Audiovox CDM-8600
Average Ratings
Would NOT reccommend this phone!
Very disappointed with this phone. Al I ever want to use the phone for is to TALK! And even that is difficult!! But let's start with the UP side:
Pros: Great size, good looking phone, good color contrast on inside. Battery life not bad. Never had to use a car charger - keeps it's charge.
Here come with the Cons:
First annoying thing - the LCD screen flashes with the providers name, alternating with the time. You can program it out, but overtime you turn the phone off or lose signal, it's back. Very hard to read LCD screen, as well. Poor contrast - I usually have to open phone to see time. Difficult to hear on this phone - especially in car. 2 side buttons control the volume- another bad idea. You are ALWAYS hitting those buttons when you hold the phone. Not user friendly -really difficult to use calendar and other extra features.
No color display on outside screen. Buttons are small and not so easy to manipulate. Ring tones are very boring. The screensaver is awful. Really HAD to download and purchase wallpaper so I could appreciate the color resolution. Here is the worst part: I am now on my 3rd model of this phone: (My service provider keeps replacing it because of this glitch in the phone) The inside and outside screens just go blank! This has happened on the 2 prior models I had. You cannot tell if the phone is on, you cannot access your contacts, you cannot tell if you have any messages, you cannot tell who is calling you, cannot text, etc, etc ...the list goes on and on. If you are wondering why I keep getting the same phone, it is policy of the carrier to replace it with the same model if phone is faulty. And boy, is it ever! I will be switching to another phone just as soon as I possibly can.
If you are considering this phone - BE WARNED!!!
CERTAINLY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
Hello. I have had my current 8600 for about a year. I got my first one in Feb of 2004. My niece then proceeded to slobber on it, getting it wet, so you know the rest. Anyway, I liked my first one but really would have preferred to get a different one when it got ruined. Verizon would not allow me to get a different phone. Oh, well. My second one was OK for a while, then things went bad. I dropped it once with the antenna out and broke it off. Then, I dropped it and the inside screen went completely black. I could still make and receive calls, but I couldn't see who was calling or what I was dialing! Once it went back to normal, it would sometimes go black without me even dropping it! Then, it got to where when the screen would go black, I could answer a call but the person calling me couldn't hear a thing I said! UUUGGGGHHHH!!! Now, I barely get a signal at all! I can barely get a bar at my house or even outside!! And I constantly drop calls. I live in the mountainous regions of AL. You don't even have a ringer choice, only music! I just want a phone that rings!! I hate this phone. Am currently searching ebay for a new one. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS???
PROS:
1. Nice color screen
2. Nice wallpapers
3. Easy to navigate
4. Volume button on side
5. Small size
CONS:
1. Horrible signal
2. Screen black out
3. Low ringer volume
4. Horrible ringer selection - does not even have a ringer. Only music choices!
5. Extendable antenna
6. For me - small size. I want a bigger phone.
I hope this helps someone out there who may be looking. Good luck!
Not a total washout
Had this phone for 2 years. During the first year I forgot to take it out of my pocket and it went through the wash. After a day in front of the wood stove it worked fine, save a sticky "1" button. I've been happy with the sound quality and reception is pretty good. It even holds up to the abuse of my 1-year-old. Pretty durable for a little thing.
ok phone
i bought this phone just over a year ago and need to get it replaced for the 2nd time. first the sound stopped working, now the bottom 3 buttons don't work. and i just got my first replacement phone less than 2 months ago.
i used to like it a lot, but it gets annoying after a while.
pros:
-small/cute
-speed dial
-"get it now"
-ability to set ringers for different callers
-outside display
-nice clear color screen
-ok signal
cons:
-VERY LOW BATTERY LIFE (only lasts a day on average)
-not very loud
-poor phonebook accessability
-small screen (verizon banner takes up entire screen)
-have to pay for everything (doesn't come with any games)
-has a lot of "features" that you i still don't know how to use or what they are for (and i'm very good with figuring out electronics)
-and the fact that i've had 2 of them that broke in a year
its ok for the price, and as long as it doesn't break it's fine. but there are better phones out there for the same, if not better, price.
my 2 cents
I have had cell phones for over 10 years. first audiovox don't remember the model. startac, motorola flip, panasonic blue max(allure) than the motorola v60i. all of these phones were through at&t service.
I wanted to switch service to verizon because many of my friends have verizon and they seemed to get better signal than me.
I wanted just a phone no bells and whistles. I use my phone for business and i need it to have excellent signal period.
Why i got it.
Bought two of the same phones because my spouse and i switch vehicles and travel so we wanted the same connections.
Pros
1. its just a phone
2. its the smallest and lightest one i could find (size does matter)fits in pockets.
3.front screen seemed large. see cons
4.color screen looked nice in the store
cons Why i am returning it.
1.front screen should just show date and time and incoming phone number. why the verizon banner blinking on the front screen? logo is imprinted on the phone. thanks to someone at this forum i finally got rid of it (temporarily)
2.this is the third replacement phone in 6 months im switching to a different phone but i am still undecided it is between lg 6100 and motorola 265 or something with out a camera..help i am so confused
3. i have two phones in the same exact place one has 2 or 3 bars the other has no service
4. screen went black that was the first phone
5.phonebook is cumbersome and awkward to use.
6.to be fair i have dropped my phone but if i dont crack the screen or the casing the phone should be able to handle it. these are portable phones that people take with them everywhere.
7. sound quality from regular speaker and speaker phone very poor and gets worse over time this is a problem with all of the originals and replacements
of all the phones I've owned this one is the worst from durability to ease of use to sound quality to how many times I've had to have it fixed and or replaced.
startac was my favorite but the panasonic was the best all around phone (best phone book)
hope this is helpful
Not that great
I've had this phone for about a year and a half and have had multiple problems. At first I really liked the phone (particularly the size) but started experiencing problems in the first week and it continued to get worse.
Problems: 1) At random times I'll be talking and will be able to hear the other person but they can't hear me. Found out that if I hit a keypad button it restores it momentarily but then usually happens again. Nothing like needing to continually press "1" to keep talking. Gets really annoying really quickly. 2) Voice dialer has no dedicated button so you have to push and hold the send button for a few seconds and wait for a prompt. Voice dialer wouldn't work at random times and continued to get worse over time. Got to the point where I haven't used it in over 6 months because it doesn't work most of the time. 3) The reception is TERRIBLE! I'm not one to bag on products but it's REALLY bad. My fiance has a Motorola v60 (the original ghetto phone, old school version)and we can be sitting next to each other and I have no reception and she'll have 3 bars. I can't stress enough how bad this is. 4) Lag time when you answer the phone. Sometimes I'll have to say "hi" 3 times before they hear me. 5) There's no "normal" sounding ring. If you like your phone to ring in salsa tones that's fine but all they have is a bunch of weird crap for ring tones. 6) Can't delete answering machine messages one at a time. You either delete them all or none. 7) Just lately the speaker phone has been coming on at random. There's no consistency with this, just sometimes when I answer a call the speaker phone will come on and blast my eardrum without warning.
I originally bought this phone because of its size. It does slip easily into your pocket. The outside LCD display is nice, and I do love having an answering machine so I don't have to dial up my call notes everytime I want to receive a message.
Overall there are much nicer phones out there.
The little cellphone that could
I love my cdm-8600 series phone its small and sleek and an absolute joy to whip it out and flip the screan up in one motion. The screen is very bright in the dark. sometimes i actually use it as a flash light. But you can see anything if the sun is out. I love the get it now function. Yeah it stinks to have to pay for ring tones, games, wall papers...and anything else cool phones do, but I just accept it and dish out the $1.99. The major draw backs for this phone its not equiped to have screansavers. It gives you the option but there are non available for download. So now my screen has been ruined from the same image being on it all the time.
The phone books are complicated and confusing so i don't use it at all. i love the calculator and the alarm function. The sub-menus are confusing and the manual isn't work the ink its painted on.
Pros: Long battery life. Speaker phone. Never lost a call. Best watch/flashlight/cellphone i have ever had.
Cons: annoying opening and closing animations and sounds, not screensaver capable. confusing menus.
The most troublesome little phone
This phone has confounded me. I have years of experience selling and using wireless phones, and this one is the pits. I didn't choose this because of the maker, I chose it because it was tri-mode and was ultra-compact. I have service with Verizon Wireless. A heads up - I had this phone since February of 2004 and had it replaced 3 times into October 2004. The Pros : Small size, color screen, exterior lcd, speakerphone, tri-mode, voice-activation. The Cons : The weakest most faint ringers observed(and I have stellar hearing), the incomprehensible speakerphone(sound quality likened to that of a babbling brook through stones) and the cursed "Verizon Wireless" exterior LCD banner that has no permanent correction(I tried all the temporary solves listed). The interesting thing is the problems I had with the phone. The first set of defects on unit number one(feb 2-sept 10) : it would periodically "lose" the wallpaper, would return to the main screen after you dialed(as if you never dialed the numbers), the sub lcd ceased to work for a few hours at a time, and then the "White screen of death" where the phone just ghosted out the whole screen to white. All this and it only lasted 20 days!! My third unit(aug 30-october 21) started doing the same things again in a matter of days! This is the worst performance I have ever seen on a phone that I have owned (other than a Samsung sch 3500) in years!! If you want a small phone that is virtually hassle-free, I suggest looking into the Samsung 530 (or just get a bigger phone)instead of this miserable little mess. I had this replaced by an LG 4500 on October 21, 2004. The review on that is coming soon.
Marginal Phone
I have had this phone for about one year and are upgrading to an Audiovox 9900. I have not been impressed with the 8600 for the following reasons:
1. my first phone had to be replaced within 9
months.
2. speaker phone quality and reception are marginal at best. I cannot hold the phone more than a foot away from me or quality and
reception are lacking.
3. voice dialing commands are usually not accepted on the first try.
4. using the phone book is not user friendly.
I need a commercial grade, hard working, user friendly phone that has good reception, speaker phone, and voice activation. The 8600 does not meet my standards.
Good LITTLE Phone!!!
I've owned this phone for almost 2 weks and so far have only minimal complaints. Yeah, the Verizon banner doesn't look good, but do you spend all day staring at your phone? The size is great!! I can easily fit it into my pockets. I bought a cover to protect it because I like to take care of my phones. The volume on the headset is great, much better than my last motorola phone. Ring volume is good and loud. I really do not know why others are saying it's not loud enough. Voice quality is good. People on the other end said they did not know I was on a wireless phone. My only complaints are that the phonebook navigation is poorly set-up. Voice Dialing does not work properly. I got it to work once and now everytime I say a name it say Error. Not a huge issue since it has speed dialing for up to 20 numbers. Just hold number 1 down and it will dial whatever number you stored there. The manual is worthless!! It tells you what things are, but not how to use them. If you have used cell phones in the past you should be able to figure most things out. When you download wallpaper it cuts off some of the pic with verizon banner, then again are you using the phone for calls or just to look at it? The battery doesn't last as long as my old phone, but I didn't download stuff and play games on my old phone either and most phone batteries in my opinion are getting worse.
Pros: small size, good ring volume, nice voice quality, external display, good signal strength, easy switch to vibrate mode, speed dialing, tri-mode
Cons: Voice dial doesn't work properly, preloaded ringtones suck, verizon banner cuts off wallpaper, worthless manual, poor navigation
