Drop, charge, and lose the cordsVerizon Wireless XV6900
Manufacturer: HTC Part number: 3694
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Verizon Wireless XV6900 is a stunning smartphone with a cool touch interface and generally good performance, but the Sprint version offers a slightly better value for your money.
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Where to buy
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| eBay |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/29/2009 |
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CNET editors' review
Verizon Wireless XV6900 price range: $22.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 04/22/2008
- Released on: 04/16/2008
The good: The Verizon Wireless XV6900 is an attractive and compact smartphone with a cool touch interface. It's also equipped with Bluetooth, EV-DO, Windows Mobile 6, and a 2-megapixel camera.
The bad: The XV6900 lacks Wi-Fi, and unlike the Sprint HTC Touch, Verizon doesn't offer its entertainment services or preloaded instant-messaging clients on the device.
The bottom line: Verizon Wireless XV6900 is a stunning smartphone with a cool touch interface and generally good performance, but the Sprint version offers a slightly better value for your money.
Verizon Wireless made a number of smartphone announcements at CTIA 2008, and we're slowly seeing the roll out of the new devices, the first being the Verizon Wireless XV6900. Available now for $249.99 (with a two-year contract and after rebates), the XV6900 is basically the HTC Touch with Verizon's branding. It does get a fresh coat of paint and the overall look is quite pleasing to the eye. However, beauty can only get you so far. While the core functions and features--Windows Mobile 6, Bluetooth, EV-DO--remain intact and general performance was good, the Sprint HTC Touch is a better value as it offers preloaded instant-messaging clients and support for the carrier's multimedia services, whereas the XV6900 does not. Therefore, if you're not locked into a contract, we'd recommend going with Sprint's version.
Design
The Verizon Wireless XV6900 will certainly wow your friends and onlookers. Forgoing the usual black, the XV6900 comes in a striking white color, which, when combined with the handset's sleek, smooth pebble-like look, makes it a real stunner. The Verizon red that accents some of the icons on the user interface is quite eye-catching, as well. However, one thing that you lose is the soft-touch finish, so the handset is a bit slick. Otherwise, it's like the Sprint Touch, carrying a footprint of 3.9 inches high by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 inch deep and 3.9 ounces.
The XV6900's touch screen measures 2.8 inches diagonally with a 64,000 color output and 320x240 pixel resolution. Of course, like the other Touches, the XV6900 features HTC's TouchFLO interface, which lets you rotate through the various menus with the swipe of your finger. For example, dragging your finger from the bottom of the screen to the top edge brings up a menu of popular apps and utilities, such as e-mail, Internet Explorer, and the Communication Manager. You can then swipe right to left (or vice versa) to get to your Contacts list and multimedia files.
The TouchFlo functionality works well, but what about the issue of text entry? Well, like the Sprint version, there's an option of a 20-button QWERTY keyboard that mimics the SureType keyboards found on some BlackBerry devices. The virtual keys are large enough that most people should be able to use a thumb to tap the buttons. If you still have problems, there's also a 12-button alphanumeric dial pad, much like the one you'd find a regular cell phone. We tried both and dialing numbers was easy, and the touch screen was quite responsive, but typing text messages and e-mails took a bit more time with all the multitapping. Other input methods include Block Recognizer, Letter Recognizer, Transcriber, or a miniscule full QWERTY keyboard.
Since you'll be performing most of the phone's functions via the touch screen, the XV6900 has minimal external controls. Below the display, you'll find two simple Talk and End keys and a navigation toggle with center select button. There's a volume rocker on the left side, while the stylus, microSD expansion slot, and camera activation/capture key are on the right side. Like the other models, however, accessing the expansion slot requires that you remove the battery cover and then flipping open the protective flap. On the back, you'll find the camera lens, self-portrait mirror, and speaker. Finally, a lone power button sits on top and a mini USB port and reset button are on the bottom of the unit.
The Verizon Wireless XV6900 comes packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a USB splitter, an extra stylus, a soft protective pouch, a software CD, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
Features
Fancy packaging aside, the Verizon Wireless XV6900 is your standard Windows Mobile 6 smartphone. It runs the Professional Edition of the mobile operating system with the full Office Mobile Suite so you can create, view, and edit Word and Excel documents and read PDFs and PowerPoint presentations. You also get the enhanced Calendar functions and new task shortcuts. However, as Verizon has done with its other Windows smartphones, the carrier stripped out the Windows Live integration, which is unfortunate. Other PIM tools and utilities include Adobe Reader, a task manager, a voice recorder, a calculator, and a notepad.
The XV6900 ships with Microsoft's Direct Push Technology out of the box for real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. You can also sign up for Verizon Wireless Sync e-mail solution. For personal e-mail, the smartphone also supports POP3 and IMAP accounts, but now you can also view e-mails in their original HTML format, regardless of account type. There's a wizard to help you configure your device to retrieve messages. We used it to access our Gmail account and had no problems. Sadly, the Verizon Wireless XV6900 doesn't come preloaded with any instant-messaging clients, unlike Sprint's Touch, which comes with AIM, Yahoo, and Windows Live Messenger.
As a phone, the XV6900 offers a speakerphone, smart dialing, voice commands, three-way calling, call forwarding, and text and multimedia messaging. The address book is only limited by the available memory, and each entry can store multiple numbers, home and work addresses, e-mail, IM screen name, birthday, spouse's name, and more. For caller ID purposes, you can pair a contact with a photo, a caller group, or one of 18 polyphonic ringtones.
The smartphone has integrated Bluetooth 2.0 with support for mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, serial port, and dial-up networking. It does not, however, support object transfer. Also, the DUN capabilities will require a subscription to one of Verizon's BroadbandAccess plans, which start at $15 per month. The XV6900 is also EV-DO capable to bring you data speeds of around 300Kbps to 600Kbps with the potential to hit 2.4Mbps for faster Web browsing, downloads, and smooth media streams. As Verizon has done with its other business-centric smartphones, the carrier chose not to include support for its V Cast music and video services. Meanwhile, the Sprint HTC Touch is compatible with the carrier's various entertainment services--just saying.
Fortunately, there are other modes of entertainment on the XV6900. As with other Windows Mobile devices, you get Windows Media Player 10 Mobile so that you can listen to and view AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, WMV, and other music and video files. If you have TV shows recorded on your Windows Media Center PC, you can transfer them to your device for on-the-go viewing. We should note that the XV6900 has 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM with about 140MB user available storage and 70MB for programs. The microSD slot can accept up to 8GB cards.
The XV6900 also has a 2-megapixel camera with 8x zoom and autofocus. There are five resolution options and four quality settings for still images. For getting the best shot, you have several tools available to you: flicker adjustment, white-balance settings, and brightness controls. You can also add various effects to your shot. In video mode, you only get two resolutions but have similar editing controls.
Picture quality was pretty awful. Objects looked a bit fuzzy, but we had more issue with the color. Even after fiddling with the white-balance settings, colors had an orange tone, and there's a bit of shutter delay so don't move too quickly after snapping your shot. Videos were worse as they looked grainy and barely watchable. Needless to say, the XV6900 isn't the best camera phone.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 850/1900; EV-DO) Verizon Wireless XV6900 in San Francisco and call quality was good. On a couple of occasions, there was a slight background hiss on our end, but for the most part, we enjoyed clear audio and plenty of volume. Our friends didn't have too many complaints, though they said we sounded somewhat tinny. The speakerphone was decent, but there was some voice distortion. Finally, we were able to pair the XV6900 with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones without any problems.
General performance was typical of a Windows Mobile device. Overall, the XV6900 was responsive but could get bogged down when we had numerous applications open. Web browsing, however, was swift, thanks to the EV-DO speeds. Music playback through the phone's speakers sounded a bit tinny and lacked bass. Video playback wasn't bad; as expected, there was some slight pixilation, but audio and images were always synchronized.
The Verizon Wireless XV6900's 1,880 mAh lithium ion battery has a rated talk time of 5.6 hours and up to 17 days of standby time. The XV6900 failed to meet the rated talk time in our battery drain tests with just 4 hours on a single charge. According to FCC radiation tests, the XV6900 has a digital SAR rating of 1.25 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Great Device!
by jshlaw on April 20, 2008
Pros: Size, Color, battery life, user interface, design, call quality, price
Cons: You need some Third Party Software to make the most of the device, Small Screen, Touch Sensitivity isn't always perfect
Summary: I purchased this Device the day it came out. It has replaced my first generation Moto Q, which I loved (I originally purchased the XV6700 but took it back after ...
Summary: I purchased this Device the day it came out. It has replaced my first generation Moto Q, which I loved (I originally purchased the XV6700 but took it back after a week to exchange it for the Q. When I first started playing with it, I was ready to pack it back up and wait for the Moto Q9c. However, due to the way the device looked, I "wanted" to like it so I played around with it for several hours. These hours were frustrating and for the first time ever, I actually was required to read the book that came with the phone.
Now, I love this phone. I have downloaded PointUI which changes the default interface; now its great! I also Downloaded PCM Keyboard to help with texting, etc. I am a business user; my main purpose for a phone is e-mail and texting with some internet useage. The phone serves all of my purposes. I am not one of those that purchased this device to compete with my iphone friends. I purchased this device without any expectation and am now blown away.
Internet is blazing fast, call quality beats some of my previous phone phones and everyone that plays with it thinks its a very "sexy" device.
I'll continue to play around with it and update the review if something tragic is discovered.
Buy this phone but give yourself several days to play with it; it'll be worth it.
I am sure as time continues, there will be more 3rd party software to make this device even better. There are some out there that want their "toys" to come factory the way they want them. I am not one of these users. If you are willing to spend the time to customize this device for you, I am sure you'll love it.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Definitely a Biiiig Step Up From the i730
by StevenS58 on April 19, 2008
Pros: Small, Light, Trendy, Powerful, Easy to figure out, Configurable with 3rd Party Software
Cons: Not much at all
Summary: Wow, what a step up from the i730.
I've been waiting for Verizon to put this phone out. I jumped on it when they did based upon the great ...Summary: Wow, what a step up from the i730.
I've been waiting for Verizon to put this phone out. I jumped on it when they did based upon the great video reviews at phonescoop.com and phonearena.com.
I was very tired of having a bulky phone, but I needed something to sync with outlook, and voila. Here it is. Small, powerful and light. I think this the direction all smartphones will be taking. This, along with the iphone, is a trendsetter, although the iphone is not really a smartphone.
Okay, Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Great (and I mean GREAT) telephone call quality both in and outgoing.
Bright screen.
Great not to have a smartphone keypad. I can't see them anyway, as they're too small.
Good data connectivity.
Powerful little machine.
Con:
I had heard complaints about the keybard software that came with it. Being an old fogey with big thumbs, I had difficulty using it, so I purchased TouchPal 3 for like 13.00.
Conclusion:
I agree with the reviewers. It's a great phone. Don't hesitate to get it.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good Phone - Not quite there yet though
by rydagg on July 1, 2008
Pros: Windows Mobile 6
Cons: Battery Life - Touch Keyboard
Summary: I did a lot of research on this phone before buying and the reviews on this webpage really helped me, so I wanted to give my input to help others. ...
Summary: I did a lot of research on this phone before buying and the reviews on this webpage really helped me, so I wanted to give my input to help others.
I've owned the phone for a month and there are a ton of things that I love about it, but I have to say the battery life is terrible.. for a heavy business user this may not be your phone. I can't even get through a half day without having to plug it in for a recharge (which is beyond frustrating!) I've purchased the extended battery with high hopes that it will solve that problem for me. Unfortunately, it makes the phone much bigger (comes with an extended back door), which in return takes away from its small sleak design.
Also coming from a treo, an all touch phone was a ajustment, but I have to say the stock keyboard works very well. I purchased a third party keyboard and it isn't as good as what the phone came with. It does take me about twice the time to write an email compared to the treo because it is a T9 format that is used for imputing text on this phone. It just takes a long while to get used to the all touch interface.
If you looking for an iphone alternative, this isn't it. I loaded on a 2 gig memory card full of my tunes, but you have to plug in an adapter to use headphones which is a drag.
The touchflo works fantastic and is very user friendly! But, I still find myself using the stylus more than I think I should be for a touch screen phone.
Bottom line: This phone could use some serious improvements, but it better than any other smartphone I've had when it comes to looks, functions, and size.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Look no further this is the BEST PDA Phone Available!
by Sally2001 on August 1, 2008
Pros: Windows Mobile 6, Touch, Small/Light, Nice Display
Cons: No Keyboard, Not available in Gloss Black, Touch on IPhone is better
Summary: First thing, it's not an IPhone, if your looking for IPhone like touch and features then look elsewhere, but if your a buisness professional who wants a slim nice ...
Summary: First thing, it's not an IPhone, if your looking for IPhone like touch and features then look elsewhere, but if your a buisness professional who wants a slim nice pda phone, then this is the phone for you. Up until recently I had a Motorola Q which I loved dearly. Finally the keypad gave out on me so I was forced to upgrade. I did alot of research on all the available phones from Verizon, being a business professional I needed atleast a basic smartphone. I narrowed it down to the HTC XV6900 and the Samsung SCH-I760. The only reason for the debate being the Samsung has a full sliding keyboard. However after inspecting both phones in person you quickly realize the Samsung is not a pocket phone, it's a strap to your hip geek phone. Also it has limited support for firmware updates and I personally dislike Samsung phones. If your planning on writing novels on your phone then you should probably look into the Samsung, however if you just need to check email and write quick reply's the XV6900 is the perfect phone. The touch is better than any other phone I have used besides the IPhone, the screen is crystal clear, and the interface is well put together. Adding my exchange account was a breeze, and although it is hard to get used to not having a keyboard the transcribe features work pretty well if you don't want to use the touch keypad. The weight and size of the phone is perfect, it also comes with a nice slide pouch to protect the phone when it is in your pocket. With the phone in its case and in my pocket it's no larger than my Motorola Q with an extended battery pack, and you can rest assured your screen is not getting scratched by your keys/change/etc. One touch of the power button and the screen turns off putting your phone into powersaving mode, and working like a basic keypad lock that any other phone would have. Touch the power button and your phone jumps to life instantly. There is also an additional lock feature if you need it. Some people complain about the speakers sounding tinny, or that the volume doesn't go loud enough. I would have to disagree, I think the sound is very adequate for a phone of it's size and the volume level adjusts plenty loud enough for me to hear someone with the windows down in my car and driving on the freeway. Overall I have no complaints, this is just the type of phone I have been looking for, after using Treo's and Moto Q's I am very pleased to find a full featured PDA phone that is slim and powerfull. I say look no further, this is as good as it's going to get at Verizon for sometime, so go get it!
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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If you are a PDA/Phone user wanting more
by DidTheHomework on June 5, 2008
Pros: Easy to use, awesome features, great PDA/Phone
Cons: I'll get over the no WYFI, tiny stylus
Summary: I used a Verizon XV6700 to death, twice. I use a PDA/Phone because I need to combine the two devices. I have 3 e-mail accounts and my kids and ...
Summary: I used a Verizon XV6700 to death, twice. I use a PDA/Phone because I need to combine the two devices. I have 3 e-mail accounts and my kids and wife text constantly. I'm in the car for biz about half the time and the rest out in the field (or occasional office).
I've had this PDA/phone for a little over 2 weeks now and I love it. I read all of the user reviews I could find. The 6900 cured a lot of the annoying problems with the 6700, like loosing mem cards, broken slider keyboard, too bulky and the 6700 was battery eating and sometimes slow. The 6900 is smaller, faster, better looking and I'm having a blast with it. It has better reception and call quality as well and the 6900 was always good.
I might download a new keyboard but i can use this one. I'm used to a stylus and this one is small but usable. The touch features are amazing. I looked at the Blackberry stuff but I'm used to Windows now and 6.0 is great, (better views for word and excel). Besides I don't have to change formats, I'm 50. The HTC improvements to the OS like really closing the program and better today page are great.
If you are a biz user and used to mobile 5 with a real browser and sometimes snap a photo to send, YOU WILL LOVE THIS THING!!!
If you need to spend your money on V-cast or paid downloads and don't use a PDA get something else. Whatever you get...DO YOUR HOMEWORK!3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Windows Mobile 6 phone
by tchue on May 2, 2008
Pros: Light weight, small size, Nice looking user interface
Cons: No built-in keyboard
Summary: My "New every 2 years" was up for my old Verizon XV6700, so I purchased the new XV6900. What a difference, it's about half the depth and weight of ...
Summary: My "New every 2 years" was up for my old Verizon XV6700, so I purchased the new XV6900. What a difference, it's about half the depth and weight of my old XV6700. The UI is easy on the eyes and is easy to navigate. It's small enough where I can easily put it into my shirt pocket whereas my old XV6700 was a little too big. The additional features of Windows Mobile 6 is welcomed after spending two years with the old Windows Mobile 5 OS. Verizon finally came out with one of the best phones out there.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very solid
by netnole2 on May 2, 2008
Pros: Design, size, screen, interface
Cons: Doesn't come with a cradle
Summary: Have had the XV6900 for a couple of days. Paid $149, after rebates, 2 yr upgrade. Finally got rid of my clunky Treo; have been looking for the right smart ...
Summary: Have had the XV6900 for a couple of days. Paid $149, after rebates, 2 yr upgrade. Finally got rid of my clunky Treo; have been looking for the right smart phone for a LONG time. Beautiful form factor, tiny, light. Screen is very crisp and bright, HTC home screen interface is cutting edge.
I?m not an emailing/texting machine, so my priorities are size, form factor, screen, phone, media and web. If you are a heavy emailer/texter, you prob need a hard keyboard. I took another reviewer?s advice and downloaded the Resco keyboard (killer, just like the iPhone); normal QWERTY keyboard, very easy to input.
I really like the iPhone, but again, no SD card and non replaceable battery (why do they do that?). 6900 allows both. I travel a lot, on trips I slip the tiny 2nd battery in my pocket. Went to Boxwave and bought cradle, screen protector, spare batt, car charger. So far so good?3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Finally Verizon gets a good phone!!!!!!!
by chral513 on April 20, 2008
Pros: multimedia, sound, touchresponsiveness, call quality
Cons: Storage space
Summary: Ok -this phone is actually available already, through verizon web site. I found one on e-bay and had to have it. Finally Verizon - whose service i love, but phones ...
Summary: Ok -this phone is actually available already, through verizon web site. I found one on e-bay and had to have it. Finally Verizon - whose service i love, but phones I hate, has a sick phone! All their other smartphones are geared towards business use. Not this puppy. This is geared to me! The guy who wants something like an iphone but will never go near AT&T. One day I've had it and already I've customized it 100 different ways. Us Verizon users who buy phones like Venus or Voyager are not used to windows mobile and the customization and apps out there. Hundreds of freeware or shareware games and apps out there. It's like a little computer. So far - no problems whatsoever. Love the design and everything works great. Nice loud ringer and great call quality/signal.
Having a bunch of imported mp4 players, I have a 4 gb micro SD card already, but I would have been a bit upset if I had to buy one as the phone itself has I believe under 200 mb. For Verizon users - I highly recommend this phone. 4 out of 4 for me.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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loves to lock up and interface is too sensitive
by jarret designer on January 9, 2009
Pros: very pretty with bright screen.
Cons: the screen is so sensitive that have to use my fingernail to select names, not my finger, or i often get the wrong name. plus it broke 2x in 2 months and that does not seem uncommon after reading other reviews. sigh.
Summary: this phone should work half as good as it looks and I would be thrilled.
the screen often gives the wrong information when I try to retrieve information and my ...Summary: this phone should work half as good as it looks and I would be thrilled.
the screen often gives the wrong information when I try to retrieve information and my fingers are NOT large. I have to use a fingernail to get a name, not a finger. how lame is that? yet I can use friend's iphones and blackberries with no problem. the new touch blackberry I tried actually had a screen that you could press down and i used my finger and it worked beautifully. wow, what a shocker after using this thing.
the interface is needlessly confusing when trying to make a phone call. i'm a long time pocket pc user so I know how windows mobile works but what was positively cutting edge 8 years ago seems pathetically dated and unwieldy in 2009, compared again to iphones and blackberries.
and it broke 2x in 2 months and I barely use the bloody thing.
buy at your own risk. sadly, after finally looking at friend's phones, I think I'm saying bye bye to windows mobile devices.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Dont Get the Xv6900
by fullgurligrl10 on August 20, 2008
Pros: Easy to use,
Cons: common to lock up
Summary: I would suggest going another way when deciding to get a phone! I have exchanged my xv6900 twice now, both phones have done the same thing. First it begins say ...
Summary: I would suggest going another way when deciding to get a phone! I have exchanged my xv6900 twice now, both phones have done the same thing. First it begins say that there is limited memory, then the applications within the phone begin to slow. and then last but not least it locks up not being able to do anything! because there is no button there is no way to reset the phone! my advice is to go with another phone, like i said i have excanged my phone twice now and i have only had it for 3 months!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HTC
- Part number: 3694
- Bottom Line: Verizon Wireless XV6900 is a stunning smartphone with a cool touch interface and generally good performance, but the Sprint version offers a slightly better value for your money.
General
- Product Type Smartphone
- Service Provider Verizon Wireless
- Width 2.4 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 3.9 in
- Weight 0.3 lbs
Cellular
- Band CDMA 800/1900
Communicator Features
- Operating System Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0
Connections
- Slot Provided 1
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Talk Time Up to 210 min
Manufacturer info
- HTC
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HTC products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.htc.com/
- Address:
13920 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005 - Phone: (425) 861-9174
- Email: info@htcamerica.net
- Fax: (425) 861-1715
