beeveewee
12-02-2005, 05:25 PM
preface: I'm an architect and have little technical phone knowledge but am a demanding business user who cares about details:
phone: turns off wireless radio randomly a few times a week. just missed an important call two days ago - last straw. more later. phone quality acceptable. ear speaker not very loud. everybody likes my voice quality on the other end.
form factor: brick. i knew it would be big but didn't count on it being this big. some phones look big but feel small. this phone looks small but feels huge.
slider keyboard: buttons don't feel satisfying. i'd prefer rubber calculator buttons to these which have to be firmly pressed each time. it becomes pretty laborious to type anything longer than a sentence. if you're a business customer with a laptop don't even try to convince yourself that you can really do much email on this thing. i think people who huddle over their phone text-messaging ought get a life. criminy, dial someone up or get a laptop. for the bulk that the keyboard adds to this phone i wish it didn't have one at all. the handwriting recongition works very well and i found myself preferring it.
syncing: tops! windows mobile 5 is just fabulous. does exactly what it is billed to do... be a mini version of Outlook. had all of my contacts and appointments transferred within minutes of getting the phone. especially like that it will show me my next several appointments. Email sycns too!
speakerphone: sounds like full duplex. nobody complains about my voice quality on the other end (first time for a speakerphone) but volume is not loud enough on my end. i have hearing like a bat AND i drive a lexus ls400 AND i have it mounted right above my head and it isn't loud enough. too bad, so close!
bluetooth: don't know
internet: looks better than any phone browser i've seen. who surfs the internet on their phone? i mean, if you're looking for a movie time, maybe. otherwise it gets really frustrating. i must say that when my wife and i were at the doctor's office i was able to login to their wan and google the ear infection our kid had and find interesting information that kept me entertained.
camera: good pictures. kind of cool that you can use it like a flashlight. but not that cool.
functionality: too easy to push buttons inadvertently. voice recorder and camera buttons are precisely in the right location to get pushed as you hold the phone up to your ear with your right hand. slightly annoying. power on/off has been quirky. can't decide if i've ever actually turned the stupid thing off (must take out the battery to be sure). i've taken to turning it upside down as it charges at my bedside because it turns it's screen on periodically. when powered off the buttons lock out - good. the power button is very easy to push inadvertently, turning your phone on. my story: i'm in the middle of a church service with my phone pocketed and my son sitting on my lap. somehow my dad gets called (on speakerphone) and is saying "hello". it's like my son's butt is trying to say hello to the congregation. good thing you can't go to hell for that. made me want to send my phone there though.
overall: i'm selling mine. actually, Sprint is replacing it with a brand-new one that will arrive Monday which I will sell unopened. Very jealous of my comrade who chose Cingular and got an Audiovox 5600. It has none of above problems. Since I must stay with Sprint I am going to forget about the PDA/phone dream and get a really good phone (perhaps a900). If you want the inside track on my unopened ppc-6700 then get in touch with me.
phone: turns off wireless radio randomly a few times a week. just missed an important call two days ago - last straw. more later. phone quality acceptable. ear speaker not very loud. everybody likes my voice quality on the other end.
form factor: brick. i knew it would be big but didn't count on it being this big. some phones look big but feel small. this phone looks small but feels huge.
slider keyboard: buttons don't feel satisfying. i'd prefer rubber calculator buttons to these which have to be firmly pressed each time. it becomes pretty laborious to type anything longer than a sentence. if you're a business customer with a laptop don't even try to convince yourself that you can really do much email on this thing. i think people who huddle over their phone text-messaging ought get a life. criminy, dial someone up or get a laptop. for the bulk that the keyboard adds to this phone i wish it didn't have one at all. the handwriting recongition works very well and i found myself preferring it.
syncing: tops! windows mobile 5 is just fabulous. does exactly what it is billed to do... be a mini version of Outlook. had all of my contacts and appointments transferred within minutes of getting the phone. especially like that it will show me my next several appointments. Email sycns too!
speakerphone: sounds like full duplex. nobody complains about my voice quality on the other end (first time for a speakerphone) but volume is not loud enough on my end. i have hearing like a bat AND i drive a lexus ls400 AND i have it mounted right above my head and it isn't loud enough. too bad, so close!
bluetooth: don't know
internet: looks better than any phone browser i've seen. who surfs the internet on their phone? i mean, if you're looking for a movie time, maybe. otherwise it gets really frustrating. i must say that when my wife and i were at the doctor's office i was able to login to their wan and google the ear infection our kid had and find interesting information that kept me entertained.
camera: good pictures. kind of cool that you can use it like a flashlight. but not that cool.
functionality: too easy to push buttons inadvertently. voice recorder and camera buttons are precisely in the right location to get pushed as you hold the phone up to your ear with your right hand. slightly annoying. power on/off has been quirky. can't decide if i've ever actually turned the stupid thing off (must take out the battery to be sure). i've taken to turning it upside down as it charges at my bedside because it turns it's screen on periodically. when powered off the buttons lock out - good. the power button is very easy to push inadvertently, turning your phone on. my story: i'm in the middle of a church service with my phone pocketed and my son sitting on my lap. somehow my dad gets called (on speakerphone) and is saying "hello". it's like my son's butt is trying to say hello to the congregation. good thing you can't go to hell for that. made me want to send my phone there though.
overall: i'm selling mine. actually, Sprint is replacing it with a brand-new one that will arrive Monday which I will sell unopened. Very jealous of my comrade who chose Cingular and got an Audiovox 5600. It has none of above problems. Since I must stay with Sprint I am going to forget about the PDA/phone dream and get a really good phone (perhaps a900). If you want the inside track on my unopened ppc-6700 then get in touch with me.