Introducing its first Windows Mobile 2003 device, Sprint picks from the cream of the crop with Audiovox' PPC-6601, featuring multiple connectivity options and a thumbboard.
Click here to read infoSync World's preview of the Audiovox PPC-6601.
Jumping into the communicator fray, Sprint has announced it will bring its first Windows Mobile 2003 based product - the Audiovox PPC-6601 - to customers next month. Lengthily dubbed the 'Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6601' by the carrier, the Windows Mobile 2003 based device is based on the same reference design as utilized by T-Mobile for its MDA III and O2 for its XDA IIs/XDA III, although in comparison lacks some features.
 | Despite its similarities with T-Mobile's MDA III, the PPC-6601 lacks integrated Wi-Fi support
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Powered by a 400 MHz Intel XScale processor, the PPC-6601 offers 128 MB of memory and is Sprint's most capable mobile device to date, allowing users to view, create and edit documents; send and receive e-mail and text messages; browse the web; and listen to news, music and other audio clips courtesy of the Windows Mobile 2003 application set and 3rd party software.
Slimmer and more compact than past communicators based on the Pocket PC platform, the PPC-6601 offers both Portrait and Landscape viewing modes as well as a slide-down QWERTY thumbboard, plus an SDIO capable SD/MMC Card expansion slot and support for Bluetooth. Wi-Fi 802.11b, however, as found in T-Mobile's MDA III, is not present.
According to Sprint, a removable lithium ion battery provides up to 3.6 hours of continuous digital talk time or up to six days of continuous digital standby time.
Business and personal wireless e-mail for the new device is provided by Sprint PCS Business Connection, which interfaces with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino to synchronize data over-the-air. Bundled applications include Handmark Express and AudibleListener, the former with a 30-day free trial of automatic and on-demand delivery of news, weather, sports, movies, maps and more with Handmark.
Marketed by Audiovox, the PPC-6601 will be available early next month exclusively through Sprint business channels for a suggested retail price of $629.99 USD. Later this year, Sprint plans to offer another version of the device, the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6600, which will include an embedded VGA-quality camera with flash and video recording capabilities.
An additional hi-res picture of the Audiovox PPC-6601 is available on the following page.
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