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Audiovox XV6600 Smartphone

But this is more than just a standard PDA. For one thing, the front face slides up to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. Although convenient, the chicklet keyboard is small and unforgiving, and I found myself occasionally "fat fingering" multiple keys while composing e-mail or notes.

In Short
  • Product: Audiovox XV6600
  • URLs
  • Pricing
    • $549 with service contract
    • $ta plans start at $50 per month
  • The Good
    • Strong processor and memory specifications
    • EV-DO network capability for near broadband data access
    • Bluetooth support
  • The Bad
    • Small keyboard causes "fat fingering" mistakes
    • No built in Wi-Fi support

This device also has a well-integrated phone and is comfortable to hand for that purpose. Its size is similar to that of other PDA phones, such as the Treo 650 and Hewlett-Packard's h6135. As I've done with those devices, I encountered one inevitable problem: When you press the screen against the side of your face you can smudge it. This can be avoided with a Bluetooth headset, which worked in my tests.

One other small design flaw is that while the device is in its included slipcase, the Send button can be inadvertently pushed, redialing the last number called. This happened several times during my evaluation. The solution is to make sure that both the button lock is set and the screen is powered down while not in use.

You can dial with a handy on-screen keypad. The only real compromise compared to a typical phone is battery life. In normal use, the battery lasted two or three days. That's common for Pocket PC PDAs, though those switching from conventional cell phones will find a bit scanty.

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