Verizon UTStarcom XV6800: the CDMA TyTn lives!

by Ryan Block posted Dec 22nd 2006 at 12:50PM

Holy crap, it's a Christmas miracle! Look what Santa Roc A Fella dropped in our laps this morning: shots of the CDMA HTC TyTn, courtesy of our new pal HTC Kid! About freaking time. Here we have UTStarcom XV6800 on Verizon, and this thing is seriously no slouch. It improves on the Hermes with more memory, Bluetooth 2, and, of course, features EV-DO with Rev A support. Here's the dirt:

WM5 AKU 3
256MB flash / 96MB RAM
Thumb wheel
802.11b/g
Bluetooth 2.0
BBAC -- BroadbandAccess Connect, i.e. tetherable EV-DO
microSD slot

We hear Roc's got more coming soon, watch out for it. Big ups to HTC Kid!

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA

Tags: hermes, tytn, UTStarcom, xv6800

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Neutral

maximus @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:01PM

F this! know for ever! Where the hell is the libra.

Highly Ranked

ventivent @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:04PM

Holy moly! That looks great. After having used both Cingular's HSDPA and Verizon EVDO, I'm much more impressed with Verizon's EVDO service. The latency on Cingular's 3G service (slow DNS) almost negates the fast transfer rates. Now I might have to ditch my Blackjack.

Neutral

NuShrike @ Oct 18th 2007 3:19AM

Switch to a faster DNS such as OpenDNS then.

Neutral

brad @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:05PM

finally some new news! hopefully we will see the libra out as well as a none-blurry picture...i want to know what the button configuration is on the bottom

Neutral

Siriapp @ Mar 29th 2008 1:39AM

Here you go.....http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=3411&changingCompletedOrder=

Neutral

Damien @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:36PM

There's been rumor of this device for awhile now, but sweet photos make me feel so much better. And FYI, BBAC = Broadband Access. It's a VZW thing

Neutral

Ryan Block @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:07PM

You will see more on the Libra today. Don't wander far!

Neutral

brad @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:15PM

more on the libra today ryan block, do you have an eta on when to check back

Neutral

Chris @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:25PM

Why does Verizon always get the hot phones before Sprint??? Damnit man! I'm a Sprint guy and I'm sick and tired of this. I hope our version of the 6800 looks as good or better than this device. If anybody has any pics+info on Sprint's 6800 then please leave a link or hit me up. (And please don't show me the old pics from sept of the promo 6800. I've seen that along time ago...)

Neutral

elgee02 @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:48PM

Ohhh man this excites the hell outta me, I can't wait to start selling this bad boy!

Neutral

Michael @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:59PM

How does this 6800 compare to the 6700? Is it worth waiting for the 6800?

Neutral

truong @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:28PM

what is the deal with the microSD cards being used in every cell now? i have the xv6700 which uses a miniSD. ihave to now purchse another flash memory format. these pocket pc phones are large in size, why not use a regular SD?

Neutral

elgee02 @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:40PM

"How does this 6800 compare to the 6700?"

Bluetooth 2.0 vs 1.1, 256mb flash vs 128, 96mb RAM vs 64, 2 mp camera vs 1.3

"Is it worth waiting for the 6800?"

Absolutely

Neutral

Darren @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:53PM

According to info on HowardForums (http://www.howardforums.com/showpost.php?p=8347940&postcount=18), the "Titan" is to be launched 1/15.

Glad to see that they gave it more memory. Cingular's version, the 8525, only has 128MB Flash and 64MB RAM.

Got to love the 802.11b/g !!!!

Neutral

churchill @ Dec 22nd 2006 3:21PM

How come my FOUR-year-old Samsung i700 has a bigger and better screen than the XV6700 and XV6800 do AND has a longer battery life?

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/compare.php?id%5B%5D=191&id%5B%5D=570&id%5B%5D=&id%5B%5D=&id%5B%5D=

And is it just me or does anyone else think it's stupid to have a slide out keyboard adding bulk when you have a touchscreen?

HTC sure knows how to spoil my Christmas :(

Neutral

austin @ Dec 22nd 2006 3:38PM

@ #13,

"How come my FOUR-year-old Samsung i700 has a bigger and better screen than the XV6700 and XV6800 do AND has a longer battery life?"

i700 bigger screen? No. i700 better screen? No idea since I've never seen an i700. Read your own link and you'll see the screens are the same. i700 longer battery life? No. Talk time is longer on the 6700. And when you're getting into the 8+ days for standby I think I can find some time in there to plug it in.

"And is it just me or does anyone else think it's stupid to have a slide out keyboard adding bulk when you have a touchscreen?"

Not stupid at all. If I need to type a word doc or anything requirin a lot of text, the onscreen keyboard is unpratical and takes up valuable screen space. Even typing a URL is quicker using the slideout keybaord.

Neutral

M @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:54PM

"4. You will see more on the Libra today. Don't wander far!"

I hope you weren't just toying with us!

Neutral

dubz @ Dec 22nd 2006 5:06PM

i dont know about the specs, but isnt this the HTC Herald. the hermes keyboard doesnt slide out that way but the heralds does.

Neutral

Arthur @ Dec 22nd 2006 6:32PM

actually #13 is right, the samsung i700 has a 3.5 inch screen versus the 2.8 inch screens on most pda/phones with keyboards (like the xv6800).

Neutral

Ari @ Dec 24th 2006 1:10AM

I just hope the phone part of the PDA works a little better. I can't say how many calls my 6700 has dropped or has been unable to answer.

Neutral

joba78 @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:25PM

@ Chris...I'm a Sprint guy too and I believe this device will see the light of day on our network! I want an all black version with Power Vision (or newest version of high speed data access from Sprint), the shiny Motorola screens, and no DAMN external antenna! I will upgrade from my treo 700p for this handset if it shows up in this form.

Neutral

Chris @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:37PM

@Joba78... Are you reading my mind??? lol Thats exactly what I want in my phone. Black phones are the prettiest phones ever! And I want the phone I upgrade to have Revision A EV-DO. The "shiny Motorola screens" are not going to happen because that is a smartphone screen such as the Motorola Q. Trust me you don't want that because then you don't get a touchscreen. And from experience, once you go touchscreen, you don't go back. I will upgrade my PPC-6700 for everything you listed and Revision A EV-DO, touchscreen, and a better OS such as the new Windows Mobile "Crossbow"...

Neutral

joba78 @ Dec 23rd 2006 10:25AM

@ Chris...And I think we can forget about the 802.11 b/g on our network. Which truly sux...If Sprint manages to get that in, it will be a miraculous first! And I never thought about the touchscreen functionality. That would be terrible to lose. I can live with current screens!

Neutral

Chris @ Dec 24th 2006 2:45PM

@Joba78... I completely forgot about that part, and your right it does suck. I don't think Sprint will actually put that in because then they will have too many satisfied tech hungry customers like ourselves... lol. Yea you can't forget about the touchscreen man, even if the resolution isn't as good as other phones/smartphones on the market. We as Pocket PC users have a great advantage when it comes to navigating through pages on the internet on our devices.

@Ari... Yes I completely agree with you! I've been preaching that forever now... I want HTC to do something about the damn phone aspect of the 6800 because on the 6700, its CRAP. My phone sometime gets stuck when someone is trying to call me and I try to answer it. Its fustrating and I wouldn't mind just changing to a phone that doesn't do this anymore. But... I want a keyboard similar to the 6700 and a touch screen because the keyboard is one of the best i've ever used aside from the Tytn or U.S. branded 8525...

@ALL USERS... Does anyone know when or if Sprint is getting the 6800? And if you do, do you have pics?

Neutral

cij1916 @ Dec 24th 2006 5:05PM

It's coming to sprint. When I spoke to a rep a couple days ago, he told me it was coming, that it was in testing, info was just released to them a couple days ago, but they couldn't go into details, dangit.

Neutral

F.Wheezy @ Dec 28th 2006 12:04AM

What exactly does "WM5 AKU 3" besides the fact that it is Windows Mobile 5.0. Also does anyone think that this thing will be upgradable to WM Crossbow at any point?

Neutral

Paula @ Dec 27th 2006 12:25AM

I've had voicemail messages lost for days at a time with my XV6700. It's really to the point of stupid... I just wish they'd end the 6700 run when the 6800 came out... then I can "lose" my phone. ;)

Neutral

Jon @ Dec 29th 2006 12:13PM

A Sprint rep told me that their 6800 will be orderable in March, and actually in stores by April 2007. They are apparently also planning a TV ad campaign around this device sometime soon.

Neutral

Tom @ Jan 1st 2007 5:30PM

I've spoken with several verizon stores where I live. I live near a bunch of cities that are grouped together. We have two Verizon stores. Both have told me that the xv6800 is not coming next month. They told me that usually they get a test model of the phones a month before, and they didn't get one for the xv6800. Has anyone else been told the same thing?

Neutral

Manny @ Jan 2nd 2007 7:05PM

@Tom, if Verizon launched it online only this month, would the stores still get the test units before then? I'm thinking that's more likely to happen than a rollout to all of the retail stores.

I've still got my fingers crossed on that rumored 1/15 launch date, since the source of the rumor was pretty accurate on the Sierra Aircard 595 launch date last month.

Neutral

Vassar @ Jan 2nd 2007 1:20PM

WM5 stinks. I'll stick with my Palm-based Treo!

Neutral

Jason The Saj @ Jan 3rd 2007 6:22PM

Remember, when the 6700 came out it was only available thru Verizon's business channel for a while.

Neutral

emc @ Jan 4th 2007 2:36PM

Man, I thought HTC would get it right this time, I guess not. I was really looking forward to an external dial pad that wasn't touch screen, I specifically remember one on phonescoop.com that I was hoping would be the US cdma evdo platform that they decided to use. The touch screen on these devices is no where near as good to the touch as the Treo's screen so an external dial pad would have made things alot easier. Other than that, I hope the level of quality in the phone is raised quite a bit. I owned the ppc 6700 for 5 months and I cant start to tell you problems I had with the phone that caused me to curse the phone to hell.

Neutral

AddWoud @ Jan 6th 2007 9:11AM

Does anyone know if the 6800 will have voice activated dialing? the 6700 did not. One reason I was waiting for VZW to release the Treo 700xw (due for release Jan 26). Anyway this looks like a great way to start the New Year!

Neutral

lars @ Jan 8th 2007 6:08PM

#13, one other difference, with the i700, if your battery runs out you will have to reload everything, with WM5 (when it's working) you won't. Convenient if you are away from your computer when it happens.

Neutral

KENNY @ Jan 8th 2007 10:27PM

How long should this 6800 take to get out? I mean... Other companies are releasing some pretty neat stuff. VZW needs to get it together. I need to purchase a new pda/phone ASAP.

Neutral

mavrick @ Jan 9th 2007 2:04AM

I have a 6700... three words "I LOVE IT"

Im due for the upgrade this month... Is it worth the wait? OFCOURSE. I can do so much with my 6700, Imagine with all the upgrades. I can already do more than i thought... cant wait to get my hands on the 6800.

Neutral

AddWoud @ Jan 9th 2007 4:39AM

I need to replace my pocket pc and this might just do the trick. Does anyone know if this will be tetherable?

Neutral

bigg @ Jan 10th 2007 7:32AM

I have a 6700...three words "I HATE IT" This is the worst piece of crap that I have ever owned. Great design but it just doesn't work reliably. Think it is WM5 that is the cause of most of the issues. Yes I have the latest firmware from UTStarcom and no I gave up long ago on trying to put lots of apps and UI customizations on it. That just made it worse. I can't believe Verizon can get away with selling something this bad. Let's review:

1. Often will not even answer incoming calls. I see them but when I hit answer...nothing.

2. Error 37...Error 37...oh yea Error 37!!

3. Once a day phone will not power on have to reboot it and when I do half of the battery is chewed up.

4. When the above doesn't happen the battery only lasts about half of the day. If I forget to charge it overnight the thing is dead in the morning so it is useless that day. No I don't want the giant extended battery sticking out the back thanks!

5. Will not no matter how many time I enter it and check the save password box remember the friggin data network password for mare that a few days.

6. Not even close to loud enough. Speaker and earphone. Yes I did the registry hacks still not enough.

These are just the most annoying problems but there are more but I won't bore you with the rest.

Suffice to say I hope this new 6800 is waaaaaaaay better but somehow if it is a WM5 device I doubt it.

Neutral

John Holmblad @ Jan 9th 2007 10:10PM

Response to posted comment #25

AKU 3 is an update to Windows Mobile 5.0.

Here is the url to a quick summary of the improvements contained in this update (service pack?)

http://www.modaco.com/index.php?s=a5a19a4d111f9c39f5b959716aef6ded&showtopic=246614

Neutral

John B @ Jan 10th 2007 12:58PM

I called UT Starcom today (1/10/07) at their 800 number from their website.... I asked about the xv6800 and she knows that the phone is supposed to come out this year, but was very confident that it was not going to come out "soon" ... January? NOPE.... February, PROBABLY NOT. I'm guessing closer to the middle of the year based on my conversation with her...

Neutral

Manny @ Jan 10th 2007 4:04PM

Isn't the word out on the street that the phone is slated for a Q1 07 release? If that is the case, we'll certainly see the phone before April 1. I think that's a definite for the Libra since that's what it says on Roc A Fella's picture, but it doesn't show for the 6800. Nonetheless, I don't want to wait any longer, I just want it now!

By the way, I'm now a little nervous about the 1/15 date because the supposed 1/8 Libra launch is past... but hey at least the week isn't over yet.

Neutral

Ross @ Jan 11th 2007 3:27PM

The farther we get from the 8th and the Libra's supposed really, the more I'm starting to buy into what I saw in the phone scoop forums that it'll be more like the middle of March.

I guess we can hold out hope they're testing Crossbow on the 6800 and that's part of the delay.

Neutral

Steve @ Jan 12th 2007 11:12AM

I also inquired about a possible release date for the 6800, and got the following e-mail response:

The release date is still unknown. It will be a brand new device with Windows Mobile 6.0. Not enough information is given to us until months prior to the release. The XV6700 is still hot. Plus their will be a new update to AKU3.2.

Sounds like the plan is to release it w/WM6 (Crossbow). Not sure of the significance of the 6700 update noted.

Neutral

Darnell @ Jan 12th 2007 5:05PM

I think the rumored release dates are wrong but verizon says they will have new phones/smart phones for the first qtr. Where is 6800? bet it wont be out til late first qtr!!!!!!

Neutral

Matt @ Jan 13th 2007 11:08PM

I would wait for WM6 if that is indeed true but I highly doubt Crossbow will be available in gold for Q1/07.

Neutral

Darnell @ Jan 15th 2007 1:16PM

Well it's the 15th and no 6800 form verizon oh will just hve to wait it out!!

Neutral

Big Trav @ Jan 18th 2007 7:22PM

I Spoke with an HTC Rep at CES a week ago and asked about the 6800 since they make it and UTSTARCOM dist all the CDMA product. He did not have any info and said that they did not bring it to show at CES because it is not officially released. Informed him that I had heard a jan 15 and he said not likely. Informed that I spoke to someone at verizon and they said more like Feb 15th after a about a half hour of me bugging him he smiled and told me that it would be more like march 15th. he said that verizon should get the phone at the begining of feb. and they usually test the phone for 6 weeks, and if all goes well then it will be released.

Neutral

Darnell @ Jan 19th 2007 5:26PM

yo big trav your probably right but it should certianly out be for march is over but then again u can't any stock in waht rep. tells you but does any one know if the specs are on point with what we see in the pic.?

Neutral

elizabeth @ Jan 24th 2007 10:53AM

I was at the Verizon store today and the salesman told me it would be available 5/15...I'm going to wait for it.

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