Audiovox CDM-8910 (Verizon Wireless)

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Reviewed by: Dan Costa
Edited by: William O'Neal

Reviewed on 11/23/04    Functionally and visually similar to the Flasher V7 for Virgin Mobile, the Audiovox CDM-8910 offers an attractive feature set for Verizon Wireless customers. The handset is a lightweight 3.2 ounces, but it doesn't feel particularly small, measuring 3.3 by 1.6 by 0.8 inches. Overall, however, the blue-and-silver design seems a little staid. The mobile largely resembles other flip phones on the market.

As with the Flasher V7, a tiny, monochrome external display shows the time, the date, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). The camera's flash and lens are just below in the lower-left corner. Inside, the phone features a bright, 1.75-inch display capable of showing 65,000 colors. The navigation buttons are clearly separated, well organized, and easy to use. A five-way circular toggle offers one-click access to various features. Two soft keys open the main menu and contacts, and the OK button doubles as a camera key. You also get a camera key on the handset's right side, just above the volume rocker.

The 8910 comes loaded with a number of respectable features, including a 300-contact phone book that holds five phone numbers and an e-mail address for each name. Contacts can be organized into caller groups and can be paired with a picture as well as any of 15 polyphonic ring tones. Unlike many midrange phones, the handset also has a speakerphone and supports voice dialing. Other features largely resemble those of the Flasher V7. You get a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser, a scheduler, an alarm clock, and a world clock. Additional ring tones, BREW-enabled games, and personalization options are available for download through Verizon's Get It Now service.

Look here: The 8910's lens is on the front face of the phone.

Perhaps the most important feature on the 8910 is its VGA camera. You can take pictures in three resolutions (640x480, 320x240, and 160x120) and choose from three quality settings, six image effects, and three shutter sounds; there's also a silent option. The camera also includes a 4X digital zoom, a self-timer, adjustable settings for brightness and contrast, and a flash. The image quality is nothing you would want to print out, but it performs adequately for casual snapshots. The mobile can also take pictures when it's closed, and unlike many of the phones at this level, the external display offers an image preview. There is no IR port or PC sync, so the only way to transfer your pictures off of the phone would be to send the images via Verizon's data service.

Sweet scene: The 8910 had decent photo quality for a camera phone.

Call quality is excellent. We tested the dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 800) Audiovox CDM-8910 in the New York City area. We had no trouble finding a signal--even indoors--and nearly always made static-free connections. The speakerphone worked reasonably well, with callers only occasionally complaining that they couldn't hear us. Once you teach the phone to recognize your voice commands, the voice-dialing feature is easy to use.

Talk-time battery life was 3.5 hours, which is a bit underwhelming, even though we surpassed the rated time of 3.3 hours. On standby time, the phone lasted almost 8 days, essentially matching the promised time of 8.3 days. According to the FCC, the 8910 has a digital SAR rating of 1.27 watts per kilogram.

Basic Specs

Smartphones Basic Specs:
Carrier: Verizon Wireless
Weight: 3.7 oz
Style: Folder type phone
Messaging / Data Features: Text messages
Product Basic Spec:
Cellular technology: CDMA
Band / mode: CDMA 1900
Talk time: Up to 190 min
Analog roaming capable: Yes
Internet Browser: Yes
Bluetooth enabled: No
Short Messaging Service (SMS): Yes
Combined with: With digital camera
Multi-use / PDA phone: No
Included accessories: Lithium Ion battery , compact wall charger , Belt holster
Body Color: Silver
Width: 1.8 in
Depth: 0.9 in
Height: 4.5 in
Service & support details type: Limited warranty