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Cellphone NewsThe Latest and Greatest SmartphonesNov 18, 2005 Regardless of what kind of high-speed network these phones are capable of accessing -- such as EVDO and EDGE or Motorola's iDEN push-to-talk technology for workgroups -- all the smartphones in this roundup are fully capable of helping users attain high levels of productivity and connectedness while on the go. The latest smartphones to hit the U.S. market are much faster and more versatile than their predecessors, which is an important development, given that consumers and mobile workers are coming to expect greater capabilities from each new generation of handheld devices. Regardless of what kind of high-speed network these phones are capable of accessing -- such as EVDO and EDGE or Motorola's iDEN push-to-talk technology for workgroups -- all the smartphones in this roundup are fully capable of helping users attain high levels of productivity and connectedness while on the go. Sprint PPC6700The Sprint PPC6700 has just about every feature that a road warrior could want. Manufactured by Audiovox , the dual-band smartphone is powered by Microsoft's new Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system and incorporates the latest high-speed EVDO technology, which lets users download data over Verizon's national BroadbandAccess network at speeds of 300 to 500 Kbps. The new handset also ships with the Pocket editions of Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Measuring 4.25 x 2.3 x 1.0 inches and weighing about 6 ounces, the PPC6700 integrates a speedy 416-MHz Intel XScale processor; a 2.8-inch, 65,000-color screen, a 1.3-megapixel digital camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, and a hands-free speakerphone. The handset's lithium battery is capable of delivering up to 4.7 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge. The PPC6700's Qwerty-style keyboard slides in to the side of the chassis, protecting it from dirt and damage. And whenever the keyboard is extended, the content displayed on the handset's screen automatically rotates to landscape mode. The PPC6700 is available from Sprint at a retail price of $449.99. Audiovox XV6600The Audiovox XV6600, another phone that can run on EVDO networks, is powered by Microsoft's Pocket PC 2003 operating system and gives mobile workers access to Pocket versions of familiar business software programs, such as Excel, Internet Explorer, Outlook, and Word. Measuring 4.9 x 2.75 x .74 inches and weighing 7.4 ounces, the XV6600 is equipped with a 400-MHz XScale Intel processor; a 2.8-inch, 64,000-color screen, 64 MB of ROM, 128 MB of RAM, a Bluetooth radio, and an expansion card slot. The front face of the handset slides up to reveal a built-in, Qwerty-style keyboard. One major drawback of this device is that its battery delivers a mere 2.5 hours of talk time and 72 hours in standby mode. Another drawback is the handset's use of the somewhat dated Pocket PC 2003 operating system, which has been superseded by Windows Mobile 5.0. The Audiovox XV6600 is available from Verizon for $299.99 with a two-year customer agreement. Nokia 6682Measuring 4.2 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches and tipping the scales at 4.6 ounces, the EDGE-ready Nokia 6682 smartphone is capable of downloading data at speeds of about 236 Kbps. Running on the Symbian OS, the new handset ships with plenty of software for viewing all kinds of files, such as those produced by Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The Nokia 6682's boxy, candy-bar format integrates a 2.2-inch, 262,000-color screen, 10 MB of internal memory, and a 64-MB memory card that can be upgraded. The Nokia 6682 also sports a 1.3-megapixel camera with built-in flash, 6x digital zoom, a self timer, and automatic brightness adjust. Moreover, the handset can go into camcorder mode to record video with a 6x digital zoom. The phone's e-mail client offers support for POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, while the onboard Web browser offers support for HTML, XHTML, and WML formats. In addition, the handset delivers up to four hours of digital talk time or up to 11 days of uptime in standby mode. The slider design of the handset's back side completely covers the camera lens whenever it is not being used. Another notable feature comes in the form of Nokia's XpressPrint technology, which enables the handset to send files directly to a printer over a USB cable or a wireless Bluetooth link. The Nokia 6682 will be available soon for just $99.99 from Amazon.com after the application of the mail-in rebate and when purchased in tandem with a new two-year service plan from Cingular. Motorola i930Measuring 3.5 x 1.9 x 1.2 inches and tipping the scales at 5.9 ounces, the Motorola i930 integrates a 180-MHz processor, 32 MB of ROM, 32 MB of flash memory, an expansion card slot, an infrared port, and a speakerphone. In addition, the new handset sports two color screens: an external display for phone functions and an internal display that can show images in 65,000 colors. The handset ships with the requisite set of software for viewing files created with Microsoft Office applications and Adobe Acrobat. The Pocket editions of Internet Explorer and Outlook also are on tap to support Web browsing and manage e-mail accounts. Motorola's latest GSM/GPRS smartphone also incorporates the company's iDEN technology for those who need push-to-talk capabilities. When used in tandem with Sprint-Nextel's networks, iDEN provides companies with an inexpensive way to link up road warriors scattered across the country or even across national borders. The push-to-talk capability extends across Latin American countries such as Argentina, Mexico, and Peru. Unfortunately, the handset's digital talk time from a single battery charge is less than three hours. Data delivery speeds also are limited to the speed of conventional GSM/GPRS networks. The Motorola i930 is available from Sprint for $499.99. Samsung i730At only 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches and 6.4 ounces, the Samsung i730 fits unobtrusively in your pants pocket and is only slightly thicker than the Treo 650, the reigning king of smartphones. Despite its svelte form, the dual-band CDMA smartphone packs an impressive array of features. With the fast 520-MHz Intel PXA272 processor running on Windows Mobile 2003, the i730 boasts several wireless options, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and high-speed EVDO. The new Samsung handset also sports a 2.8-inch rectangular display and a full Qwerty keyboard that retracts from behind the screen. Storage for this slim smartphone is handled by 64 MB of RAM, 86 MB of ROM, and an expansion card slot. In addition to the usual set of Pocket versions of Microsoft Word and Excel, the software includes capabilities for reading all kinds of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, and multimedia content. There also is support for push e-mail as well as standard POP3 and IMAP e-mail. Battery life on this phone is one drawback. On a single charge, users will only be able to talk for a little over two hours. The phone can remain in standby mode for up to 5.4 days. However, Samsung does include two batteries in the package -- one slim and one extended. Using the larger battery will boost battery life by at least 50 percent. The Samsung i730 is available directly from Verizon for $599.99 with a two-year contract. |
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