captain

Actually it seems that most of the problems are on the ATT V600 per the postings and the fact that the Cingular V600 just was released 2-3 weeks ago.

Wordsmith

Rick955- because of your post saying that you got the v600 to work when you push the HFL talk button for a longer period (2 seconds, I think you said), I had thought you were now getting it to work. What made you throw in the towel? (I'm getting close to your solution, as well, BTW; when I push the talk button for that length of time, I get the "beep" but the call does not come through the HFL and shortly after, while I'm still pushing the button, it cuts off from the HFL altogether and I have to grab the phone, say hello to the caller, then try to transfer to HFL, which does usually work - although I think I seem like the Keystone Kops to the caller). Now that you have gone back to the 616, please tell us your assessments, plus and minus between the 616 and the 600. I'm most disappointed that I can't use the SE clamshell that's available because its tri-bands don't include one of the ones used by Cingular, so Cingular doesn't offer it. For others of you who are on Cingular and had a v600 problem, have any of you returned the phone, gotten a new v60 and solved those problems? Otherwise I think I may follow Rick's path. I only have until this coming Friday to return the phone without hassles, so that's the direction I'm leaning. I'm frustrated, because I love the phone, prefer a clamshell to the bar style, sound and link with the HFL is great, EXCEPT, I just can't be in the kind of discombobulation I always seem to be in as I am desperately trying to get "transfer" to work as the incoming call goes to the cellphone, whether the clamshell is open or not, or "open to answer" is on or off or "car settings - hands free" is on or off. Sheesh! More information regarding others' experiences I am sure will be appreciated by all. Thanks!

rick955i

I identified more with the V600's menu system, once you configured it, it was very handy. When it did work, the sound quality was better than the T616 (the old T616, i sort of got crewed I gave the old T616 to my other half, so i had to buy a new one when I returned the V600) maybe the new T616 will have better sound quality. The battery on the T616 is FAR superior. I, personally, ended up not liking the clam shell, just a matter of preference of that front. The display and camera on the V600 were far superior to the T616, but I don't use that feature much. I am glad I went back to the T616, like an old friend, but I felt sort of patriotic buying Motorola.

Rick

Wordsmith

So, Rick, if I understand your last post, you WERE getting the v600 to work with the long button push, it's just that between the battery, the clamshell and the hassle you just decided you'd rather have the 616? (I understand what you're saying about the battery, but I just keep the phone with its charger hooked up whenever I'm in the car and about 1 hr of driving does a complete recharge, so that hasn't been an issue for me). Also, Rick, or anyone else, I haven't found the way to keep bluetooth "on" all the time. When I arrive at the car with the phone, I have to go to "settings - connection - bluetooth link" and then I get the prompt "bluetooth is off, do you want to turn bluetooth on temporarily" or something like that. It then works as long as I'm in the car, but after the ignition is off, I have to do it again. I turned "battery save" to "off", but the phone says that the battery save feature is related to the backlighting, not to bluetooth, so if there is some way to keep bluetooth "on" all the time, I don't know what it is. Maybe my inability to do that is what is causing me my problems? Any light that anyone can shed would be greatly appreciated, before I turn the thing back in at the end of the week and go to the 616 (which I can tell you is not the solution I would prefer). Thanks!

rick955i

Not reliably, i was hit and miss. No logic behind it. Got frustrating so I said fuggit and went back the SE. So far, from what I have read on the web, SE makes the most open and easy to configure bluetooth for any products, not just the TL.

Wordsmith

Well, I'm now THIS close to the Rick solution of returning the v600 and getting the SE 616. As much as I love the phone, most of my calling is in the car and the HFL was a significant selling point on the TL. (I looked at Lexus too and they only had it in the LS). Tonight, for the first time, I was able to pick up a call when it came in -- I pushed on the talk button and HELD it, not just until the beep sounded, as others on this forum have said, but after the beep and a good coupla seconds. I was ecstatic. Then I realized that was the first time I had ever received a call when the radio wasn't playing. I asked my friend to call back and I turned on the radio. Call came into the car, radio cut off, I pushed the talk button just as I had before, for the same length of time...but this time, as of old, the call after coming up on the MID display for a moment, went into the cell phone and radio resumed playing....had to do my old "transfer" shuffle, of yanking the phone out of the center console, pushing a button to answer (since clamshell was open and "open to answer" was off, as per the advice on this board) then telling the caller to hold on, then hitting the HFL button and saying "transfer"...aaaargggghhhh!.. Kept the radio on and had friend call 3 more times, with same result -- always went to the cell phone, after hovering for a moment as HFL. Anyone else have this happen? I live with the radio/CD/DVD-A's, so 9 times out of ten, it will be playing and it seems then that I can't get the benefit of the automatic radio cutoff? I have to turn it off and then hope I can still pick up the call? Should I return the 600 to Cingular and hope the most recent ones have better software? (I got my 600 during the first week Cingular had them). Right now I'm mostly thinking that the newest 616's, per this board, seem to be working fine. It's cheaper, and I don't like bar phones, but I sure am tired of hassling with the v600. Advice invited and is welcome! I have til Friday to return the Motorola phone. Thanks!

PAR5zN2

I'm having the same problem with the HFL not answering. My Cingular dealer loaned me another new V600, same results. But frankly, I've come to the conclusion that it's not that big a deal. I wear my V600 in a Motorola holster on my belt when I'm in my TL. When a call comes in, I flip the clamshell open without removing it from my holster. Answer the call normally and close the clamshell. If I forget to flip open the clamshell, I can always use the "transfer" option. Once you get in the habit of flipping the clamshell open, and it literally only takes a second, it's no big deal. The V600 is an excellent phone. IMHO, far better than the Siemens S56 that I've had and better than the 616 that I think is a very poor phone.

ragman

I turned my (ATT) v600 back in for the Sony T616 - the Motorola is an excellent phone, I just could not deal with the inconsistent HFL interface.

The 616 is working fine - I'm not crazy about the phone but it works.

captain

Within the next 2 weeks or so, Cingular should have the new updated version of the 616 called the 637. I have the 616 and tried a pre-production version of the 637 and it is much improved over the 616. I did not pair it, but the sound and voice quality is improved as well as the reception ( a stronger receiver was built in). You all might want to wait.

danno

I hate the T616. It`s too small to read any of the indicators, batt. voice mail, etc., can`t see the face in daylight. Still has the crackling when someone talks, accidentally hitting the keypad numbers against something, still hearing the crackling when someone calls. But I guess it`s better than having calls dropped like you guys are experiencing.

Wordsmith

Par5 - I appreciate your reply but I am a bit confused by what you said. When you "answer the call normally", you mean with the HFL talk button? If so, how long is the delay, and any difference if the radio is on or off? From comments on this board, I have been driving with the clamshell open and have had "open to answer" set to both on and off, without any real difference -- the call goes to the phone. When I've done what you're describing, with "open to answer" on, I flip open the clamshell and the caller there, but in the phone. I then have to hit the HFL and say "transfer" before I can begin using the HFL. Could you elaborate a bit, please? Many thanks!

rick955i

Hey captain, where did you get hold of a T637? Is the TFT screen that much better than the screen on T616? What other features do you notice as being better besides reception.

Abyss blue

I have cingular and a motorola v600. In order for the hands free link to work with my Acura TL, I have to set the phone to

1) Settings/In-call setup/Answer Options/Open to Answer/ OFF
2) Settings/Car Settings/Auto Answer/ OFF

punkte

Hello everyone...I am new here and have the same issue with Cingular v600 phones with 'other settings" not picking up calls. From what I have read on this board, I've came to conclusion that it might be the software verison that came preinstalled on the v600. With that in mind, I went digging around and found ways to flash the firmware on the phone. I found one version that would pick up calls about 80-85% of the time without shell being opened. Before my phone would only pick-up about one out of 8-10 calls.

I've read that some of your are not having any issues with HFL not picking up calls at all...Can you tell me the flash and flex version you are running so I can test it?

Below, you will see the flash/flex version that came pre-installed with my v600...I'm no longer running the same version now and have more luck with HFL picking up incoming calls.

mobclo

JSW, I have the same issue with my ATT V600. There is an "answer" delay for incoming calls of about 2-3 seconds. This is annoying a should not be this way but as long as I know this is the case, I can deal with it until Moto or JCI fixes the problem. Ironically, my wife's V600 which was purchased at the same time has the answer proble. In other words, the incoming call is routed from HFL to the phone. Either she needs to "transfer" the call to HFL or answer the V600 to get the call. It's strange that 2 phones bought at the same time exhibit 2 different bluetooth characteristics.

captain

I work for Cingular in the corporate HQ and get to see/play with most of the phones while we are determining whether or not to carry / sell them. The T637s display is significantly better. I went to dinner with a Sony Ericsson rep and he did say that the display was one of the biggest complaints that they addressed with the 637. I did not get to try the phone out in the direct sunlight though. I am trying to get a Moto MPX 220 to try. ATT sells it as the MPX 200 but it only works on one band in the US and therefore gets terrible reception and reviews. Both the 200 and 220 are small pda clamshells that use the MS mobile OS. The 220 is the new version coming out sometime this year it will be triband, and have Blue tooth and I believe a camera.

rick955i

Captain, any chance Cingular is going to get the SE K700? I hope so, as I have been a cingular (nee PacBell) customer for 9 years and LOVE their service, just want to get my hands on some unique (ok, maybe just cool) phones.

Rick

Wordsmith

Me, too, Captain. I really wanted the S/E Z700 cause I wanted a flip phone; it's a large part of the reason I went with the Moto v.600 and was disappointed that Cingular shows no sign of offering it. Now that I've traded back the 600, I appreciate the seamlessness of the S/E interface and would be glad to get another S/E product. I never missed the battery indicator on the MID while I had the Moto but now that I have it I appreciate it. The S/E tri-bands I have seen on the net, however, don't use the 850 band, which Cingular uses as its fall-back. I have been a Cingular customer for 12 years, btw...and a word to the wise...the new policies regarding limited possibility of upgraded phones after contract renewal and the two steps up from morons you've got in your stores have really griped me as I've gone through the TL pairing process. No one at any store or in customer service can really tell you anything. Five days before the Moto 600 was introduced none of them knew it was coming. I learned about it only here. With number portability, for the first time, I am really considering chucking Cingular.

captain

I just looked up the SE K700, primarily a video phone. I will look into it, I haven't seen one around the office yet. I know we are evaluating the new Nokia video phone.

captain

Per my note below, I am looking into the SE K700. As far as the bands go, it depends which part of the country you are in... Cingular's primary band changes in different cities. I can tell you that we have been really concentrating on improving customer service and satisfaction. It really has gotten better and will definitely continue to do so. This is further proven by the fact that the executive team has made everyone's compensation dependent upon our cust satisfaction rating. Also, Cingular's network is going to be second to none after the ATT merger. I agree it is really hard to get the word out to every single cust service person and sales rep about the handsets prior to release, but they really do try. Honestly I say hang in there with Cingular a few months past the merger to see how it goes. Customer service is a big focus and will get better and the network is going to be awesome.

rick955i

I don't know about the cust. service complaints. I think Sprint and Verizon are particularly horrible, i have never really had a problem with Cingular, and have found their policies re: phone upgrades or plan canges very liberal. I know in my market, the franchise stores are being shut down or converted to corporate owned stores, which makes a HUGE difference. I always recommend Cingular to anyone who is looking for service.

Rick

Wordsmith

Thanks, Captain and Rick. Up to now I had had no issues with Cingular -- witness the fact that I've been a customer for over 12 years. I guess I was just frustrated that no one I was talking to at any store (with one exception) acted like I was anything other than a pain, since I was buying a phone outright because I was too early in my contract to get the discounted price and the extension on the contract. I also had long waits in the company stores, limited inventory of phones, phones they did have were cannabilized for batteries and accessories, etc. etc. I agree about the ATT merger and I think those customers are in for a vast improvement, as everything I had ever heard about customer service differences between ATT and Cingular during my 12 years had caused me to remain a Cingular customer. I look forward to the S/E 637 and hope for the 700, as that would be ideal for me. So far, the HFL with the S/E 616 has been seamless, with good transmission quality and terrific ease of use on both making and receiving calls. After two weeks of agony with the Moto v.600 while in the car (while enjoying the phone in every other way), I'm glad to be using a phone that links so well, though I still don't like bar phones and find the buttons too small, menus not as intuitive as Moto and displays hard to see. Pardon the sourness in my prior posts.

rick955i

Amen to your "agony" comment, it was great, too bad it didnt work. Also, I didn't think you were sour, I was just giving support to an organization I think does a good job, in world of criticism, it is nice to compliment some times.

Rick

captain

Wordsmith & Rick -

Looked into the S/E K700, all I can say is that we have plans to evaluate it this year. Not sure if they will decide to sell it yet. About the SE 637, still planned for the 1st or 2nd week of June. We have already starting getting them at the distribution center.

rick955i

Hmmm, will the T616 be discontinued? If so, mine might have to befall a horrible death, and then an insurance claim

FasTL

I have an ATT w/o "Other Settings" and I have problems answering calls. I can press the Phone button and say "Answer", this usually works and answers the call if they haven't hung up already.

William_B

Well I paired my new V600 with my TL and have had much success.

AT&T/Rogers (Canada) customer. Auto Answer off, Open to Answer off, Bluetooth on, Auto Handsfree on.

Have placed, and recieved calls with no problems, no answer probles or calls dropped at all. I have had multiple callers, via call waiting, and could switch between callers flawlessly.

All in all I am quite happy with this phone.

pinito

when did you buy the phone?

William_B

Had it delivery to me on Wednesday.

edit: Wednesday May 19th...

captain

I just got a SE 637 today. So far so good. The screen is soooo much better.

rick955i

makes me want to move to atlanta and apply at Cingular!

captain

Not everyone gets the same perks. I sit in the right place and work in the right org. It really should be in stores in a few weeks.

captain

Ok, I paired up my SE 637... it has the same problem as the 616. When you get into the car the radio display is frozen on "Phone" and the only way to unfreeze it is to press the talk button and then the cancel button. So far I really like it though, the screen is much better than the 616 as is the signal strength because the 637 has a much stronger receiver than the 616.

grudax

Sheesh, most of the cell phone people here eyes glazed over when I asked about Bluetooth. The others don't carry any phones with it.

rick955i

Captain,

Couple of quick things:

will the 637 replace the 616 completely, soon?

and, the frozen display, acura knows about, it is a handsfree link issue. Try turning the radio when you leave the car, then you get back in, let the HFL get the connection then turn the stereo on.

Rick

captain

That is the plan for the 637 to replace the 616. I believe they should still have warranty replacement 616s for a while though.
I tried your recommendation about turning off the radio, but it is just as easy to press the call and cancel button real quickly. Thanks though.

rick955i

Hmmm....I wonder if Cingular woudl consider upgrading me to a 637, if my 616 "broke" because I am such a Cingular proponent, and am considered a technology "influencer" amongst my peers...hmmm

gsanderson

I lose about 50% of incoming calls using HF. My ATT V600 menu shows NO 'other settings'. Has anyone found out if they can upgrade the software and if it makes a difference??

ragman

If you leave the cover(clam) open do you still loose the calls?

Generally if the clamshell is kept open while linked the phone accepts 100% of the calls.

mobilezen

For all you guys looking into the T637, yes it is the replacement for the T616. If you think the K700 and K700i are replacements for the T637, nope. Sony Ericsson is rumored to be coming out with an F series that will be the direct replacement of the T series. The K700 on the other hand is just another series as well as the S700 coming out.

Back to the subject on hand. I'm trying to get my hands on new firmware/flex that will fix some of these reoccuring issues with the V600.