Audiovox SMT 5600 SmartPhone from AT&T Wireless
I had to replace my phone recently and after much research I settled on the Audiovox SMT 5600. This phone is incredible. The processor is fast and the data comes in pretty fast from AT&T so surfing the web is truly an enjoyment. The browser handles plain HTML websites beautifully.
The level of customization that comes with Windows Mobile 2003 is unlike anything I’ve experienced with a cell phone thus far. I even edited the standard homescreen from AT&T. I replaced the “mMode” links to URLs I actually care about (Google, raleighlist movie listings, Google news, and a personal links page).
The only disappointment so far is that synchronizing contacts, email, and calendar via Bluetooth is nearly impossible. Microsoft ActiveSync does not support Bluetooth syncing but I was able to get it to work. You have to jump through a bunch of hoops to make ActiveSync use a Serial Cable for syncing and set the COM port of the serial cable to match the COM port for Bluetooth syncing on the phone. Once you are connected it works beautifully but as soon as you walk out of range the link is severed and it is difficult to get it connected again. I’ve given up and use the USB cable only for sync and moving files.
UPDATE ON BLUETOOTH SYNCING : New version of ActiveSync solves the problem!
Here is what raleighlist.org Chapel Hill movie listings looks like in the phone browser:
Everything else I like/dislike about the SMT-5600:
* MSN Messanger is nice and fast
* The camera takes darn good pictures in the daytime
* The camera takes lousy pictures in the low light
* Windows Media 10 plays video and music as smooth as a PC
* I just bought a 512 MB miniSD for lots of storage
* Photo caller ID is handy
* Voice Dialing is much more accurate than the Samsung I used to have
* Camcorder takes pretty darn good videos for such a tiny device
* Sound quality when making calls is good
* Battery life is great
* Get the unlimited data for $25. The other plans are too small.
* Cell phone can be tethered to a laptop for a mobile internet connection
* No car charger is currently available
* Can receive and dial (voice dial) wirelessly with Bluetooth headset
* Some apps don’t have a quit option in the menu and they have to be killed in the Task Manager
Thanks for writing this. I messed around with the Bluetooth/activesync for a few hours yesterday with my new 5600. Glad that you’re telling me it doesn’t really work right. I won’t waste anymore time.
thanks
I can’t get the *.home.xml file to copy off of my phone. It says it cannot copy resources off of the rom. How did you work around this? Also, what playlist files will the windows media player recognize? I tried copying both wml and m3u playlists onto my storage care in varius folders, including the folder with my mp3s that work on the phone, and cannot get the phone to recognize either type. Thanks for you help.
I had the same problem Chris. A user ‘dgiordano’ on the AT&T wireless forum helped me out with the following which worked perfectly for me:
You can change the options in file manager to show hidden files. You can also change the attributes of this file but you can’t change it from ‘System’ which seems to still prevent copying. I got a copy of it on my PC by sort of a round-about way.
In file manager I highlighted the file and then under ‘Menu’ selected “send” & then ’send via email’. (BTW – IR didn’t seem to work). It then was attached to an Outlook email. I don’t synch Outlook mail, but if you go to the “Storage\windows\Messaging\Attachments” folder on the phone it is there as a “.att” file. You can copy that to your PC and open it with Notepad and it is the correct XML file.
Hi Tony
You don’t need a car charger. Just buy a 12v lighter adapter with USB port for power. (see http://www.semsons.com/unusbcarchar.html)
Costs $5, so way cheaper than anything the vendor would supply. You just need to remeber to take you USB cable with you (or buy another one)
Regards
Mark
Hey Mark,
From what I’ve read on the AT&T forums this won’t work. Here is the relevant post:
http://forums.attwireless.com/attws/board/message?board.id=Audiovox&message.id=1312
But then the same guy found a charger that does work for maybe I’ll try that one:
http://forums.attwireless.com/attws/board/message?board.id=Audiovox&message.id=1338
Interesting (and dumb).
On another subject I’m trying to edit my home screen, but I can’t find the att default. Any idea of it’s name? What I want to do is get rid of the four icons that say Sports, Entertainment, News, Search, or at least get rid of two and change two. I’d also like to put them below the profile name (ideally I’d like my progile abouve the calendar
thanks
Mark
Mark,
The file you need to copy and edit:
\Storage\Application Data\Home\AWS.FIVE_ICONS.home.xml
Here is the thread I started on the topic. Its easy to change those things once you have the file:
http://forums.attwireless.com/attws/board/message?board.id=Audiovox&message.id=1842
How do you do remoteactivesync with exchange. each time i try it tells me my proxy / dialup / vpn settings are incorrect… those settings are exactly by the book on the ATT device tutorial pages but still does not work ? any ideas..
Tony, have you had any more luck with the Bluetooth Activesync with the SMT5600? I have the identical setup – and even bought the Kensington BT adapter at Best Buy cuz its all they had! I have not been successful at all but have tried all you suggested. Should I really give up? Have you been able to do file transfer via Bluetooth?
One more thing since you are a fellow SMT 5600 owner, I’m thing of buying the Bluetake Headphones and wandered if you know of anyone who has used it with this phone… http://www.bluetake.com/products/BT420EX.htm
Hey Mark,
No, I gave up on syncing via Bluetooth. Its a hack and a bad hack at that. I wish Microsoft would get their act together and fix it. I now have the D-Link Bluetooth adapter and I can transfer files one way (from computer to phone) but not via ActiveSync.
I haven’t tried a Bluetooth headset yet but I have read that the Jambra is the best one out there.
I got the car charger for $1.00 @ ATT. In the discount rack.
Hi Tony,
Where the heck did you find a 512 miniSD??!
i bought my phone in oct? and spent a month looking around for 512 but the best i could find was 256. plus i read some place that the 5600 will only accept 256. i guess that’s wrong.
also i’m glad to find your experience on bluetooth because i was going to buy that. but i guess i won’t seeing how much trouble it is to setup and then to use (file browsing) even.
Hi Sajosh,
I bought it online. It was misleading and it turned out to be a regular SmartDigital card, not the miniSD. Even worse they charged $25 restocking fee to return it!
Still hunting. Sandisk is supposed to release a 512 MB miniSD for $69 but I haven’t found it yet.
I bought a 512MB miniSD from http://www.DIGI4ALL.com for $72.
The reason you don’t find a quit option in most application is because the OS is supposed to tell applications to quit when needed.
Pocket PC works just the same.
I’d also like a quit option…
How do you set up the internet connection in the GPRS settings to connect to the internet? I can’t connect.
“The reason you don’t find a quit option in most application is because the OS is supposed to tell applications to quit when needed.
Pocket PC works just the same.
I’d also like a quit option…”
No, Pocket PC’s do not work the same. Pocket PC’s keep the app open unless you specifically tell it to exit. No American PDA quits automatically when leaving programs (at least on Dell and HP).
Tony,
Any chance you could check your SMT 5600 BT com ports and tell me if you have an ‘outoing’ port defined. I just got one of these from Cingular and while I can get my PC and 5600 to see each other and bond, I can’t activesync at all…from your info above, sounds like even if I get it working, it may be useless, but I’d like to give it a shot…
Problem I seem to have is that I have an ‘incoming’ port (com 6) on the phone, but no ‘outgoing’ port. I also can’t add an outgoing port, the option to ‘add incoming’ works fine, but ‘add outgoing port’ is disabled on my phone…just curious if you have an ‘outgoing’ or if you can ‘add ougoing port’ on your SMT 5600.
Thanks,
Chris Hylton
Roanoke, VA
Update on Bluetooth Syncing!
ActiveSync 4.0 Fixes Bluetooth
Does anyone know how to setup SMT 5600 so as to access Exchange emails.
Here is the thing; i can acess my exchange email just with a internet connection by PC (no VPN etc), as exchange 2003 provides for browser based email. I was hoping with those settings i will directly be able to acess mails from the phone as well. But it every time tells me that can not connect to incoming mail server; i can access sites like google easily.
Help!
Does anyone know how to change the default browser on the SMT5600?
I just installed Opera & Thunderhawk. I want Thunderhawk to launch when I click a link in an email, not IE.
THANKS!
Anyone know if the 5600 can upgrade to PPC 2005?
i have a Audiovox SMT 5600 Smartphone,its really great!but can you get aol instant messenger on it or only msn messenger?
Im having a problem getting the email to set up. Is there anyway to set the phone up to receave email from any address or do i have to use one of the 3 options given (bellsouth, earthlink, SBC yahoo)?
Hello,
Do any of you know how to set up a personalize ringtone for Audivox Smartphone SMT 5600?? I can do it through contacts then change ringtone, but I downloaded mp3 music to use it as ringtone for different people and when i go to contacts, i only allows me to use the basic ones. Any suggestions?
Does anyone know how to setup AT&T mmode email? I figured out gmail from a great website (and it works beautifully), but I have no idea about mmode.
Thanks,
Chris
Hi guys,
Seems like this thread is a bit dead at the moment. However, I was wondering if anyone could answer some… architectural? I guess? … questions for me.
I just got my SMT5600 and in concept I love it. It seems “Windows Mobile” or “Windows Smartphone” is really just WinCE with a different shell over it. Sounds good to me. However, unless I’m missing something it seems like Cingular may have gone out of their way to pull a Verizon-Motorola v710 job on us – how the hell do I transfer files between this phone and my computer? I connect the USB cable and Activesync says hello to it, but when I go into Mobile Device in My Computer there’s nothing in there. Did I forget to load something?
And why is it that the only services offered in Bluetooth seem to be the Dial-Up Networking (why not Network Access instead? why must I encapsulate everything within PPP? grrr) and Headset services? No file transfer? Again, did I forget to turn something on? Is there a hack for this?
Thanks in advance.
JD
Here are a few suggestions for some of the posts above…
1. Activesync 4.0 is still in preview. use with caution… going back to 3.8 is a mess.. Also you will loose ethernet/wifi sync only BT & USB
2. If you have Cingular service and you want to use exchange email… go to http://xpressmailpe.cingular.com & sign up for a Personal Account and then download the client and install it on the desktop & your phone.. VOILA.. you have exchange emails on your phone
3. AOL etc. can be accessed by installing Agile Messenger.. http://www.agilemessenger.com. select Smatphone 2003 beta
I just did the xpressmailpe thing, and it works great, but HOW WILL I BE BILLED FOR THIS?!?
Will 4 MB / month cover it?
Problem with ActiveSync:
When I first got my SmartPhone I was able to use the ActiveSync successfully. I didn’t do anything that I know of, the next time I tried to Sync it it will not. My computer make a noise like it recognizes the phone but the sync does not happen. Any suggestions.
Thanks
Please excuse my repevious email. I found my problem. Under options, nothing was check to sync. Thanks for being there. Sounds like there is a whole lot I don’t know about my phone. However, I’ve learned just enough to use the phone happily. I like my phone a lot.
I hope to read more in the future on your site.
Thanks,
Sami
You can transfer files from the smt 5600 via Blootooth or USB. Connect to active sync. While connected right click on the active sync Icon, then select explore. When it loads click on the smartphone. From there you should be able to drag and drop.
Or simply right click on a file on your computer, go to send to, and u should see an option for smartphone or my device. – make sure your blootooth is on or set to “discoverable” or u are connected USB or IR.
i haven’t seen an answer posted to the question about using mp3 files as ringtones. now that i have a 1 gb mini sd card in my smt5600, i’ve got lots of music to potentially use as ringtones. any suggestions? is it possible?
thanks!!!
Hey to use using mp3 files as ringtones just put the file in the storage card NOT in a folder! just copy or put the file in the storage card menu
I have been trying to play around with the blue tooth to transfer files between the phone and computer and boy is it difficult. I was able to send a file from my phone to the computer but was never able to receive a file sent to the phone from the computer. I have ActiveSync 4.0 (which I dont know has anything to do with this)
Can you suggest something that I might be doing wrong!!!
ActiveSync & Bluetooth:
YES, It is possible. Once you have your software installed, you have to initiate the sync from the phone, not the laptop. Just open ActiveSync on your Smt5600 and click ‘Menu’, then Connect Via Blue tooth. The rest is self explainatory. Ive done with with a Kensington USB adapter and the Belkin adapter. Both worked great. Had a lil difficulty with the belkin at first, but that may have had something to do with me trying to tweak out the settings on my pc to start the sync.
As for playing MP3’s as Ringtones:
Yes, its possible, you either have to put it in the same directory as the Default ringtones, or go into your registry on your phone (this will require you to download a program called ‘PHM Registry Editor’ to the phone) and change the path it uses for ringtones. Either option works great, but if you want to keep the space on your phone and use the storage card, i suggest the registry edit. CAUTION: CAREFULL MAKING REGISTRY EDITS. IMPROPER CHANGES CAN MAKE THE PHONE CRASH LIKE A DESKTOP PC WOULD.
I just put a 1 gb sd card in my phone, and when I try to down load any music it says I only have 20 mb free space. How do I set up the sd card to get the space out of it????? Any one know???
How did you set up yout SMT 5600 to collect google gmail????
Great forum! I’ve had my Audiovox for 4 months now and it’s incredible. I use the bluetooth interface via activesync ( and sometimes the USB) every day to sync Calendar and contacts. It is easier, however, just to plug it into the USB port and let activesync do it’s thing. Has anyone seen a desk charger/cradle for the phone? Also, can anyone recommend a resource for setting up the phone as a modem so I can use my laptop to access the internet via the phone?
how can i download my pictures from smartphone to laptop?
How do you change the home screen? I would like to get rid of the “get xpress mail” link. I dont have internet access available.
-Brian
How do I set my mp3’s as ringtones. I have no problem putting them on my Audiovox 5600, but I cant figure out how to set them as ringtones. Any ideas??
-Eric
To add an mp3 as your ringtone connect your phone to your pc using the usb cord. Click the explore button on activesync and on my smartphone. Next, go to the “storage” folder then the “application data” folder. Finally, just copy the mp3s you want to use as ringtones into the “sounds” folder.
I am having the ringtone problem. I know how to and where to put them, but can I really only have one ringtone. Does the 5600 support ringtones for individual contacts?
To add new ringtones, place them into Storage\Application Data\Sounds.
To change profile wide ringtone go to Settings\Sounds.
To make a personolized ringtone, select the desired contact, click edit, scroll down to “Custom ring tone”.
Enjoy
When my phone rings there is a delay between the time I hit a key and when the call connects….very annoying to keep saying hello until the other party answers….any solutions?
thanks
Does anyone know if it’s possible to browse the net on the SMT5600 using my home network via bluetooth? If so how do I set it up? I would like to play with the networking aspects of the phone but I don’t want to pay cingular if I can just browse via bluetooth.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
I think this thread may be a little dead, but everyones help was greatly appreciated! I just got a 512mb card for my phone and I wanted to put my mp3’s as ringtones and it was quite simple. Thank you David! This really is a nice phone.
Can I use the 5600 and Cingulars MediaNet / GPRS as a internet connection via the usb cable for my notebook? I have unlimited data that way and if using as a modem would have to pay the cell phone minutes?
I need to know how to put a mp3 as a ringtones, I do not have a mini sd card. I downloaded in to the phone memory, but under the ringtones is not showing up, the MP3