UTStarcom CDM-180 review (Verizon Wireless)

One of the more disappointing features on the UTStarcom CDM-180 is the VGA camera, an endangered species in an increasingly megapixel-camera world. While the CDM-180 boasts one of the better flashes in the biz, all you're illuminating is a low-resolution VGA picture. Even in moderate light, you're better off without the flash, which tends to bleach the subject if too close but fails to adequately illuminate outside of about 4 feet away. You get a choice of three resolutions--640x480, 320x240, and 160x120--as well as a variety of photo-editing options. Photo quality was unimpressive, and most shots came out fuzzy.

The UTStarcom CDM-180 includes 15 types of wallpaper and a variety of other customizable display options, such as fonts and color themes, as well as 16-character personalization banners. If you want more options or ring tones, you can download them via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Alternatively, the CDM-180 is able to play real music-format tones available via Verizon's Get It Now download store, although at only 1X speed, browsing, previewing, and downloading can be time-consuming. War of the Worlds is the included game, although the tightly packed navigation array may make any gameplay awkward.

We tested the triband (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 900) UTStarcom CDM-180 in New York City while wandering the streets, as well as traveling in both trains and cabs using Verizon's network. Vocal quality was plenty loud but hollow and splotchy--there were more dropouts than we're used to with Verizon. At the other end, coconversationalists compared it to sounding as if we were in a well, especially on calls to other cell phones, where we experienced a pronounced echo at both ends. Speakerphone volume was low, with expanded complaints of poor hollow sound and echo. Volume for both voice and ringers at the highest of five levels was loud and vibration alert plenty vibratory.

Web-browser performance was better than average; it took the UTStarcom CDM-180 only 15 seconds to get to the Verizon Web home page and slightly less to load subsequent pages. Connection to Get It Now was faster--the store doesn't want you to wait in order to buy. Ring-tone download of "American Woman" took around 15 seconds and downloading Pac-Man only around 12 seconds, which was quite fast for a nonbroadband phone.

The rated 2.7-hour talk time is surprisingly below average, as is the less-than-eight-day standby time. We got 4 hours, 6 minutes of talk time in our tests, and we met the promised standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the UTStarcom CDM-180 has a digital SAR rating of 1.15 watts per kilogram.