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"Only For the Hardcore Power users; Whiners need NOT Apply" on by ShawnTheDawn
Pros: Cool look. fast data transfer and good call quality
Cons: Wish it would've come out sooner
Summary: For those confused on wheather to buy the Samsung i760 or the XV6800, You can breath now. The XV is much faster and less chunky. It has more style, while th i760 is more like a brick with a stylus.
When accessing the camera the i760 takes longer to find memory to load while the XV responds quickly. Not to mension it is a 2 megapixel camera vs. the i760's 1.3 megapixels.
The keyboard is much more comfortable w/ large keys and it has a d-pad in the keyboard instead of having to reach up and use the d-pad not built in the querty keyboard of the i760.
The Xv6800 has 256MB ROM, whereas the i760 only has a measly 128.
The XV has a powerful standard battery. Seems to me that Samsung had to throw in an extended battery to compensate for a "gas guzzler."
NO PROPRIETARY INPUTS!! The XV6800 has mini usb good for sync and charging at the same time.
Other helpful features include the infared, wifi switch, scroll wheel, and dedicated internet, emal, windows keys all on the front of the device.
The XV6800 is smarter, faster and stronger than the i760 or most smartphone pda devices. All Treos are not worthy! -
"Nice Upgrade from the Treo 700wx" on by briguy73
Pros: Small, lightweight, highly customizable
Cons: Battery life could be a bit better, no Microsoft Voice Command
Summary: I upgraded to this from the Treo 700wx. I was extremely happy with my Treo 700wx, but it was starting to have some serious issues, so I thought I could either replace it with the same model or look for something better. I was able to test the Samsung SCH-i760 for a couple of weeks and liked it for the most part, but couldn't get past the send/end buttons on the side of the phone (too many mis-dialed calls, hang-up's, and opening the slider keyboard when making a call).
I have had the xv6800 for about two weeks now and have not had many complaints about it at all besides that it didn't come with Microsoft Voice Command. Instead, it came with Voice Dialer, which requires you to record your own voice tags for each contact... not good! It also lacks the superior battery life I was getting with my Treo 700wx - typically two to three days without a recharge. I'm recharging the xv6800 on a daily basis. I have not had the phone die on me, but have gotten down to below 20% at the end of the workday.
It also charges and syncs via a standard USB mini connection... something I really welcome. This means that I can have it plugged in to the computer for syncing and it is charging at the same time!
This phone is also highly customizable... You can do many tweaks to make it to your liking with minimal experience or knowledge... there are plenty of websites out there with a plethora hacks/tips to make the phone your own!
In all, I really think this is one of the best PDA's that Verizon currently offers. WM6 is also a very nice upgrade from WM5!! -
"Far exceeded expectations" on by tlstevens
Pros: On/off switch, size, smart button placements, scroll wheel, side keyboard, speed, storage, mini usb
Cons: Stylus length, default sound volume
Summary: I have never given a review for anything before, but after I went through so much research and saw conflicting opinions on the Sprint versions of this phone, I thought I should post a review here to help others.
I am a long time Pocket PC PDA user and I use the PDA part more than the phone. Before buying this phone, I owned a Samsung i730 and a RAZR VM3. While the PDA part was fine, the i730 phone didn't work well enough, so I had to also carry a RAZR. First of all the fact that the XV6800 phone works well enough to get back to one device is the biggest plus for me.
I like having 2 different cables that come with it as I can sync/charge during the day with one cable and charge during night with another. I don't use the phone enough to truly speak for the battery life but using the PDA a lot for web use and PIM functions and eBook reading, I have noticed that it last MUCH longer than the i730.
Plenty of storage so I don't have to install applications to a storage card any more. The speed of applications is equal to or better than the i730. The scroll wheel has come in handy while browsing web.
The placement and design of the buttons were well thought out and my favorite thing. There are a lot of little improvements I can't recall now but as a long time Pocket PC user I notice them. Mostly with the ways you open and close windows with the buttons. I can do almost everything without having to use the stylus.
I used electrical tape to keep i730 keyboard closed because it would come open in my pocket and drain battery. The XV6800 slide to side keyboard is awesome and stays closed until you need it. The thumb keyboard is VERY easy to type on.
I like being able to click and off switch to lock the phone/standby so I can't accidentally turn it on and it saves battery well, yet still takes incoming calls, reminders, text messages.
Things I would change are: make the stylus a little longer, louder sound options (can download your own).
Overall, I would fully recommend this phone. It far exceeded my expectations of what a PDA/phone could be. I am the type of person that can find something wrong with anything. I will never give anything a 10 rating (though if anything deserves it, it is this phone), but I could not ask for a better performance in a first release electronic device of any kind.
I can only vouch for the Verizon version of this phone after hearing of so many problems with the Sprint version and personally seeing a friend's Alltel that hangs. Both due to their specific ROM updates. Verizon may have come out with their version last, but it appears that it was to get it right which I can't say for the others.
I bought mine for $160 online at Verizon. It was $499 retail with $100 online discount + $100 New Every Two + $100 for Advanceed Device Credit by getting data plan + $50 rebate. Had to be logged into my VZW account to see all discounts. Search PDAPhone message board to preregister for rebate. 30 days return policy, but don't send in rabte until you know you are keeping the phone or they will charge you the $50. -
"Biggest upgrade is the added memory" on by hauolione
Pros: Increased built in storage allows multiple programs to be opened without slowing down the overall performance
Cons: Keyboard keys have a slick feeling and do not have a good feel of seperation between each key.
Summary: For the past two years I have owned a Treo 700w with Verizon Wireless and enjoyed its integration between Windows Mobile and Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. The main thing that was lacking was the amount of memory built into the unit and the need to constantly reset the device.
This past month I purchased a Samsung I760 but returned it due to the inherant problem of hanging up on the other party while on a call because of poor placement of the end button (built into the outside edge of the phone and the end button would easily be pressed because of the location).
I swithched the Samsung I760 for the Verizon (HTC) xv6800 over this past week. So far I have been impressed with this upgraded phone. The Xv6800 has a 2.0 megapixel camera and performs adequately for a "cell phone camera.". The biggest upgrade is in the amount of built in memory available. With 64mb of memory for the programs and 256mb for storage, the Xv6800 seems much more responsive than my old Palm. The Outlook, Word and Excel programs feel much the same as they did on Windows mobile 5.0. The customization options on this phone are very similar, however, I do miss the option to place photo contacts on the today screen. The only other minor complaint that I have with this phone is that the keys on the querty keybard feel slick and do not have a good seperation between each key. Typing on the Samsung I760 keyboard definately felt more positive, and on my old Palm the keys felt very cramped.
The multimedia features on the Xv6800 are pretty much the same as the Palm and Samsung (text, picture and video messaging) however, the interface is slightly different. The phone is responsive sending messages via the Rev o network and browsing the internet doesn't feel like pulling teeth. I will be looking foreward to seeing what the Rev A upgrade will bring to the networking speed.
Call quality has been good in the Bay Area and the speakerphone is acceptable.
Overall I feel like the XV6800 is a solid performer and will be a suitable phone for at least the next year or two. -
"Solid performer, good OS, and great network!" on by kallarhynn
Pros: Admirable picture quality in a functional miniature office.
Cons: Awkward to use to make/receive calls. Windows Live capabilities crippled.
Summary: Got this phone from the store yesterday, and I have to say so far I'm impressed. The advantage to allowing other networks to pick up products before Verizon, is that they basically have a huge beta group to work out the kinks for them. Call quality has been good (as usual), but the phone is kind of awkward in the hold and talk mode - a Bluetooth headset would pair nicely.
I don't like the fact that I can't use Windows Live on this phone (yet again Verizon is crippling the phone features). And, this is definitely a phone for a techie (don't buy this for Grandma - you will both be disappointed). All of the applications perform solidly so far - email, Word, Excel, etc. This makes a good hand-held office, as long as you aren't editing documents all day (get a laptop for that!).
The camera takes nice pictures, but if you're looking for something to take vacation photos with, buy a digital camera. I haven't had a chance to test the Bluetooth yet, but that'll come tonight.
Finally, if you're looking for something to take the place of the unavailable iPhone in the Verizon market this is not it. I didn't want to switch to AT&T just to get an iPhone (though I would love to have one), but nothing available is going to adequately replicate the iPhone. I'll just have to get over it until the iPhone is available for all.
Overall this is a pretty solid little phone. I have heard complaints about the T-Mobile Wing related to the slide mechanism, but in comparing I think the xv6800 has been beefed up in this area. No complaints so far from me!
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