Verizon XV6800 now available

22. Real Business User (unregistered) posted on 29 Nov 2007, 17:01 0 0

There is no question that the iphone is a wonderful device that truly made multimedia simple. The question is whether the iphone is suitable for business use. It clearly was not designed or intended for the enterprise type customer. If I cannot have my IT department push my 60-80 emails a day to my device then what use is it for me? It is great that I can get yahoo and msn over the iphone, but I cant get my server which is behind my corporate firewall to send seamlessly to the device. The differentiator here is form or function. The form of the iphone is incredible but it is lacking in function for business users. The function of the 6800 is outstanding, but it lacks the styling and appeal of the iphone. It is like have a convertible or a minivan. The convertible looks and feel great but it can take you and your family with luggage on a road trip. The minivan can do that but it sure is not the most stylish.

23. Frederick (unregistered) posted on 29 Nov 2007, 17:12 0 0

It's also funny to note that the iPhone really doesn't do anything that the xv6700 did 2 years ago. Browsing, email, multimedia... Except for the touch screen, the XV has been there, done that. The iPhone is 85% hype and 15% function. One of my students did demo the browser on the iPhone to me and I was impressed but aside from that, my Blackberry or the 6800 are far superior.

24. vzwfreak (unregistered) posted on 29 Nov 2007, 17:20 0 0

If you are unsatisfied then just leave, you will go to AT&T and 1.6 of their customers will get smart and move to Verizon. If AT&T is the considered the leader in the cell phone market, why do they lose more customers and gain less than VZW every quarter?? Oh and the JD Powers numbers are messed up, they count prepay where VZW does not. If they are so great and the Iphone is so dang wonderful, then why are their customers going to VZW at such an alarming rate that they are actually considering a second version of a phone that Apple makes 90% of the profits from?? If the Iphone is so wonderful why is there no insurance option and they make you pay $69.99 for the AppleCare service, that is insane, why pay $69.99 a year to have it replaced if the hardware malfunctions?? If the phone is so great why do you have to mail it to Apple and have them replace the battery while you sit at home playing on your Mac cause you dont have a phone for 2 weeks?? Just stop the whining and bounce, move on to AT&T and complain about the horrible network and lame data speeds while you look at these websites that no other phone on the planet can view. Good day to you Sir!!!

25. DeeMan (unregistered) posted on 29 Nov 2007, 20:14 0 0

Kevin, I really don't know what to make of your comment. When you compare the iPhone to the 6800, you keep mentioning the things you "think* the 6800 can't do. In other words, you haven't even tried the phone ( of course, it was just released ) on Verizon's network yet. It has a full HTML browser, and since it runs WM6 Pro, it CAN be used with corporate email ( the iPhone can't ). Data sync ARE free if you use HotSync as opposed to Wireless Sync, if calendars, contacts, and schedules are all you're concerned with. The iPhone? It works on the inferior EDGE network and doesn't even MMS messaging. How's that for a $400 phone? By the way, the 6800 is indeed MAC Compatible. Also, you mentioned something about updates to your 6700. Are you kidding? Of course you have to change devices to get the better software installed on it. That's technology...it's no different than desktop and laptop computers. Yeah, you can upgrade your OS, but 90% of the time, it warrants new hardware to handle the gobs of new code to make it run effectively. iPhone has the visual WOW factor but that' it! I also forgot to mention that there no employee liable discount ( discount you get thru your employer ) offered with the iPhone, and as one poster here mentioned...you can't even INSURE the damn thing! At least Verizon offers insurance and the 30 day test drive. You can return it during that time for a full refund. As soon as the iPhone leaves the box you have to pay a 10% restock fee if you return it. I can't wait for the 6800. I'm glad Verizon took the time to test it and work out some bugs ( see Sprint Mogul ) before releasing it.

26. DeeMan (unregistered) posted on 29 Nov 2007, 20:20 0 0

I forgot to comment about the whole "open" network thing that Verizon is coming out with next year. Personally, I think they are just feeling a little pressure from Google ( who wants to have their own OPEN network ) and they shouldn't. They know as much about the cell phone industry as Apple knows about phones ( pot shot ). But instead of taking jabs at Verizon by saying "it's about time they did it", why haven't there been any criticism about the companies who DIDN'T do it ( i.e. Sprint, T-Mobile, and your beloved AT&T )?

27. Kyle (unregistered) posted on 29 Nov 2007, 21:15 0 0

Hey, Steven... Get your facts straight before you start comparing your phones. The Tilt (TyTn II)is much better than the VX6800 and came out a 2 months ago to replace their original 8525 (TyTn I) which is pretty much yours truly VX6800 with a bit more ram. Tilt 128 MB RAM vs VX6800 64 MB (HUGEEE DIFFERENCE, my friend) Tilt: Full functioning GPS vs VX6800 NO GPS (another punch to VZ) And you mock the tilting function as well as the aesthetics of the TyTn II, but it really is a slick device vs the pretty blue design of the 6800. Verizon is also charging $400 for the device with rebate vs Tilt's $300 with rebate....$100 diff for a phone that has 1/2 ram and no GPS hardware. Check your facts. Then start typing. And those who keep complaining about ATT's service, I just switched over to ATT from SPrint and noticed no changes in terms of service. Maybe you guys need to move out of your farms from bumbf**k, kansas and move to the metropolitan areas where carrier signals are always consistent and strong.

28. Kevin (unregistered) posted on 30 Nov 2007, 00:40 0 0

I have been with Verizon for 11 years and have been happy with the cell service but this phone is nothing to write home about. From the reviews I have read, this seem like a capable phone but nothing more and it could be. Verizon needs to improve their phones specs, stop crippling their hardware (such as GPS), using the same crappy red UI (on all the other phones) and speed up their releases to stay competitive. Verizon has just announced major shifts in their business model which is from growing competition, which will eventually make Verizon that much better. Today's marketplace has plenty alternatives depending on your needs and budget. Go to sprint.com/sero and enter savings@sprintemi.com and check out the $30 price plan with unlimited data. If Sprint can give you a plan like this, and the iPhone is only data plan is only $20 a month, why is VZW still charging $45 a month ? Don't tell me because of the 3G network, there have been very few times that I have been impressed it the speed of any of my PDA phones. The best performance and user experience has been on WIFI period, which is why I upgraded to the xv6700 in the first place. There is no comparison of the iPhone to the xv6800, they are two different phones for different users and no phone is perfect. The xv6800 could be a lot better in terms of RAM, GPS, and hell how about a free copy of OPERA to boot. You are 100% correct that the iPhone is not enterprise capable but the web browser alone puts it at the top of my list for MY needs. I have tried the Tilt in the ATT store and I was impressed with the device. Since the web browser is basically the same in my xv6700 and I don't use a MS Exchange Server it wasn't enough for me to switch. VZW does or has sold Music and Office software for their phones. True the xv6800 may not need it, but for the first time they started to include the music software ($69 value) with the Voyager. You can not compare the iPhone to the xv6700. I can't count how many phone calls could not be answered on the xv6700 because the system was so slow not to mention the web browser. Some of the biggest improvements that the iPhone has brought to the market was Visual Voicemail, a great Web Browser and 8GB in storage space. Why couldn't this phone have more ram, gps, and visual voicemail ? Phone insurance can be obtained by 3rd party companies. VZW offers insurance that is $4-5 a month and the there is a $50 deductible for some usually defective refurb. If you had a claim after a year of owning your phone you in the hole for $110 dollars. You will be without a phone any time it requires it to be sent back to the original manufacturer for warranty/repair issues. What reason is there that WM6 can not released for the xv6700, since MS is giving it away for free. The xv6700 hardware specs support the WM6 upgrade without a problem. I still have another month or two before my NE2 credit expires, and in that time I hope that VZW comes out with some better alternatives.

29. DeeMan (unregistered) posted on 01 Dec 2007, 00:33 0 0

Kev, you make some good points about getting a phone that meets your needs, but I'm still a little confused. "..the iPhone has a great browser" you said. And the 6800 doesn't? Last I checked, it was fully supportive of HTML and Java apps...just like the iPhone. Verizon seems to be between a rock and a hard place here. Everybody complains when they are slow to release a device despite the fact that they do some rigorous testing. If they release something too quick with a lot of bugs ( the iPhone ), then people will complain about that too. Look, I'm not touting the company here, but I have to give credit where credit is due... and one way to do it is with a little arithmetic here. I'm talking about the so called "unnecessary" insurance. Let's see, you buy a 6800 and after a year it gets broken. That's at least $60 in payments with a $50 deductible... $110... or over $400 less than what you would have paid if you DIDN'T have insurance. As for the wait, it's only TWO business days. The iPhone? No insurance, high price for a new one, over a week to get it, and yes, they ALSO will give you a refurb. If there is a warranty issue with VZW instead, no deductible is necessary ( if under warranty ) and techs can usually replace it in the store. Even with a warranty, you have to pay a fee to replace your iPhone once it's out of the box. Another thing, you really need to look at the "data" plan for the iPhone more carefully. The base plan for the iPhone is $59.99 a month. That includes 450 minutes, free mobile to mobile, and unlimited web, email, and facemail access, but you only get 5000 N&W minutes and 200 text messages. You want unlimited N&Ws? Go to the next plan up at $20 more. Want 1500 text messages? $10 more. Want unlimited texting? $20 more. In other words, the same price as VZW's Core PDA plan with a $10 text package. And still... NO MMS MESSAGING ON THE iPhone. The UI may not be "extravagant", but I know how to get around on the thing. VZW's UI is very straight forward. I don't know why people complain so much about it. A fourth grader can figure it out. As for crippling the hardware, I think not. About the only thing the 6800 CAN'T do is the VZ Nav, but that will be taken care of with a software update... as they did with most phones that weren't capable of it on release. It still is wireless sync and stereo bluetooth capable with Windows Media player for entertainment. As for Opera, not many people really care for it...let alone even heard of it. That's why there's very little support for it..and not just with Verizon. You can probably count on one hand the number of US phones that support it....with ANY carrier. Don't get me wrong Kevin, the iPhone is a sweet device but I just thought AT&T should have done the same amount of testing Verizon does. Look how many souls shelled out big bucks for a device that had major bugs from the outset and Apple goes and abandons the 4Gig version and lower the price on the 8Gig version, leaving those who paid $600 for the original out in the cold ( even with a $100 store credit compensation ). That's why phones take so long to be released with Verizon....TESTING! It's sad though...the iPhone will definitely be a killer device in the future. It's just sad that the early adopters got screwed on it.

30. DeeMan (unregistered) posted on 01 Dec 2007, 15:31 0 0

It wasn't the Voyager that was the first VZW phone to include the Music Essentials software ... it was the Juke weeks before ( software, sync cable, and stereo headset ). And the comment I made about Opera wasn't a diss on the browser..REALLY. It's just that the mass consumer uses Internet Explorer...hands down. No matter how good OR bad it is. You go with the best seller. Hell, there are probably more people still using Netscape than using Opera.

31. vzwtech (unregistered) posted on 01 Dec 2007, 22:02 0 0

I'll tell you, reading some of these posts are GREAT for a laugh. IPhone, SchmI-phone...wanna talk about outdated? How many phones are offered these days that don't have a camera, removable battery, or Location Based Services? Only 1 that I know of, the golden-child of AT&T. The I-phone is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, more than a fancy mp3 player with a phone attached. Think about it. Like the commercials say, "It's all about the network"...why else would someone with so many complaints stay with a company for 11 years? LOL! Because EVERYONE knows that VZW is to Lexus as AT&T is to Ford, (and Sprint is to horse and buggy). Think our phones have slow release dates? That's fine...at least they work when we release them. How many Iphones didn't work on release day, or had to be sent back? I saw the 6800 months ago, and heard about the Palm 755 even before that. But, difference is, we'll make sure it's the best it can be before selling it to a customer, even if it means other companies offer 2nd-rate or buggy versions first. By the way, music software doesn't cost $69...you can download it for free fromwww.verizonwireless.com/musicm​anager. What you're paying for is the CABLE to connect phone to PC. Got a Motorola? Then you don't even need that, since most have USB-B plugs. Don't like it? Complain to LG, Samsung, and Nokia, the ones making the phones. And, btw, it's only $30, and we throw in a pair of earbuds too. If you want the business applications, get a PDA/Smartphone. Want a flashy phone, get the Voyager. And, if you want your pants afire or hand burned off, get an Iphone : D

32. Kevin (unregistered) posted on 02 Dec 2007, 03:26 0 0

DeeMan, the xv6800 may be a good device, but it could have had few more features like the Tilt to make more competitive. I bought the xv6700 without the contract price for nearly $500. The upgrade to a xv6800 is not that compelling for my purposes. I have been recently testing phones, and in particular their browsers in search for my next phone. The models have included the iPhone, several Blackberry devices, Tilt, i760, and a few more which I compared them to my xv6700 (WM5 & WM6). All of Windows Mobile devices running PIE offered the same web experience. The iPhone browser was able to properly access websites that PIE could simply not. I have tried all if not most WM web browsers and you have to give up precious system memory, cash and deal with system slowdowns for just a few extra features. I just flashed my xv6700 with WM6 ROM and it is working great so far. The HTML emails are a nice touch, the browser is about the same and the device is running fast compared to WM5. Deleting all the unnecessary software that VZW installed on the device probably helped also. Getting insurance directly from VZW is unnecessary because their are 3rd party insurance companies out there if you want to shop around. My real complaint is with some of the phones that Ausurion has sent me as replacements, several which were DOA. If I have a claim, I rather just get a cash value from the policy and buy a new device of my choosing. I still have not found a decent phone case that could protect my xv6700, let alone case that be be viewed and purchased directly from a store. iPhone users have multiple phones case options, ranging from fashionable to extreme protection that can be viewed and bought locally. One of the biggest problems with phones using the VZW UI is that is very difficult to view. My phone plan needs aren't that demanding, unlimited data and 500 anytime minutes a month. I do not need unlimited N&W, I don't use MMS, and I could take or leave texting. The $59 ATT iphone or $30 Sprint SERO plan are a much better deal for then paying VZW $79 the extra money each month. I still might go with a VZW Blackberry Phone because the push email and modem tethering may add more productivity to my day. The price for this plan is only $45 ($30 data and $15 tether) which is fair because of the tethering is included. I don't buy the rigorous testing that VZW keeps talking about, I have had my fair share of problem with their phones over the years. Just take a look on the internet at ANY phone and see how many problems are present regardless of the company. The only time I knew about a update/fix for any of my VZW phones was when I read about it on the web. When a update becomes available for the iPhone, you will see it ready to install on your computer which is a big difference in my view. Again I paid $500 for my xv6700 when it came out and it was full of bugs. Technology does get cheaper the longer it is on the market but I have seen VZW drop prices on new phone releases rather quickly also (no complaints). VZW has sold Office Connect and Music Packages for years, its nice of them to include them in the last few releases. VZW does cripple their phones, just look at the Bluetooth and GPS profiles. I purchased the $300 Timeport 270C that VZW advertised as their very first bluetooth phone. What they failed to disclose is that you were required to purchase an additional bluetooth module (not disclosed at the POS), which took over 6 months before it hit market and the device still didn't work. It wasn't until the class action lawsuit with the E815 that VZW started listing the supported (or should I say VZW allowed) bluetooth profiles. Compare the current UTStarcom 6800 Generic Manual with the xv6800 manual when it is released. I would bet the are quite different in respect to the bluetooth capabilities.

33. Chris (unregistered) posted on 02 Dec 2007, 08:32 0 0

Got this phone on Friday, returning it today. The worst PDA phone ever. No GPS, No voice dialing with out spending another $40, made of cheap plastic, battery dont last for crap, wont charge with mini usb car charger.... just a hunk of junk. Call quality isnt the best either, speaker phone is noisy and distorted. I cant think of a single thing that I woud do in my normal day that this phone would be good at. I have waited for Verizon to release this for a year and we very very disappointed. Dont waste your money.

34. (unregistered) posted on 02 Dec 2007, 17:27 0 0

Any indepth review of the 6800?

35. DeeMan (unregistered) posted on 02 Dec 2007, 21:45 0 0

Finally Kev, we agree on something. The Tilt is indeed a sweet device. I still think the 6800 rocks and a friend of mine who works for Verizon let me the store demo ( the phone will be released in a few days ). Sweet device.

36. DeeMan (unregistered) posted on 02 Dec 2007, 21:51 0 0

I see you say you don't MMS Kev, but the majority of folks ( especially the young crowd ) do. I think it's real funny. A lot of people here talk about crippled features from Verizon, and Apple and ATTcrippled the most basic feature in the industry ... MMS messaging. No way I'm shelling out $400 for a camera phone that doesn't send pics! But again, I DO agree with you on the Tilt issue. As for the rigorous testing you questioned from Verizon, technology is not perfect..whether it's cars, stereos, cameras, phones, etc. ...there will always be a batch of "lemons" (unfortunately). I wish VZW gets the Tilt ( or something along that path ). Sweet device.

37. Kevin (unregistered) posted on 04 Dec 2007, 18:53 0 0

I just picked up the Blackberry 8830 for only $49, and its a mixed bad of good and bad. The phone side is pretty good, but the first day I picked up the 8830, VZW Blackberry server was down the whole day. The sync software on the Mac doesn't work. The USB charging data cable doesn't charge and the 8830 won't connect properly with my nuvi 360. Other then that the email worked great but it looks like its going back this weekend.

38. DUH (unregistered) posted on 08 Dec 2007, 16:09 0 0

The VZW BB server was down?? What is that, we have nothing to do with that?? Ar eyou referring to the BIS or BES?? The sync software for the MAC works fine, used it plenty of times personally. Must be userheas space and timing. The USB works fine as well, you must have it hooked up wrong, but then again I better not say that, techys never believe they hooked something up wrong!!

39. Kevin (unregistered) posted on 13 Dec 2007, 12:07 0 0

VZW Tech told me I could not provision the email because their/RIM/? server was down on the day I bought it. The Sync software is buggy. The BB when plugged into my ibook and the BB reported not enough power to charge the phone. VZW quality testing !

40. kenney (unregistered) posted on 18 Jul 2008, 11:39 0 0

so to most of the replies the IPHONE(y)sucks it is the worst phone i have ever seen i worked for att and i can remember the countless times people have called in complaining over that piece of junk. if you want fast speed and reliable coverage as well as a phone then you want verizon i have never had any problems, yeah they take a while to produce a phone but i guarantee you that your phone from verizon will last a heck of a lot longer than one from att