Verizon XV6700 / HTC Apache goes on sale January 5?

We'll admit it, we think it's funny watching Sprint and Verizon aping one another and similarly rebadging the same HTC phones in tandem. But it looks like Sprint's lead on the PPC-6700 might be coming to a close after a mere four months, since it would appear that Verizon is readying the XV6700 for launch on January 5th for business (the same day they're supposedly launching the Treo 700w -- that rumor started also by very same HoFo member as this), and the 19th for consumers. If "VZW E" is accurate (we're gonna start calling this guy Veezy-E), you'll pony up either $449.99, $399.99, or $519.99 for this thing with a one or two year contract, or no contract, respectively.

[Via PhoneMag]

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[MikeB @ Dec 27th 2005 11:19AM]

Any ideas on what features Verizon has planned to disable on this phone? (I hate that they do this, it's my phone, I should be able to use bluetooth sync, etc.)

[bt @ Dec 27th 2005 11:22AM]

a group within best buy has had these phones for a few months. On the Sprint one you can have WiFi and EVDO at the same time, not so on the Verizon ones. Bluetooth dialup is also enabled on the Sprint ones and not on the Verizon ones. That and the color are the big differences

[Aqua Curve @ Dec 27th 2005 11:48AM]

Verizon = Crap, they proably have most of the features the phone was built for crippled.

[Sha66y @ Dec 27th 2005 12:01PM]

any chance we'll see a price war of sorts to get the cost of these phones down with 2 yr contracts? $449 is, for my wallet, too much $

[Girl @ Dec 27th 2005 12:04PM]

I have the sprint version of this phone and I absolutely adore it!

[billy @ Dec 27th 2005 12:14PM]

finallly omg i pray it comes out cuz i been dying for it, it would be cool to see which does better.

[mike @ Dec 27th 2005 12:39PM]

I really want to by one of the "retail retail" versions...

[ckeegan @ Dec 27th 2005 12:45PM]

Yeah Verizon cripples blah blah blah. Let me know how the Sprint users are doing with MMS on their 6700, because it's available out-of-the-box on Verizon. Also, let me know how tech support for the Sprint version. I heard they're VERY knowledgable.



As far as bluetooth crippling, it will be interesting to see. According to the manual for the 700w, it has the ability to sync files via bluetooth or infared. I wonder what this might mean for BT DUN on the 700w or the XV6700.



Price wars, doubt it. The XV6700 and 700w attract different customers.



OK, I also have no idea what Engadget is talking about a 4 month exclusive? I mean, Sprint, Alltel, and Qwest all have this device, and I can't blame Verizon for making the business decision to wait until the 700w releases.



One more thing, I can understand when something's a rumor, but come on. It's like everything is treated as a rumor until the product actually comes out anymore. YOU CAN GO TO ANY VERIZON STORE AND ASK THEM TO PULL UP INFOMANAGER FOR THIS EXACT INFORMATION. I think that qualifies this as much more than a rumor.

[CR Hamilton @ Dec 27th 2005 2:53PM]

Wow! Does your Daddy work for Verizon?

[John @ Dec 27th 2005 4:10PM]

I agree with ckeegan, the XV6700 and 700w appeal to 2 different audiences. So a price war is unlikely.



I'm disappointed that HTC didn't improve battery life. I have the XV6600 and I can't go all day without recharging it sometime mid-day. According to the fact sheet posted by VZW E, the Digital Usage Time is about 15% less on the XV6700 than it's predecessor the XV6600.

[Kyle @ Dec 27th 2005 4:53PM]

I have a 6700 on sprint (with EV-DO always on hack) and my battery lasts all day, sometimes a day and a half. And for Engadget, alltell and qwest are not considered mainstream carriers.

[Taylor Alexander @ Dec 27th 2005 5:13PM]

ckeegan: As of a couple of days ago, the people at a verizon store would tell you they're not allowed to say when the phone is going to be released; this was after the above announcement was released (by two separate VZW employees on HoFo), so yeah, until verizon officially announces it, it's a rumor. This is a news site, and they'd be lying if they didn't say it was a rumor, do you want your news to lie to you? Sure, it's a strong rumor, but a lot of them seem like that and then end up not being true...



Also, for everyone else, don't forget to read what the picture says... full retail release isn't until Jan 19th. :( I've been following this for a month already! :(

-Taylor

[crzyjamaican46 @ Dec 27th 2005 5:13PM]

Ckeegan, I am a research interviewer that works for a company currently under contact with Qwest, Cingular, SBC(now AT&T), Verizon and Sprint. Qwest is only a mvno for sprint so any NEW phone on Qwest's network is just running on leased frequencies from sprint's network. Alltel is the 5th largest carrier in the U.S. and is largely unknown to most Americans not living in the South or Midwest. You have to draw the line somewhere or are we going to start reporting on phones from Cricket and U.S wireless.

[Mike @ Dec 27th 2005 8:55PM]

I have the phone and while wifi and phone being used at the same time is disabled out of the box simply changing a 0 to a 1 in the registry changes this. Bluetooth dialup works, the bb employee must be a retard. As far as using this thing as a phone, it SUCKS, speaker is nowhere near loud enough unless your in a super quiet room (for ringer or voice), you can barely hear the person your speaking to (when not on speaker) and trying to dial while you drive is a death wish. There is no voice activated dialing out of the box its an additional software purchase, also no vcast or get it now (but who really cares?)

[apeguero @ Dec 28th 2005 1:10AM]

Hey,



Check out eBay for these phones. I scored one for $274.00 with a two year contract through Sprint Networks. No tricks either. Just sign up for a two year plan and the phone is yours for $274.00. I bought mine through eBay from Sprint Wholesale Distributors. Look at this eBay add: http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-PPC-6700-PPC6700-PPC-6700-PDA-BY-SPRINT_W0QQitemZ5845127215QQcategoryZ41355QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



I got it with free next day air shipping along with a Samsung MM-A940 for $69.99. That Samsung is even hard to find since the MM-900 Blade is out now. I really like the MM-A940 and so does my wife.



What's nice is that the first month of service is free (confirmed with Sprint themselves)....and yes, the PPC 6700 is a really nice phone. Only thing I don't like about it is the small 2 second delay when you wake it up - press the power button after the screen goes blank to conserve battery power. Also, although it is really good with the one-handed operation, it ain't no Treo 650 :) Still good enough for my picky-ass, techy self! Plus the phone comes with almost everything you need, USB cable, USB wall charger, cradle, extra stylus, holster...



Hey Peter, dump that Treo and get this phone man :)

[Manhattan @ Dec 28th 2005 2:38AM]

The PPC6700 is fantastic. What is truly amazing is that it is already available in Canada by Telus. I have been waiting for the i730 to come but this arrived first a few weeks ago. I thought that the i730 was the phone to beat but the PPC6700 adds a 1.3m pixel camera and a way better keyboard. Stir in MS Mobile 5.0 and you have the perfect phone... for now.

[James @ Dec 28th 2005 2:46AM]

ckeegan: The email is a lot easier and accessible than MMS IMO and I heard the Verizon customer service is very friendly. :)



Besides, 99.9% of the HTC problems have been already addressed on the internet. All the Wizards identical except for some carrier software and radio frequency. The only thing that really needs to be fixed is the speakerphone.



I live in DC and frequently travel to NYC and I am glad to only pay $15 a month for my unlimited data.



on a lighter note:



My PPC 6700 = $80 /w 2 year contract :)

[apeguero @ Dec 28th 2005 4:23AM]

Damn! I knew I shouldn't have said how much I paid for mine. Now I feel like crap. I must ask Jame (#16), where? How? I thought $274.00 was pretty good :)

[BVG @ Dec 28th 2005 9:22AM]

I have had verizon for ever and and due for a new phone. I need a PDA phone for work purposes, we use all windows based programs here, outlook, excel, etc....which phoen do i go with.....700w or XV6700? I need the thing to be a good phone as well

[billy @ Dec 28th 2005 3:06PM]

6700 has bigger keys the treo can be done one handed but its veryyyy tiny and the keys are cumbersome for me, i am getting the 6700 for more then that reason, i just spoke to a person at verizon and she said they are both phones are definitely coming out the end of this month as stated by the guy who started the "rumor" so you will end up having a choice at hand ;) if ur going for fast dialing one handed action the treo works, but the keys are very small to type with and takes gettin used to, the 6700 is larger, but hidden keyboard bigger screen. plus u can enable browse/talk in the registry so that prob is fixed. the 700 you have to buy a wifi card (extra) and insert it and it sticks out, so that might be a prob if ur using wifi. for me its the 6700 hands down! and about damn time!

[Orneta @ Dec 28th 2005 4:00PM]

#18 Both the 6700 and 700w are great phones. Most diferences have been pointed out, except the screen size diferences. The Treo 700w has a square dislpay at 240x240, and the 6700 has a landscape/portrait 240x320 screen. Microsoft and Palm have been working very hard to make certain the top applications are square screen enabled for the 700w release.

[Carlos @ Dec 28th 2005 5:24PM]

I beg to differ, I was to use a Windows Mobile device for work, i would without a doubt in my mind go with the stability of the TREO. But since i dont use it for anything else other than to screw around, the 6700 is more fun.

[matto @ Dec 28th 2005 5:47PM]

Sprint? Check. Verizon? Check. I thought T-Mo was going to carry this model back in Oct, and it got pushed to Jan, and I don't hear any rumors in the channel of it getting any closer. It's enough to make me jump to Sprint...

[Stephen @ Dec 29th 2005 12:22PM]

Ok, I am excited. I am going to get one as soon as my $#@*ing cingular contract expires.

[orlando @ Jan 1st 2006 11:51AM]

This is a news site, and they'd be lying if they didn't say it was a rumor, do you want your news to lie to you?

[zita @ Jan 1st 2006 12:01PM]

Good for my picky ass techy self, the phone comes with everything you require.

[chris @ Jan 2nd 2006 2:44AM]

Yep, it's true, a group within best buy were one of the first to recieve this phone. It's the geek squad in-home tech's "double agents". Each one of them (over 2000 nationwide) recieved one, courtesy of geek squad, with unlimited nationwide minutes, unlimited data and text messaging, and free bluetooth accessories. That's not to mention the free car/gas, credit card and a sweet badge.

[Chris @ Jan 4th 2006 9:28AM]

Any ideas when T-Mobile is going to release its version of the phone? T-Mobile is killing me!!!

[ckeegan @ Jan 4th 2006 2:32PM]

RUMOR, actually no it's not, see the following press release from UTStarcom and Verizon:



http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060104/sfw119.html?.v=8



I ordered mine first thing this morning, and will have it tomorrow by 3pm via overnight delivery for an extra $12.99.

[Juggles96 @ Jan 5th 2006 6:03PM]

I have been waiting for the xv6700 to come out for some time now. One thing I know about the PPC6700, but have not heard about the xv6700 is its capability to be used as a modem. One of my main needs is to use the phone as a high speed modem for my laptop. Can anyone let me know if this phone can function as a modem, and if so, can it be used as a modem out-of-box?

[dpinder @ Jan 16th 2006 8:39PM]

Will this phone be sold at Best Buy?

[djackson @ Jan 18th 2006 2:55PM]

Juggles96 (#30) Nope on the Verizon, Yes on the Sprint. Any news on Modem/BlueTooth hacks for the Verizon (VX6700) out there?

[Peanutbutterwolf @ Jan 20th 2006 12:58AM]

Sprint service? I don't care how many features of the (VX6700) Verizon disables, Sprint is just weak!! Customer services is terrible!! Being a T-mo cust (please get a wider phone selection), a switch to Verizon is at hand....and what's up with Treo 700w without WiFi? That's just ridiculous. The VX is RAW!! I do like the stability of the Treo 650, but you gotta do better that the 700w. Anyone hear of any rumors of any Mac wireless phones? WifiPods? Just wondering.

[Jason @ Jan 22nd 2006 2:32AM]

RUMOR: How did you purchase yours through Verizon per your thread?

I don't see it on their site.

[Anthony @ Jan 22nd 2006 8:20PM]

I have had the xv6600 with VZW for 4 months. I HATE it as a phone. (not bad as a PDA, though). Here are a list of problems the 6600 has, can someone please tell me if these issues have been addressed in the xv6700 version?

-loudness of ringtones / call volume
-callers frequently telling me I sound too "far away" or "tinny" to understand me
-Smallest jolt to the phone causes a hard reset. I average 1 hard reset (unintentionaly) per WEEK!!
-Battery life, did this get any better?
-Useless speakerphone - no one can understand me greater than 2 feet away.

Please tell me these things (particularly 1,2,3) have been fixed and I'm going to trade my 6600 for the 6700. Thanks!

[Bonnie @ Jan 23rd 2006 2:14PM]

So i purchased the 6700 by calling verizon yesterday - their website was having issues coordinating the voice/data bundles with this phone for some reason.

very excited as this is my first pocket pc.

Should be arriving by Wednesday - phone, bluetooth headset and voice and data bundle were $390.12 with free shipping.

Apparently the battery issue from the 6600 is fixed in the 6700. It does NOT have modem capability.

i went to verizon store to check it out - no store in nyc had any in stock - and i love the feel of it - the keys on the keyboard just fit the tips of my thumbs/fingers - the whole phone is comfortable in my hand - pretty light too. There is a small lag in screen orientation from portrait to landscape, but it's pretty minimal. I have never been comfy with the treo's - boyfriend has one for a year now and i find it the most non-intuitive piece of tech, and that's deterred me from getting a PDA - and then the i730 came out - it was ok but so big - just too long and cumbersome. They've definitely made improvements to the design and intuitiveness - things are where you expect them. I also like that the keyboard slides away - and the orientation on the side, as opposed to below, really makes a difference.

[John Holmblad @ Jan 23rd 2006 3:59PM]

I checked with my local Verizon Wireless store this weekend and they asserted that the XV6700 will NOT support pairing of the phone with a Bluetooth keyboard. This surprises me.
Does anyone here have any info to the contrary?

Here is the url to a www page at the Verizon Wireless store that indicates the BT profiles that are enabled on the various BT phones that Verizon supplies including the new XV6700z;

http://dts.vzw.com/pdf/BT_Chart_PDAs.pdf

Also, is there a www site devoted to 6700 "workarounds"?

Best Regards

John H.