Audiovox CDM-8940
Average Ratings
Great Quality for the Price
I got this phone a week ago and for what I spent, I think it was a good deal. I have a wonderful signal wherever I go and have had no dropped calls. I do, however, live in a major city (Philadelphia) so the service is usually good on most phones.
The VCast quality IS pretty bad. I got one free month but will not get it again. I don't know what kind of quality everyone was expecting on such a small screen, but I was not too shocked to find that it pretty much sucks.
The Internet service on the phone is A+. It is faster than my dinosaur computer and remembers my passwords.
The design of the phone is much sleeker than most of the other VCast phones available from verizon. I looked at all of them and this one is the most attention grabbing.
I have not used all the features as of yet but I will update more as I do.
Great features for a great price!
This phone has been out for almost a year now with Verizon, and it's a great little phone. With its simple, yet elegantly classy curves, it's has an impeccable and understated upscale style.
The phone is the perfect size in the hand - not big at all, and on the smaller side, but a good size. The weight feels perfect, and combined with the material, it has a very solid feel. Here's a secret: Hold the phone closed in your hand, and hold down the lower rocker switch on the side for a few seconds - a surprisingly bright LED flashes on for use as a flashlight! (As you probably guessed, the same LED is used as a flash for the camera). Flipping open the phone, it balances easily in the hand; also, notice the smooth outer coating as it helps protect the phone from scratches!
The outer shell houses a bright color LCD screen, and it shows all the standard phone icons: signal strength, digital indicator, battery, provider, clock, date, etc. When closed, the screen combined with the stylishly placed circular button on the front, the grilled speaker underneath, and the switches on the sides, make up the phone's MP3 player! Hold down the front button for two seconds, and the outer LCD lists all your MP3 song files, which you can select with the rocker switch on the side. Press the front button again, and it plays - the same button pauses your music!
PROs:
- Bright, sharp color LCDs (inner & outer!)
- Good MP3 player & features
- Surprisingly bright LED flashlight
- Loud speaker/speakerphone (at least one mine!)
- Good 1.3 megapixel camera
- Useable 15-second video recorder
- Super-long battery life!
- Smooth video playback
- Expansion card slot!
CONs:
- Hard to install custom ringtones, pictures, videos .. but doable, if you can spend time on the processes.
- Wishing it had decent PDA features, which would then make this an excellent all-in-one convergence device!
- No analogue
Pretty Phone
At first glance this phone really caught my eye. It was stylish, and had great features.
Pros:
Best looking verizon Vcast Phone
Nice front and inside display.
Menu is easy to use.
Mp3 Player
SD mini-card slot
Great reception for a verizon phone better than the LG vx8100
Speaker Phone was clear yet soft.
1.3 megapixel camera
Good voice dialing recognition.
Speed dial memory.
Group address book.
Play button on outside that lights up pretty colors when people call.
Cons:
Camera can have better quality.
Weird camera position,
Camera felt like a toy.
No bluetooth
I ended up returning this phone even though i really liked it. The camera is what killed it.
Dissappointing
I upgraded from an audiovox 8900 that I was generally happy with. After a year and a half, the navigation keys started failing, and although I had the insurance, the deducible didn't mane a swap economically attractive.
The phone may in fact be the best deal from verizon right now, but there are many problems.
Count on downloading ring tones. The phone comes with 16 of the poorest quality midi files imaginable, and no standard ringer sounds. I think it is petty for verizon to fail to include a choice of standard ring tones.
The display is virtually unreadable in daylight. I had to create a blank white wallpaper just to read the phone outside. The external display is not even configurable.
Don't count on any upgrade support from Verizon or Smith Micro on the software. I had a working cable and connection software from my 8900, and not having to buy new external software was a selling point. Sorry I bought. Verizon and Smith Micro both REFUSE to upgrade the contact manager from the previous Office Online Kit. They say I have to buy a whole new kit, even though the mobile connect and cable are compatible. It is the phone sync software that they refuse to upgrade, and so I had to look outside for something to get my previous contact file into the phone. Again, this is petty and greedy on Verizon's part.
I did find software from Mobile Action (htto://www.mobileaction.com) that offers phone sync with outlook/outlookexpress and also cracks the limitations on pulling photos, videos and audio files to and from the phone. It's a bit quirky, but it does let you bypass the unconscionable locks Verizon places on data interchange.
Other dings? The photo quality is poor at the highest resolution. I was hoping for better quality than the 8900 given the megapixel resolution, but the pics are pretty fuzzy even at the highest resolution and quality settings.
Caveat Emptor
eXcelleNt pHoNe
This phone is awesome! The fact that it plays mp3's and has a mini sd card slot are just the beginning of how awesome this advanced verizon wireless device is. Not to mention the fact that it has a 1+ megapixel camera, and 15 sec. streaming video capture +flash that can be also used as a 'flashlight', as well as, most importantly, broadband access (have to live in a broadband area of course to take advantage). I marked this down to a 4.5 only because of the fact that, yes, it is true, the speakerphone sux.
p.s.-Incase you have this phone and you didn't know, even if you are not in a broadband area you still have the ability to download the eXtremely cool broadband games with the most advanced graphics by far a cell phone game has ever had that are offered.
EV-DO, Megapixels ( it's all a big Joke!)
What a big Joke this piece of Junk is!
The great design of this phone is very deceiving if you consider that this phone cannot perform as a phone first. I'm not even talking about so-called 1.3 megapixel camera and so-called live video on demand!
PROS:
-Great design
-Ease of menu
CONS:
-When you listen to someone, it sound like the
party you are talking to is under the water, or intentionally screaming at you sometimes
( either talking to low or too loud)
-The so-called Ev-Do video quality is horrible
-The camera is a joke. It is not even closely compared with Sony Ericsson s700/710a, which is the best 1.3 megapixel camera on American market (my friend has it, and it is a true 1.3 megapixel!)
I agree with the user by the name Mike. It is probably the CDMA network , plus Audiovox is a joke too. This is my thrird different phone from Verizon ( before I used to have an expensive Samsung phone and Lg phone). Yet, the sound quality on all phones is the same sh...t. That is why I'm starting to believe Mike, that it is time to switch to GSM carrier (T-Mobile or at least Cingular).
Big thumb down to Verizon wireless and to Audiovox!
I'll repeat: CDMA=horrible sound quality
AS I stated many times before (but people for some reason don't believe me), AMERICAN
CDMA Network (used by Verizon and Sprint)
is the cheapest piece of JUNK and therfore the sound quality (especially after 9pm!)
is HORRIBLE (no matter what phone you use!)
VERIZON:
at least be smart, and do not allow people to make calls from Audiovox 8940 in your stores!
CDM 894O, just happened to have to worsest CDMA sound quality. All other connected phones ( uncluding: most expansive Samsung, LG, and others) had the same horrible sound quality. NOKIA 6015i and 6016i (for Sprint) are the only phones that manage to have a decent sound quality ( I stated it in my previous reviews).
PEOPLE! :
1)Go to yahoo search engines or google search.
2)Type In: CDMA vs GSM or GSM vs CDMA
and learn the lesson from majority of technology specialists! ( if you don't believe me)
It suks!
I've returned my phone twice because it keeps going into extended network mode and won't come out unless you turn the phone off. While in extended network you can't make or receive calls!
Quite Fantastic
This phone is unequivocally the best handset available with Verizon. I recently had the new Motorola E815 - it was AWFUL. I recommend against Motorola, their phones seem like kiddie toys compared to the other phones on the market.
PROS:
Great Screen(s) - the front screen has 262,000 colors as well as the internal.
Good UI - there have been complaints but I like it.
Awesome Design - Square, classy, simple - but has received some oo's and ahh's.
Great Call Quality/Signal
Lots of Built In Memory
Above average Camera Quality
CONS: (Some do exist)
My VCast locks up the phone and shuts it off momentarily...should be fixed soon though.
Small ticking noise sometime, no biggie.
Get it! It's worth the price
Returning for LG 8000
Like several others, I found this wanting. Bringing it back to Verizon after 14 days tomorrow.
I decided I would break down and get a new phone with a camera. I take a lot of photos for work, and thought this would simplify my life. I should have trusted my own skepticism of the benefits of a camera in a phone.
Went to 5 stores before finding a mini SD (at Best Buy)-no one at verizon really understands how the phoen works. I couldn't even get photos onto verizons website, with help from their support desk.
I am happy with the photos, not looking for top notch pictures, but they can't be saved to a PC or printed-rendering the camera worthless as anything but a toy. I was extremely dissapointed that the technology is all in this phone to make me happy, but the crippled sd and photo functions make it worthless.
Overall phone works fine for me, but I am not really interested in the MP3 features-the only value to having the mini sd card.
