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.

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.

Along with voice support, the XV6600 can use both Verizon's 2.5G 1xRTT and its new 3G EV-DO data networks, effortlessly switching between the two. Verizon's EV-DO network, available in an ever-increasing number of cities, delivers data to the device at DSL-like speed of 300 Kbps. Using EV-DO, accessing Web sites with Pocket Internet Explorer is gratifyingly fast, and mail downloads almost immediately. However, unlike competing devices such as HP's h6315 or Siemen's SX66, the XV6600 does not have Wi-Fi networking built in. This forces you to rely on Verizon's network even when a faster wireless network might be available. Wi-Fi would make a good device a great one. Overall, The XV6600 comes close to doing it all. It's a full-function PDA and a full-featured phone, and it does a good job accessing the Internet. While it especially shines on Verizon's EV-DO network, it should be a welcome addition to any road warrior's arsenal no matter where it goes.

Michael Brandenburg is the systems administrator for a machine manufacturer in Neenah, Wis. Write to him at [email protected].