SMT 5600 and ATT

[jalm1]

I am looking at getting the SMT 5600 from ATT (or Amazon) but i have a question for thoes users that curently use ATT.

I am confused on their data plan, they offer (on the att site) a $25/mo unlimted data plan that is whith the phone (that you can then add on a voice plan (odd normally i think it works the other way, but oh well)) is there any limitation on this? i heard that it can not be used for teathered data.

How do others with this phone set up their plan? it seems to me there are two options, go through Amazon and just get a voice plan (and then later add on some sort of data plan) or go through att and get the phone with a data plan (at $25/mo) and then add on a voice plan.

Any thoughs?

[tomc1965]

Just a note. Go find a local AT&T full blown store (ie not a kiosk). I just picked up a new SMT5600 with the "$39.99 for 450 minutes" voice and $24.95 unlimited data plan. I also got the full insurance but still not sure that my phone will be covered. The people at the AT&T store knew what was available with that phone even though it is new. They had a deal where the phone was $199.99 plus a $50 mail in rebate. So cost wise it was the same as the online price. You may even get some added freebies as they are more willing to give those out in the local store.

At the online store they had the data plan for $24.95 but the voice plans were 100 minutes lower ($39.99 plan was only 350 minutes). I did see somewhere online that you are charged .001 cent for each minute of synch time but according to AT&T store that is false. I guess I will find out when I get my first bill. I'm thinking there isn't a way to monitor when someone is synched because you aren't connected to the voice or data signal from the tower.

Quick note it is not the easiest thing to enter text with this phone as it is just a number pad. Switch to t9 for some symbols but if you want all the symbols you will have to hold down the # sign when typing to get all. Nothing anywhere tells you this I just happened to find it on some random web site probably for the spvc500 (Same phone but from Orange in Europe).

Go to the store and check out the phone as it is very small and the joystick can be a pain in the butt to use. I use two fingers one on left side and one on right. Sometimes my one thumb will work but it sometimes clicks the right side. In order to have it keylock you must hold down the red phone button until the word unlock appears. Then follow directions to unlock. Also one last thing buttons on outside control earpiece volume not ringer volume. To adjust that you need to hit start then 9 (more) then 1 (settings) then 3 (profiles). When in there highlight normal and hit the menu key and edit. Ringer volume is buried in there. The owners manual is only on the cd that comes with the phone or online at Audiovox as a pdf. The quickstart guide doesn't help you much. If you are having problems I would suggest getting on the AT&T website and logging in. There are some good faqs located in that site.

I only got the phone on Saturday so I am still learning what this phone can do. Also it only loads programs available for a smartphone not for windows mobile for a Pocket PC. Things like pocket Quicken or MS Money will not run.

Hope this helps. Sorry it is long.

Tom

[jalm1]

Thanks for the relpy! i do have a few follow up questions for you if you dont mine.
When you talk about the difficultly in entering text are you refering this this phone or the number keypad on all phones in general? i am curently on my 3rd mart phone (2 on t-mobile, and curently on VZW).

i appreiciate the help and the pointers, and well as the info on the plans. In general are you really enjoying the phone?

[sn1p3t]

Go to www.amazon.com and pick up the SMT5600 for $-25. You dont have to get a data plan.

[Mike Temporale]

Go to www.amazon.com and pick up the SMT5600 for $-25. You dont have to get a data plan.

I agree, it's the best deal out there, if you live in the US. :( Here's a link to our post about it, and it has a direct link to the SMT5600 on amazon.

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=43355

[tomc1965]

I am enjoying the phone overall and will be keeping it. I find myself on the data end quite a bit as it is a little slow using the mmode (GPRS) connection and I am still trying to find downloads for it. I would recommend the SkyForce game that is out for smartphones with this phone in particular as you have a fairly large screen. The graphics are excellent.

It seems that all the phones are difficult entering text with the number keypad but this phone in particular has the buttons in cramped quarters. If you have fat fingers you may have problems. Just a little more difficult than my Audiovox 9500 I have with my Verizon account and those buttons are spread out as that is a very large phone. My 9500 has a better signal though. I think it is because the SMT5600 has an internal antenna not an external one. (I may try to find and antenna booster if this really starts to bother me as they are only $100-$200 for one in the house. Less if you want one in the car.) At least I will have a signal at my moms (Don't have one with Verizon now) and I am hoping my signal gets better in the next week or two as Cingular takes over and uses all the towers.

Side note: AT&T sales girl was not sure if they would continue to carry this phone when Cingular takes over. I did see that they may come out with a Cingular version (Unlocked?) but nobody is sure. I didn't want to risk having to buy a $49-$79 dollar data plan for this phone through Cingular if they did come out with one, so I got my phone early. I was told Cingular would take over on Nov 10th but also saw it as the 14th. Nobody at Cingular or AT$T seem to know what will happen or when.

I tried the Amazon web site but found when I went to purchase the phone that way it kept kicking me out of the secure site and would have an unknown error. So I couldn't actually purchase it through them. I would still go to your local store and see what they could do for you as well as check out Amazon to see if they had the same plans for any cheaper.

I also think the SMT5600 is the best deal out there as I found the Motorola 710 through Verizon had all the bluetooth disabled except the connection to a headset. They also required a $49-$79 data plan for their PDA or smartphones. Everyone required a $49-$79 data plan for the Treo (My original choice until I saw this phone) but Cingular's new Motorola Mpx220 also required that expensive data plan. That is what stopped me from getting the Mpx220 and the Treo anyway. The other PDA and smartphones were also several hundred more expensive to get the same features. If you are really worried about the data entry there are bluetooth foldable keyboards out there you could purchase for under a hundred.

[BChild]

Can anyone tell me what the maximum speed of the GPRS connection is? I have heard that GPRS connections for phones have a max speed of 56Kbps. Is that correct?

[shrikant_c]

Go to www.amazon.com and pick up the SMT5600 for $-25. You dont have to get a data plan.

Amazon still has the best pricing on the Audiovox 5600. HOwever, they now require a data plan selection. I oredered mine on Oct 31, when they did not. TO get the additional $50 off, you have to get the $25 data plan.

I still have not received the email with the phone number, so I cannot activate the phone. Nobody at AT&T was able to help me. I am reluctant to call the Activations dept., in case they insist on me signing up with a data plan, which I don't want or need.

Of course there is no one to call at Amazon- one can only email and wait. So for now, the new Audiovox is non-functional. :(

[shrikant_c]

I got the phone from Amazon, but was having lond delay in getting it activated. It took about a week after I started the process. Amazon had to depend on AT&T to do the job, and I think things are somewhat chaotic there.

THe same phone purahcsed through AT&T came pre-activated, although the short instruction sheet said to call for activation. WAste of time.

[Kris Kumar]

Can anyone tell me what the maximum speed of the GPRS connection is? I have heard that GPRS connections for phones have a max speed of 56Kbps. Is that correct?

Correct, the max speed is around 56Kbps. But practically speaking you get only around 20-25Kbps. At least that is what the case is on the T-Mobile network.

Sorry for the slow response...:-)

[joan_fl]

also got the full insurance but still not sure that my phone will be covered

AT&T wouldnt cover my phone. The stated they dont insure the PDAs, and claimed the SMT5600 fell into the PDA category. :?

[Havana]

I read at amazon a review that stated that the SMT 5600 didn't work with Bluetooth enabled PocketPC's - that their was a known issue. Does anyone know whether or not this is true?

[Mike Temporale]

I read at amazon a review that stated that the SMT 5600 didn't work with Bluetooth enabled PocketPC's - that their was a known issue. Does anyone know whether or not this is true?

I haven't heard of that problem. In fact, Jason had no problem getting his C500 to connect to his Pocket PC over Bluetooth (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6290), and that's pretty much the same phone.