
A spare stylus (handy since I've already lost the original!)
Screen protector
Power adapter
Sync Cable
USB-out splitter for phone jack
Sync software
Let me start out with one of the few cons. The speaker plug. It is not a standard jack but requires you to plug the included USB splitter (a Y-type cable) into the bottom of the phone. Once you've done this you have two connections, one being an extension of the original USB plug-in, the other being a non-standard earphone jack. Now, if you wish to use a typical set of headphones, you need another converter to go from the mini-phone jack to what your headphones probably use. Not the most brilliant engineering design I've ever seen!
Let's look at some of the pros now. In addition to the over-the-air network capabilities, the XV6800 also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 Connecting the Wi-Fi to your wireless LAN or to another hotspot is almost effortless. The Wi-Fi also supports various WPA encryptions which is essential in this day and age. Depending upon your carrier, tethering of the phone to a laptop is also possible but, having an aircard, this is a feature I've not felt the need to shell out extra money for...besides, my ultimate goal is to not lug the laptop around in the first place! As is usually the case, data usage is cutoff when a call is in progress, however if you are within range of Wi-Fi, you CAN use that while talking.
Although you can sync the phone via the cable and software, I've only connected the XV6800 to my desktop a handful of times solely for purposes of upgrading the ROM and for installing one or two apps which required desktop installation (ArcPad). My contacts and email are synched automatically "over the air" with my Exchange Server, and all other applications like Google Maps, Opera, Putty SSH, etc, I've been able to access online directly with the phone and install locally.
The screen on the XV6800 is 240x320 resolution with 65,536 colors and the text very clear and readable. I do have some trouble seeing it in bright daylight, but otherwise it is very visible.
For entering text, there is always the soft keyboard (or various recognizers) and I use those for short notes. For anything lengthy, I slide out the physical QWERTY keyboard and type (with thumbs) in landscape mode. It took a bit to get used to the keyboard functions but that is the case anytime you start to use a new keyboard, whether it be on a PDA or a desktop. The tactile response of the keys is good and I find I can type at a pretty good rate without making too many errors. When it is slid out, the keyboard backlight automatically comes on so you can orient your thumbs even in the dark. The light stays on only briefly, but reactivates with each press of the key. In the dark this is very helpful, in the daylight, it's not noticeable. Win-Win.
I've also used such products as Stowaway's bluetooth mouse and keyboard with the XV6800. Using the combination of a mouse and external keyboard with a phone is a sure-fire conversation starter at meetings, conferences etc!
For email, the included Direct Push allows me to get email on the XV6800 from the Exchange Server as fast or faster than I do on my desktop. With the included Acrobat Reader and the Mobile versions of Excel and Word which come with Windows Mobile 6.x and a few applications like Opera web browser and Putty SSH, the only thing keeping me from leaving the laptop behind is the minimal screen resolution and, to a lesser extent, the memory limitations.
The back of the phone has a built in 2 megapixel camera and a white-LED flash. The camera is adequate for average photos but as with most cameras built into phones, I'm still not as impressed as I'd like to be, and I still haul my "real" camera around. You are not limited to just stills--motion video is also recordable. Regarding the LED flash...I suggest downloading the "flashlight" app and assign one of the lesser used buttons to this program. When the single LED is on solid, it throws out a heck of a lot of light and I've lost count of the number of times I've had to use it.
Cell phones still aren't quite up to the sound quality of land lines, and the XV6800 is no exception. I do, however, manage to engage in some lengthy calls with it and only have to utter the phrase "What did you say?" only a very few times. The XV6800 can also be used in speakerphone fashion, but the usual 'tinny' sound is there and becomes annoying after a very short time. For longer calls or for driving, consider a bluetooth headset. I've had some problems at times getting the two to pair up, but usually a second attempt solves the problem. The XV6800 is not the most ergonomic device (I've called it a short, thin brick on more than one occasion) so a headset comes in handy.
The battery life is very good. I can get through an entire day with heavy data usage and a few phone calls and still have plenty of juice left over. Talk times have been in excess of three hours, often more. The XV6800 does not come with a cradle and since I find one to be very useful, I purchased one which has the ability to take and charge a spare battery. Take them both with you on your long trips and you'll be set.
The phone comes with a built-in GPS but, depending upon your carrier, this may be crippled. When a carrier sells a phone it should make use of all of its capabilities without making you pay to use something you've already bought...but I digress!
Memory. Never enough of this but there is more than some other devices have. There is about 150 megabytes for storage and a bit over 46 megabytes for program memory. I don't have any problem with the storage memory, but with a few applications running I start to bump up against memory limitations for the programs. Why device manufacturers continue to skimp in this area I will never know, but this is one area where they need to go all out.
For additional storage, there is also a micro-SD slot which would originally take cards up to 4 gigabytes in size. Subsequent patches have increased the capability to 16 gigabytes so if you have a lot of music to take with you...go ahead!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
Recommended for: Professionals On-the-Go - Internet and Email is a Must!
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Epinions.com ID:
sidraw1
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Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 1 member
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