Customer Reviews

Sprint PPC 6700 (Sprint)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I purchased my PPC6700 from a Sprint store about 2 months ago and quickly fell in love. I wanted a phone with high functionality and one that would combine my PDA with my phone so that I was hauling around one less electronic device in my purse or on my person. I also am getting more into the whole texting thing and I wanted a keypad, but one that wasn't exposed like other multifunction phones. This phone really fits the bill.

If you have a PDA already, transitioning to this phone isn't difficult but it might be for someone who isn't already comfortable with the PDA "type" technology.

The only downside to this uber tech device was something pretty low tech--the stylus.

This baby came with two styli. I lost both inside two months. (Keep in mind I have had a PDA for three years and have never had to replace the stylus).

Reason: the slot on the PPC 6700 that is supposed to hold the stylus was a bit too big and everytime the phone was inverted the stylus would fall right out. Not that this phone can't be used without a stylus-- it can, but the stylus makes it way easier.

I checked with friends who had the same phone and they did not have the same problem so it was obviously a manufacturing defect. I called UTStarcom and let me just say that they clearly focus all of their resources on something OTHER than customer service. They wanted me to send the phone to them (didn't offer to pay postage or provide a box to send it) and said they'd fix it in a "couple of weeks" (again offering no help or assistance for what I would do without my cell phone for two weeks).

By the time I got off the phone with their "non customer service reps" I was seething. By the way -- the UTStarcom Rep admitted that they have been getting this complaint from customers.

It was then that I realized I had purchased the replacement insurance thru Sprint. I called them and explained the problem and shocker of all shockers I had a brand new replacement in 24 hours. And this one doesn't have the stylus problem.

In summary: great phone- small, great functionality, easy to use and text message; crummy customer service from manufacturer UTStarcom- potential problem with batches of phones with the stylus manufacturing defect; Sprint hand set insurance rocks -- so get it cause UTStarcom apparently doesn't care about customer service!

I bought this phone a couple of weeks ago, and the more I use it (i.e. the more I get used to the interface) the more I love it. I use it as much as a notebook, datebook, camera, and computer (browsing web, e-mail, etc.) as I do as a phone, and it does all of these things well. I can't agree more with the previous reviewer that as long as you get Sprint's replacement insurance (6 bucks a month isn't bad for a $600 dollar phone) you can basically do whatever you want wherever you want with this device. My only complaints are that the interface is a little complicated (but that is Microsoft's doing), especially dialing on the phone, and the battery life is crappy because the device has so much functionality. I just ordered an extended life battery and am gradually getting used to the interface, and I must say I am overall extraordinarily happy with my purchase. The fact that you can use it as a modem for a laptop or desktop to provide broadband internet to a computer anywhere on their network (for a good price i might add) is a genuine step forward in mobile technology. Get it, and get the insurance from Sprint.

In a word, this thing is AWESOME! Windows Mobile has really come into its own as a viable platform to run Mini-Apps on.

Plus with all the features you get, it's just the neatest gizmo you could have. Sprint may not offer the Treo yet, but why bother if you have Sprint for Wireless and want an Uber gadget... a few caveats:

1) It's difficult to dial on the road, I wouldn't even try (cool, reinforces phone safety!)

2) The digital camera is good for everyday use, but dedicated digital cameras do far better, don't take this thing along on your vacation and expect it to take good pics in and of itself.

3) Can't do any subscription music services near as I can tell without buying "Buy and burn" privileges to store on your PPC-6700, not a big deal with me though.

4) RAM is a bit skimpy, get an expansion card with it to begin with, fortunately, Mini-SD cards are cheap.

I have used non-phone pocket pc PDAs before and have come to rely on them, so when this was available from my Alltel service, I jumped to get it so that I wouldn't need to carry a PDA and a phone with me.

This is a VERY well engineered product. When set properly (if you chose to set it to manually synchronize) the battery lasts for ever. I charge it up once every three days, just to be safe.

The voice recognition program is great. After setting up your voice tags, to voice dial a number or start an application, you just press the record button on the side of the phone, say your tag, and boom, the number is dialed or the application starts.

The computer maintains its state when in OFF state and powers back on instantaneously.

The communications panel is easy to access and lets you toggle the phone service on or off, as needed. I toggle it off at night, before I go to bed.

I installed a 1GB mini-sd chip and loaded my library of Microsoft Reader formatted books and a lot of music, as well as some foreign language software that I use for studies.

I love this product.

seriously, I guess you must have to be somewhat of a techie to appreciate this phone. I searched and searched to find an all-in-one solution, when I came across the 6700 I knew that I'd found it. I've had mine for 5 months and I could't live without now. What does this phone have over ANY other phone on the market (I realize that other phones have some of these features, but this is the only phone to have them all):

Full slide out qwerty keyboard
Wireless 802.11 built in
1.3MP camera, with a flash
Terminal Services Client
VPN ability
MINI USB connectivity (makes charging very easy, and mobile)
Windows Mobile 5
Voice Activated Dialing
Bluetooth built in

You can very easily connect this phone to your laptop and get internet access almost anywhere. I actually share out the connection from my laptop, and I am able to allow other people to connect wirelessly. This gives you a wireless hotspot anywere your phone gets data service. I get unlimited data traffic for 15.00/mo, compare that to the 50 bucks a month cingular wants for thier wireless internet card and you've got a pretty good deal.

As far as phones go, this is the most advanced phone out there. If you just want email, text messaging, and a decent phone....get a treo; however, if you want all of the bells and whistles, the 6700 can't be beat.

I've been using the 6700 for about a year now and I am so glad to finally be rid of this phone. I've just switched to the Treo 700xw and now I couldn't be happier.

Here is what I experienced in the last year:

Positives (Yes, there are many):
1) Large Keypad. This is the biggest thing I miss about switching over was the huge keypad that could be used. And if you didn't want to open up that feature you could easily bring up a "keyboard" on the screen and use your stylus to do your typing. I'd say I used both typing methods about 50-50.
2) Large Screen. The real-estate is fantastic. Looking at the screen I could see the time, owner information, how much mail I have in the four Email addresses I have, Active Tasks, Calendar information, and MSN information with room to spare! No other phone had this much space on it.
3) Windows Mobile. I've been keeping an eye on the mobile windows since Windows CE v2.0 but have been primarily a Palm OS user. But this version of Windows Mobile is wonderful and has finally convinced me to switch over to Microsoft's OS!! It is featured on both of these phones so I lost nothing switching over. But having mobile office and the familiar feel of Windows at your fingertips is great, not to mention how easy it is to synchronize with Outlook.
4) Networking. You have many options. The phone can use the cell service to get around the Internet. If that is too slow, you have the Wi-Fi feature to boot. You can even use Skype over Wi-Fi, but I found this to not be fantastic. And then you've got Bluetooth on top of that, which I loved to death.

Negatives:
1) Battery life!!! I've got a spare battery and with moderate use (not even heavy) I can go through both in 24 hours easily. I usually have the Wi-Fi off and will often times even cut the bluetooth to conserve but this just runs out of batteries to fast for my likings.
2) Can't Turn Off. This might be one reason that I cannot conserve battery life. But the screen remains on for a very long time. I can turn off the backlight but there is not way to kill the screen itself except to wait a while. And because the screen is so large and covers the entire front side of the phone it is too easy while carrying the phone to accidentally touch something that opens a program.
3) Button Placement. While avoiding touching the front screen it is real easy to hit the buttons to open a note, surf the net, and operate the camera. These programs were ran the most but 80% of the time it was by accident because of where the buttons are placed.
4) Bad sound options. There was very little flexibility in sounds. You could have a certain ring and options for receiving phone calls but a much smaller subset for receiving text messages (which I received a lot). But most phones allow a certain flexibility that this lacked when it came to sound options.
5) Freezes. I am not the only one who had this problem, but this phone seems to freeze quite a lot. I've known some people who are on their third and even fourth reformatting of the phone to get a fresh start and make it freeze less. I guess that is just typical Microsoft Windows but I'm not having this problem on the 700wx. A few times I would not have anything at all running but the system just got stuck and I couldn't answer phone calls until I reboot the device.

So far, I've enjoyed my new phone and am glad to be rid of the 6700. The shortcomings outlined above have ALL been overcome by this new phone. I would love them to upgrade this phone with something that resolves these issues because the keyboard and screen are a real piece of art.

Also, keep in mind, the problems outlined above have all been complaints by fellow users of this phone. In fact, when I went in to buy my cell phone the person I bought it from had one and hated it with a passion and highly recommended the 700 despite the lower profit margin.

I have used this phone for 9 months now as I had no choice but to switch to it from my Treo Palm system due to work issues. It is twitchy to say the least. I consistantly have trouble with multiple aspects of the phone.

1. I can't use the keyboard to type in data as I type too fast for it to recognize my strokes and it only gets every other or every 3rd letter.

2. Often when I get an SMS text the phone locks up and I have to reset it and then lose the text

3. It began randomly dialing people in my phone book this past week.

4. There is no function intrinsic to the phone that I can find that gives you a reminder beep if you don't see/hear the SMS page when it comes it. Given that I rely on my pager for my job (physician) if I step away from the phone I will not realize I received an SMS.

5. Unless I leave nearly 10k of memory free the phone runs VERY VERY slowly.

6. before I quit using the keyboard, when you slide the phone open to the keypad feature it takes a long time to switch the display to landscape.

7. Lately it began radomly cutting out on calls totally unrelated to signal strength.

8. Lately it has started not even letting me answer calls if I press the green phone button and only lets me answer them if I press Answer on the screen.

9. And when I do answer the call, it is as likely as not to hang up on me within 10 sec of answering the call. Just long enough for me to tell the caller my phone sucks and I'll have to call them back from a land line.

When I complained to Sprint their only solution was to give me a new phone. This is now my 4th phone in 9 months. They tried to tell me the twitchiness and glitches are based on the Windows operating system and not phone specific. I don't know if this is or is not the case as I haven't tried other Windows based phones. If I didn't require this phone to use our billing software I would have run over it with a truck months ago. I have never ever hated a PDA or phone device this much. I figure 9 months and 4 phones later I have given it as fair a shake as possible.

The only remotely good things I can say about the phone:

1. It does fairly well sending calls to the bluetooth headset.

2. The voice activated calling works fairly well too.

After reading the other reviews I had to write one, cuz I have mixed feelings about the phone. Having used pocket pcs in the past I am biased because of the wonderful things WiFi brings to this phone. Truly.

I agree with comments about phone functionality. I have trouble hearing at times. Ring is too quiet. Works great with the earpiece but when you try to end the call with the earpiece, an Incall results almost all the time. So end your calls with the red button, please. Speakerphone only for quiet places. And always always shut off the pda when you holster it because the phone constantly redials the last number you called. Diligence and diligence alone can prevent the embarrassment of being overheard by someone you just talked to.

I love the keyboard. My kids love the keyboard. My wife loves the keyboard. Great functionality for texting and Email. Especially with WIFI.

Get Opera for mobile phone. Works great with this phone and can surf for free at hotspots. Check stocks etc etc. It really improves the functionality.

Great for games and compose thoughts, calendar, todo list, as with PPC.

Great for [...] - listen to books and music. Great for downloading with WIFI - again improves functionality.

Great device for traveling and waiting... pull it out and do things.

The battery - get a second and keep it in your pocket. Works for me. I rarely need it as I charge all the time, in car, on PC, Wall socket. Just really not an issue for me.

Bulky and holstering is a pain. But that seems to be part of the deal. Lots of brains in this device, can be fun if you are patient.

But the phone as a phone is a bugger at times. Just need to decide if you can put up with that.

I have this phone and love it. The only thing I noticed is the same issue that others have commented on. The styli just falls out. I too lost both of mine inside 2 months. I can live with that. It only costs a few dollars to replace. The PocketPC is an excellent option to carrying a laptop. I can work on the road using Citrix via the internet.

I would highly recommend this phone.

Well I've only own two types of phones, this one (Sprint PPC-6700) and before I got this phone I had the Sanyo PM-8200. Yup, I took a pretty big jump between those two phones.

Anyways, I love how this phone acts likes a computer. You can browse your files on the phone with File Explorer. Some reviews has said the camera isn't as great as a digital camera... I couldn't really tell you, I've never used, or owned a digital (yet.. that is). But the camera is pretty great I think. Because this phone acts like a computer you can install programs on this phone like you would for a computer. Programs that can turn this phone into the only thing you'll ever need. Heck, I was just looking at this program the other day that can turn your phone into a remote control for your DVD Player, VCRs, Cable Boxes, TV, Radio systems.

Like most of the other reviewers I have had my PPC-6700 freeze on me at lest 2 times so far and I've only owned it for a week now. When it first happioned I panic because I thought I broke the damn thing. The secound time it happioned I wasn't so worried then. But both times I've noticed that the freeze happioned when I wasn't using it at all (when I was in bed sleeping the night away) while it charges and stays contected to my computer. When I disconnect my PPC from my computer, thats when the two freezes happioned. So it might be a go idea just to do a soft-reset each morning when you wake up.

Another downside, the battery life is only 4 hours and 30 minutes long give or take. Thats only if you use it constantly. But without touching my phone all day (excluding taking, and making a few calls that day) the battery life seemed to stay working if I just leave it be. But why leave it be in the first place? This phone is made to be all day long (games, work, calls).

Besides those two issues I'm really excited to own a phone like this. Now that I go to appointments and I have to sit out in the waiting room for what seems likes hours apon hours apon hours (do you get that same feeling?) I have this phone that I can play games on that I can download on the internet (for free, there are some games you have to pay for). You can turn this phone into a mini-iPod if you buy a 1GB or 2GB miniSD to store your music and video's on it and watch it while you wait or if your on the road (and your not driving of course).

I really love the WiFi it has built into the phone. When I got this phone from the Sprint Store, it came with this "Microsoft ActiveSync" program that automatically backs up all my data from my phone to my computer so say something happioned to my phone where I have to make a hard reset, or get the phone replace, I can easily get that lost data back because its on my computer ready to sync back into my new replacement.

The sliding keyboard is great when typing out e-mails, or text messages. Heck it even saves a lot of time to input new contacts. I'm thinking this phone was made for business use, but its still great to get if your a 20 something-ish kid who is going to collage (or not going to collage).