Hey, with all the hoopla about the Treo 700w being released today and now available directly from Verizon, the updated version of the XV6600 is being overlooked.

Today, Verizon and UTStarcom Personal Communications have officially unwrapped the XV6700 in all its glory. Like the Treo, it has EV-DO, Bluetooth, and Windows Mobile 5.0. Unlike the Treo it has a built-in slide out keyboard, larger 2.8″ screen that does 240 x 320 pixels. That’s 80 more then the Treo. It also supports resolution adjustment doing 1600 x 1280, 1280 x 1024, 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 180 x 160 modes. Also, unlike the Treo, it has built-in Wi-Fi. Ooooh. :) It also has a built-in flash for its 1.3 megapixel camera.

With 64MB of RAM and 128 MB Flash ROM, this unit should keep you happy for some time. It’s not as small as the Treo, measuring in at (H) 5.2″x (W) 2.32″x (D) 0.93″, but it ain’t a brick either. It only weights 6.5 ounces, so it won’t feel like a rock in your pocket.

Again — all things Verizon — OBEX has been mangled and thus Bluetooth only really supports the hands-free profiles. No word on voice commands, either, but based on the last version, this probably doesn’t come with it as well.

Having the XV6600, I’m skeptical on how good the battery is on the new unit, but Verizon is claiming you can talk for up to 5 hours and standby is 200 hours.

You can purchase the XV6700 immediately for $400 with a two year service agreement. Currently only business users will be able to purchase this unit as it is not yet in retail outlets.

Tags: windows, wi-fi, keyboard, verizon, utstarcom personal communications, xv6700, mobile 5.0, slide out