Audiovox CDM-8940 user reviews (Verizon Wireless)

Pros Really fun, Great screen, good MP3 player, relatively compact form factor, headset sound very good, Vcast and voice reception excellent, keys are well spaced and easy to use, nice camera

Cons Can’t figure out how to make TXT messages beep without turning off all sound, many features disabled by default, Battery indicator is misleading (bars tend to grow and shrink)

Summary This is a great phone for all, but especially for the technically inclined. I would recommend that anyone who chooses Verizon gets this phone even if you can’t get Vcast yet. It’s not much more expensive then a non-Vcast phone and the features are worth it. For Vcast, the LG has a better screen but is too big to be practical. The Motorola is nice, but I’ve heard reliability problems and it doesn’t have all the features of this one.

Be aware that VZ disables a lot of the features such as downloading photos and movies by default. It is pretty easy to do once you buy a $20 cable from Radio Shack, but your grandmother couldn’t do it.

The MP3 player is sounds very good. It is not perfect— it is hard to sync with the computer and does not support ID3 tags. I bought a 512MB card and reader for around $50. Far superior to having an iPod shuffle and more practical since it’s already in your pocket. I have 2 iPods and I end up using the phone more since it’s there.

Pros Good phone clarity, fast response numbers key pad, phone book has a memo pad per name, vibrant LCD screens,

Cons only 1.5 day charge on standby mode, 4-way directional keys are clunky to use, menus aren't easily customizable, highest headset speaker volume is too low

Summary My last phone before this was the Motorola V400 with Cingular and that was much better than this phone in terms of ease of use. The Motorola did have manufacturing defects though with sticky keypads and hardward not working after a period of use.

The camera is 1.3 megapixels, but the picture quality isn't very good. The LED flash is of course, fairly useless since it's so small. I did like having a camera lens door to cover the lens.

I also used a Audiovox 8900 from 2 or so years ago and I like that phone much better than this one. The only improvements between that phone and this one is that the 8940 has the voice memo and VCast. But the 8940 has a worse calendar/planner and doesn't have a quick alarm/countdown timer.

Did I mention the battery use ! It sucks! The design uses too much battery power. If I click the play button to view the time on the outside LCD, it actually activates the inside LCD as well! And I couldn't find a way to disable most of the background and display and other battery hogs to reduce the amount of battery use.

Overall, the phone does have some nice features like the MP3 / mini-SD slot (which I haven't tried) and a good speaker phone. A good basic phone, but not worth the extra money to upgrade. The 8910 may be the better choice.

Pros EV-DO, MP3 player, call quality, retractable camera lens w/ cover

Cons Can't view PIX files on a PC, no 1/8" headphone jack, poor user's manual

Summary Just upgraded to this phone from an LG VX4400. The phone feels solid and the call quality is top notch. The internal and external LCD screens are also very bright and sharp. Navigation is easy and the phone even has a user-assignable key that you can bind your most frequently-used function to. I coulnd't give this phone a "10" because it does have some minor problems that prospective buyers should be aware of. First of all, avoid this phone if emailing PIX files or transferring them to a PC with the miniSD card are important to you because YOU CAN'T! I think this egregious design flaw only pertains to the Verizon version of the phone though. On the other hand, I've heard some talk that this is not the case with FLIX files although I haven't substantiated those claims myself. The MP3 player on the phone is actually pretty decent, but don't plan on using after market headphones with it because it doesn't have an 1/8" jack. However, the phone comes with 2.5 jack headphones that double as a hands-free set. The sound quality is acceptable but don't expect audiophile levels. My only other complaint has to do with using the miniSD card which is poorly detailed in the owner's manual. To get the card to work, turn off the phone and insert the blank miniSD card. When you turn the phone on, it creates a folder in the main directory with three subfolders - one for PIX, one for FLIX, and the other for MP3. Remove the card and load your MP3 files into the MP3 folder. Once your files are loaded, turn off the phone, insert the card, and turn the phone back on. It should then recognize your files. I apologize for the long winded review, but this phone does have some shortcomings. Other than that, the phone is great.

Pros Easy to transfer mp3s to phone, good range.

Cons Speaker Fone just SUXX. Quiet ringers too.

Summary All in all, this phone is growing on me. (like a hairy mole does) I like how easy it is to turn this into an MP3 player. Even though you have to use THEIR special headphones. It will play out of the speaker if the earphones arent available.

The pics and movies are unspectacular, but they are there.

Now onto the bad. The speakerphone is about the WORST thing Ive ever used. Maybe LG has just spoiled us. however, I cannot here the person Im talking to in my very quiet car, with no radio at all. The sound of traffic is too loud (with the windows up) to hear it.
Also, This is a Digital ONLY phone. This is fine if you are in a larger "metro" area. But if your in the boonies, check with Verizon first.