Customer Reviews

Sierra Wireless Voq Professional Phone w/ VoqMail Pro (Unlocked)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Overall: Good phone; SOLID build; reasonable battery life: 2.5-3 days with an hour's talk time + some PDA-work (and cheap spares), good QWERTY keyboard for SMS/e-mail, syncs well with Outlook (appointments, contacts). Decent documentation.

Phone pros: good/decent signal, good/decent call quality. Good external numeric keypad. Predictable battery life (2.5-3 days, though I talk maybe 1 hour in that time). Got a spare battery off an online auction site for cheap. Can use .wav files as ring tones (MP3 -> .wav via Audacity? I haven't tried). SOLID build.

Phone cons: somewhat large (candy-bar with a big screen!), have to get used to the earpiece position (can't rest the phone on my ear)... And once, though the keypad was locked, the phone (slipped into my pant pocket) called up my friend. Weird. But that hasn't happened again. Ringtones could be louder.

PDA - I can sync my contacts with Outlook and keep track of my appointments, which is all I really want. Have also managed to use Gmail via POP3; the VoqMail application does not support POP3.
(For POP3, you have to enter the server IP address and port completely (pop.gmail.com:995, smtp.gmail.com:465), I had some trouble with that. Internet connection via GPRS also has somewhat of a weird work-around - look up the cingular.com FAQ for setting up the Audiovox SMT5600 SmartPhone, nice screenshots.)

PDA pros: QWERTY flip-out keypad good for notes, contacts, appointments. My fingers are not slim, but not fat either - so I can enter data/SMS at a good pace. SD expansion slot. Windows Mobile 2003 SE actually, FWIW. "Flight" mode - but I still turn it off in the plane!

PDA cons: Has frozen (only!) a couple times in 3 months, can't find a reset pinhole, so took out the battery... (momentary flashback of my last PDA - a Toshiba e310).

Have had the Sierra Voq for over three months now, happy camper. Way better than the Motorola v180 (which it replaced) or the e310. Now, if only I could get a decent non-leather cover for it... Too bad Sierra stopped production, but if they hadn't, I wouldn't be able to own this wonderful phone! One man's poison....

Obviously the intuitiveness of the phone is dictated by Windows Mobile Smartphone 2003 - which at best can be described as OK. Feature wise it's right up there and of course it integrates seamlessly with Office via Activesync or over the internet. Which does bring up the issue of configuring it. I bought it for use with T-Mobile and I found it quite difficult to navigate which T-Mobile services I'd need to get all of the functionality on the phone - combined with the fact that since this phone is unsupported by T-Mobile, you'll need to manually configure the email/internet etc. Finally got it all figured and now everything works well. However, using all of the features will consume your battery. Heavy usage of the email and internet features will mean a battery life of about 1 1/2 days. Lighter use, or no use, brought it back up to about 3 days on standby. Sound quality is excellent and construction is above par with one caveat - the screen is made of plastic which is anything by scratch resistant. Advise buying a carry case.

I bought this phone to replace my old one, which was getting old and [...]. This is possibly the best cell phone I've ever had. I get good, strong signals in places where before I got nothing. The reception is crystal clear and the sound is loud enough to hear in noisy environments. The display is clear and easy to read, even in the sun.

Pros:
Solid build
Outstanding receiption
Large display (for a phone) which is sunlight readable
QWERTY keyboard which is very pleasent to use, compared to a number pad
Loaded with software
Plays movies and music
Speaker in the phone is loud and clear, better than most laptop speakers
Battery lasts long enough to get you through the day
Plays MP3's for ringtones
Vibrates AND Rings at the same time, if you so choose
External antenna connection (still looking for adapter...quite sure I'll find one soon)
Comes with high quality handsfree earbud/mic
Sincs easily with Outlook for contacts, calender, and tasks
Voice dial by name or number (works great)
IRDA and cable (included) connection to computer for sinc
No Bluetooth (no worries about hackers stealing your data)

Cons:
Sometimes it takes a while to complete a task when running through a bunch of programs
Alarm and installed ringtones are pathetic
Doesn't come with car charger (it should, considering the battery life)
Battery life is short
No Bluetooth (toys are restricted to the cabled and IRDA variety)
Last Sierra Wireless phone, which means eventually they'll stop even having a web site for support


I've seen a bunch of folks complaining about the battery life. The way I see it, if the battery lasts until I plug it in at night, with a little to spare, that's good enough. I can see if they are flying all the time, but who is so lazy that plugging in their phone every night, as opposed to every three or so nights, is a big sleep-loosing issue? I've ordered a car charger on Ebay, just in case, since at a moments notice I may find myself driving or flying cross-country. As soon as I find a spare battery, I'll buy it, for the same reason.

The phone is big, compared to my last phone, which wasn't a smartphone, didn't have a QWERTY keyboard, had a tiny screen, and didn't do anything other than place calls. However, compared to other smartphones, it's about the right size, and feels good in the hand as well. It's also much smaller than a PDA phone, or a PDA/cell phone/MP3 player/movie player cluster of devices that all need their own batteries, chargers, add-ons and doodads. Frankly, nobody should be whining about the size, since the dimensions are clearly stated. Doesn't anybody own a ruler?

It is somewhat a pain to configure this phone for internet access. According to Cingular, all their phones have some top-secret software installed that magically allows them to access the net. Since their programmers didn't have a chance to work their voodoo on this phone, there's absolutely no chance that it'll work with their internet service. Well, after a bit of fiddling with the settings, much trial and error, and looking at the settings of their other phones (available on their web site) it worked just fine. I managed to view most web sites, except those with Shockwave animation, which seems to shut down the browser (same as my PocketPC). CAUTION! I racked up [...] in internet charges with just a few minutes of browsing. After you get it working, I strongly suggest you enroll in a data plan.

As for some of the other issues folks complain about, there are three things to keep in mind:
1) This phone is bought from a third party, and was never offered by any US service provider. That means it is up to YOU to set everything up, or have that nerdy kid down the street do it for you. It wasn't overly complex for me, and though I have some experience with networking, I am by no means a pro.
2) There is a firmware update for this phone. You much check out their web site for downloads and instructions. As it is, my phone had the latest firmware, which was a very nice touch.
3) This phone was the first Sierra Wireless made, as well as the last. Unlike Sony, Nokia, Motorola, and others, they didn't have years and years to polish their design, work out kinks, respond to customer feedback, and so forth. They boldly tried to make phones, did an incredible job for a first try, found the phone business to be filled with too many lawsuits and much drama, and quietly bowed out. This means you aren't going to get a perfect phone, and support for this phone will eventually dry up altogether. Be prepared for this.

I don't think this (or any) phone was ever worth [...] mainly because of the limitations of Windows Mobile and a device that must be around the size of a cell phone. It is certainly a bargain [...], with no contract, unlocked, brand new, and a fairly complete software package. It's also not a huge loss if it gets stolen or broken.

Kudos to Sierra Wireless for a great phone. I only wish they had time to build more refined models.
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Update 9/20/06

First of all, this phone DOES work with the new SIM cards from Cingular. I turned it on, placed a call, and received a call, all without problems. I also got full bars in my living room, which even my brand new phone doesn't get.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find an external antenna adapter. According to one source, the connector was designed for a car kit adapter, sort of a quick-connect type thing. I did buy the car kit, however, the antenna connector barely touches the contacts, so it's unlikely you'll get a solid, reliable connection that's suitable for data, although it probably works very well with voice.

I stand behind by review (except for the spelling mistakes...oops)

I went through three phones, all brand new with oodles of modern goodies and fancy bling, before I found one to replace the VOQ, and even then I was disappointed with the OS, which is Windows Mobile 5. There is a lot more software out there for WM 2003se than WM 5.

In fact, I haven't decided yet if my current phone is The One.

If you can find the car kit (found mine on Ebay) it might be a worthy investment. The VOQ slides right in, and the kit can either be installed in one car, or moved from vehicle to vehicle. It comes with the parts to do both. The only bad thing is the antenna, which is lame, but you can buy a Wilson antenna and hook it right up to the connector.

The performance is very good. I've played several games on the VOQ, and it performed flawlessly, with no slowdowns. Other apps did slow down at times, but it never locked up.

The mono headset is the best wired headset I've used. The stereo headset is good for music, but not good at all for calls.

I've been using a 2 gig SD card with no problems, although I've heard the max capacity is 512 mb. There's something to be said for a standard size SD card, which is very rare with phones today. No silly adapters for mini or micro SD cards, inexpensive, and easily removed without having to shut down, remove the battery and SIM, and all that nonsense which seems to be the standard with today's phones.

The phone felt solid when I first got it, and after a few months of using it I can say it is very solid.

If this had bluetooth, heck, if it just had a good external antenna adapter, I'd keep it. I even considered digging around in there and soldering a good connector, but after having tried a bluetooth headset, I can't see going back to wired.

I still haven't decided whether to put the VOQ on Ebay. Should something happen to my current phone, which is too expensive to quickly replace and which Cingular refuses to insure, again because it's too expensive, I'd have a real hard time going back to a cheap normal phone. I'm even having a hard time giving up my QWERTY keyboard. Anyway, I'd hate to see this great phone sit around for nothing while the battery ages, so I'll probably send this up after the return period is over for my new phone.

Did I mention this phone works with the new SIM cards from Cingular? Outstanding!

CS

If you call TMobile's tech support or visit a store, they will sell you the $19.99/month plan to go with a phone like this. It is not at all necessary.

The biggest problem setting up internet access with this phone is how deeply buried the settings are in Windows Mobile 2003. Here goes: labelled as Action(keystroke)

Start... (left Select)
Settings (8)
More (9)
Data Connections (1)
Menu (right Select)
Edit Connections (1)
GPRS Connection (5)
Menu (right Select)
Add (1)

When you're there, Fill in the description, Set 'Connects To' to Internet, Set the Access Point to [...](still has the retro url). There are other access points you can use, like [...]. Hit the discussion boards. Most say that the access is included with plans above $39.99. Your mileage may vary, as they tailor some plan features to different markets.

That was all I had to do to get this running. Most of the information is on T-Mobile's website, under the Configurator. While this particular phone is not supported, just choose a Pocket PC phone (like the HP) and adapt the directions for the OS.

Once it's running, the browser is great. I like the fact that you can force it to display images larger than the screen (normally it will resize to fit, making maps unreadable). You can use Google Local without too much fuss. Great phone for the price.

Only real downside to phone that I've found: Secure Digital slot is not SDIO, so no Bluetooth (or WiFi) for you.

To make this a very brief review, it is all that the other reviews say, but to me the most salient points are:

1) Even set at the highest volume the ringtone is almost inaudible. If you are in a restaurant or the street you probably won't hear it at all. If the phone is in the next room, you won't hear it ring. There is a vibrate mode, but it will only vibrate one time, and again you may miss it.

2) The alarm clock mode will not work unless the phone is turned on. So you can't turn it off at bedtime and use it as an alarm clock.

2) The keyboard is good and it is useful for instant messaging.

3) The phone is solidly constructed.

4) The phone has good reception and transmission in areas of weak signals.

5) Being unlocked, you can use it with different SIM cards when traveling overseas.

I replaced a 6120 BlackBerry with this phone. I was astonished at how easy it was to set-up. It comes with the OS already installed (Microsoft Mobile 2003). The VOQ Mail Pro software is really nice and better than Outlook. The boot time is a little slow but that is the OS not the phone (its Microsoft Windows, come on ppl).

This phone works great on the Cingular network. I receive an excellent signal. Much better than the Blackberry (on the T-Mobile network). The usability with this phone to navigate back and forth through the features is great. Again, better than the blackberry 6120.

I will be buying more of these phones in the future if I can get access to them. Sierra Wireless discontinued this phone which is too bad. I reviewed many many smartphones and PDA's before making my choice with the Voq Pro phone. For the price ($150 US) this phone has met and exceeded in some areas all of my expectations. I considered purchasing the following:

- Treo 650
- Samsung i730
- iPAQ hw6500

The only feature I wish this phone had was bluetooth for transferring files between my phone and laptop.

I've had this phone for several months now and it's actually quite good. I originally bought it because I needed a business phone that didn't have a camera-kind of a big deal in many office environments these days.

Some of the complaints against this phone have more to do with how Windows Mobile / Pocket PCs work than with this phone in particular. Example: it does take a lot of menu hopping to jump around, but that's typical of any WM device. Use the smart myVoq feature instead.

If you leave "receiving incoming beams" on, you'll have to recharge twice a day as your phone constantly looks for infrared input that probably isn't there. Turn it off and you'll find a much better battery life. Heavy talk times might mean once a day recharging; I average once every other day.

If it sometimes wakes up on its own, that's Windows Mobile for you. If I remember correctly, that particular version of WM had to start up to handle scheduled events (it's the same for Pocket PCs from around the same period). It's only up for a second, it won't kill you.

The phone is on the largish side for a phone, but not for a Blackberry or Smartphone device. If you want extra functionality expect extra bulk, that's all there is to it. The way you're supposed to look at these things is to consider that now you don't have to carry phone + PDA, phone + laptop, etc. Don't buy this phone if you wish your RAZR had a keyboard, the size will break your heart.

It comes with more ringtones than your average phone, but if you don't like the offerings bring your own, it'll use MP3s among others.

The fold-out keyboard is quite good, in fact out of all the thumb board styled keyboards I've used it's probably the one I personally find I type the quickest and type with the fewest mistakes, which is probably due to the nice intuitive QWERTY layout.

The screen is very bright and crisp, and along with the keypad is pretty functional even in the dark. I wouldn't want to write my thesis on it, but if you just need to check a Word attachment from an email this phone is perfect.

Compared to Palm there isn't as much software for Windows-based Smartphones available (at least of the free variety), but the Voq also has a Java client installed. Works great with Opera mini. Don't forget it'll also run some Pocket PC apps-I use Pocket PuTTY to SSH from the Voq and it works great (love that QWERTY keyboard!) with every site I've tried.

All in all you really can't beat a new, unlocked Smartphone for this price. It has its quirks, and it does look kind of big on your belt, but I really think it's an excellent product.

Overall- Exactly what I was looking for to check email, surf (little) while on road, airports without luggin my laptop. Works great w/ T-mobile ($5.99) plan. Syncs w/ Outlook and can view Office files & PDF attachments in emails. Have stored music & pics on the SD card.

Battery life could be longer and screen scratches VERY easily - get the case FIRST!

So, this phone is straight out of the excorcist. About 3 weeks after I bought it, I was at work and the phone randomly started dialing numbers. I turned it off and then back on, but the phone just started doing the same thing. It stopped after about 15-20 minutes but hass happened twice since then. Also, while it has a lot of cool features, you can barely hear the ring itself and the battery has to be charged EVERY night. I definitely would not buy this again.

I just want to say, this is the phone which has everything I need. I don't use phone to take picture, and talking with bluetooth earphone seems very stupid for me..So this phone, without bluetooth and camera, just fine for me.

For those people who complain about battery life, you can setup your GPRS as "manually" connect with Internet, so that the phone will not keep connecting with internet for checking email, then battery life is just as good as other phones. Typically, I use this phone everyday for talking about total 1 hour, and for listening music about 2 hours (walk on the way to work and on the way back home), before I go to bed to recharge it, it usually has 2 bars of battery left.

I am using 2GB SD card and it works fine. SD card is the cheapest memory card nowadays. And who does not have one SD card? So you don't have to spend extra money for memory card. I saved a lot of music and picture on it. Some important files, I also copy them in the phone as I can check on the go.

The best part of this phone is, it integrates a lot of softwares, makes it able to read Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files with no problem, those softwares you must pay to have register code in any other smart phone. It also has a file manager, picture view software, and it can play pictures as slide show in full screen. I used Audiovox SMT5600 before, it even does not have a file manager.

Furthermore, it can be used as a modem if you have dial-up internet available, so connecting with your laptop can let you go online at anywhere without expensive phone data plan. Or you can use dial-up directly on the phone, to use internet explore for checking your email on the phone. But be aware of that Cingular blocks data transfer if you don't use their internet sevice. So if you are using T-mobile, it will be no problem to use this phone's dial-up for online, sepcially at weekend and evening, you get free internet service because your call is free during these time.

Like other smartphone, it can syncs with your computer for all your contacts and calender, and even playlist in Windows media player.

If you go online to search, you can find a lot of games and home screen themes available for free. The only thing I want complain is, everytime I restart the phone, it loses the home screen themes which I personalized with my son's picture, and I have to copy them into the phone again.

Over all, this is a wonderful phone for those people who understand how to use a smartphone.
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Update on December 29, 2006

Recently I installed an Asian Language Pack, so now the phone can show my music file's name in original language which comes with songs... Also, I installed a software called TMPMP which can let my phone play MP4 and 3GPP movies, so my phone now is really SUPER powerful. Of course this progarm also can play MP3 and wma, and acc files.