The 8610, a Virgin Mobile exclusive, features a large color display, a speakerphone, support for Virgin Mobile wireless Internet services, and much more. This sporty companion keeps you in step with the latest mobile technologies at a great price.
Design
The phone features a traditional clamshell design with a large 128 x 128 color display with 65,000 colors. A monochrome 96 x 64 pixel supplementary display on the outside of the cover displays incoming call information, battery life, signal strength, graphics and more. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's backlit control pad. Meanwhile, the top right side of the unit houses an extendable antenna while the combined charging/USB data port is housed on the unit's bottom edge. The phone also features a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets. Up/down keys are located on the left side of the unit for quick volume control.
Calling Features
The 8610's built-in address book can store up to 300 entries for quick and easy management of your contacts. The phone comes with built-in Virgin Mobile "superphonic" ringtones plus a vibrating alert. Superphonic ringtones feature real music tracks and more are available via Virgin Mobile's VirginXtras service. Ringtones can be assigned to specific callers so you don't have to look at the phone to know who's calling. A built-in speakerphone lets you talk handsfree while you're on the go.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The 8610 covers the messaging basics with support for sending and receiving text messages easily and quickly (Virgin Mobile text messaging charges apply). T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
The phone fully supports Virgin Mobile's wireless content service, VirginXtras. Use the pay-per-use service to download superphonic ringtones from Hip Hop songs to movie themes. Get content and vote in TV-based polls via the MTV area of your phone, or get jokes and updates from Comedy Central. Pick a celebrity voice to answer your voicemail, or get a Sponge Bob thought of the day. Need to jog your memory? Use Virgin's wacky song ID service. Press the Song ID command, point your 8610 towards a song that's playing in the room, and within minutes a text message appears identifying the song's title.
The 8610 ships with a number of handy tools including a calendar, a calculator and an alarm clock.
Imaging and Entertainment
The 8610 features custom Virgin Mobile graphics-- screen savers, wallpaper and menu icons-- that let you dress up your phone to suit your personality. Two pre-loaded games come with the phone, Blackjack and Magic Hexa.
Vital Statistics
The Audiovox 8610 weighs 3.4 ounces and measures 3.5 x 1.90 x .90 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.0 hours of digital talk time, and up to 168 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 1900 frequency. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Audiovox 8610 handset, AC charger, lithium-ion battery, user's manual.
1 Vos 8610
Great phone.....virgin mobile service can be a little better...however, I guess that is sprint's problem.
2 Great but eeehhhh
This is a great phone if your looking for the flip style, or a coloured screen, but the only problem with Virgin is ringtones cost up to $2 and the real sound ringtones are distorted. And The minutes go up like Wildfire.
Try finding this phone through another company. May I suggest Tracfone? They have a new phone with colored monitor, however its not a flip.
3 it's me agin!
HI IT'S ME AGIN I JUST GOT MY PHONE IT IS THE BEST THING EVER IT IS BETTER THAN MY OLD SLIDER! I HATE THE RINGTONES THEY SUCK!!!! BUT I STILL LOVE THIS PHONE U CAN JUST DOWNLOAD THEM PREPAID IS BETTER THAN THE CELLPHONE COMPANYS YOU SHOULD BUY THIS PHONE FIRST I DID NOT LIKE THIS BUT KNOW I LIKE IT THE SIGNALS ARE GREAT!! HOPE U BUY THIS
4 This is so cool!
I've had this phone for about a year and I love it. The ringtones may be sucky, but it has a great screen, a cool, sleek, body, and pressable buttons!
I had never had a problem with the reception before, and I don't think that will happen anytime soon. I love the Virgin Mobile pre-paid and I think that this phone is the best of the lot.
This phone has been through a lot. First, I dropped it on a hardwood floor and the batteries fell out, but somehow kept all my status. Secondly, I left it outside by accident and it survived. And finally, I put it through the washing machine (accidently leaving it in my pocket) and it still works, not a number out of place.
I think that if you are going for a Virign Mobile phone, or even a cool phone, this is the way to go.
5 Love it
I love this phone. I love everything about it. I love how you can top-up right from the phone. I recommend this phone to everyone.
6 wow
HI I'M BUYING THIS PHONE TODAY. I'M BUYING THIS BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST THING I EVER SAW. I USE TO OWN A KYOCERA SLIDER PHONE BUT I LOST IT WHILE WE WERE MOVING. I'M BUYING THIS BECAUSE IT IS A SMALL PHONE,IT HAS REAL RINGTONES AND IT EVEN HAS A SPEAKER
BUY IT WHILE IT IS ON SALE;}!!!
7 COMPLETE GARBAGE!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
This phone is complete garbage! Please do not waste your money on any Virgin Mobile products because they use cheaper technology. Their website looks great but don't be fooled! They claim to offer songs that sound like the real thing but this is far from the truth. Their ringtones are terrible, even when played at the lowest volume, they still sound like garbage. They will not refund you any money even if you call them right after getting their lousy ringtone.
I wasted $120.00 on this phone and boy am I stupid for doing that! You can't download any screensavers or background images and the ones they give you are ridiculous. Aside from this, you can't download any games on the phone either. Believe me, don't waste your money on their products. As if this wasn't enough, the phone never has good reception. I work indoors and my phone always loses connection to the network. Everyone else gets perfect reception with their phones from Cingular, Verizon, etc...
Another thing is they don't care about the customer or making their product worth what it costs. I emailed the customer service and their first concern was to make it known that they will not refund any money! I mean, before they even tried to answer my question they wanted to make sure they made it clear that they aren't giving any money back.
I wouldn't pay $20.00 for this phone knowing what I do now. PLEASE DON'T BE A SUCKER AND WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PHONE!!!!
8 Good Phone
I've been a virgin mobile user for about 4 months now. Although I don't have great reception here, it's decent. Even if there isn't any reception at all, there is still clear calls. The phone itself is great. I'm thinking about getting the Flasher V7 or the new and upcoming Kyocera K10 Royale. The only problem with the phone that i've had so far is when your doing whatever on it, then flip it closed, if you flip it too hard it'll shut-off and power up again. Also, it may not come back on. But i've gotten used to having it do that. Doesn't do it much. Overall, this is a great phone for you users that hate monthly contracts.
9 GREAT
VIRING MOBILE AND THIS PHONE IS SO GOOOD!!!THE PHONE ALWAYS HAS A SIGNAL AND VIRGIN MOBILE IS THE BEST PREPAID PLAN OUT THERE BECAUSE THERE IS NO BILL,CHEAP MINUTES, AND TEXT MESSAGIN...YOU CAN'T DOWNLOAD RINGTONES OFF YOUR COMPUTER TO THIS PHONE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO THE VIRGIN MOBILE USA WEBSITE TO FIND THEM...OVERALL I LOVE IT!!!
10 Virgin Mobile is Awesome!
Ive been a Virgin Mobile user for about 6 months now and it is the best choice ive ever made..not only are their phones great...they treat their customers with care and they load you with cool things to use up on your phone....texting..real song ringtones....access to mtv features......everything you would ever want....and you only pay for what you use and there are no hidden charges or fees!!!..so come on...join Virgin Mobile Paygoism today!!!!
11 Dont Buy it yawl
I was so hype about this phone. Yhe ringtones are great but are low and fuzzy. I spent 120 on this phone and Im extrememly upset that I spent this much money.....Ive also spent over 200 on minutes, when all u have to got to is venture mobile.its 4 college students................check it out ventuer mobile .com..........any way..I just think virgin mobile is ok....4 what it is..if it adds free nights and weekends on its card, it will do Great!!!!!!!!!!!
12 An Honest Opinion from a Once Very Happy Customer
If, after reading this scathing review, you decide that you absolutely must try the Vox 8610, I recommend buying this phone from Wal*Mart. That way if you get zero coverage you can immediately return it. Even though the Virgin Mobile website claims you are covered when you enter your zip code, YOU MAY NOT BE COVERED. Additionally, you may be covered, but then LOSE COVERAGE. That was my experience. I am also very unimpressed with the Vox 8610. It is bigger than the 8500, it is flimsier, and the color menus are extremely annoying.
***About the Service Areas***
Coverage Area
I owned a Vox 8500 for over a year. The service went from fair to poor to ZERO. I called Virgin and was told my phone was 'old' and to buy a new phone. The customer service representative claimed that I was in their service area, AS DID THE WEBSITE. I went to Wal*Mart and bought a new Vox 8610. Brought it home, activated it... ZERO BARS. Took it back.
I don't know what Virgin is doing. I took a road trip and noticed that coverage just wasn't what it used to be. They claim they share towers with Sprint and that nothing has changed but I don't believe it. I am no fool, and my friend (who also owns a Virgin phone) is no fool, either. He too has noticed a SIGNIFICANT decline in service.
***Other Services***
The website is difficult to navigate and is filled with pictures of ugly children with crayola hair colors and hostile facial expressions. The site is also updated regularly and everything is moved around, rendering saved shortcuts useless.
'Simone,' is the automated phone menu that answers their 800 number. (You call this number when you are fed-up with the website.) She (or it) is the obstacle course you must suffer through before reaching a live person. Incidentally, Simone CANNOT UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. It took several minutes of shouting "Live Advisor" into the phone before I was finally transferred to a representative.
***About the Phone***
If you are a happy Virgin Mobile customer that has good coverage, do not upgrade from the 8500 to the 8610. The 8610 is noticeably BIGGER than the 8500. (Bigger with cell phones is not better!) It seems less durable. I think if you drop it while walking down a sidewalk it will break. It also has a very annoying rubber stopper on the back that pokes out all the time. (I think this is supposed to cover the headphone plug.)
The color menus are supposed to be 'hip' but are in fact quite irritating. But you say, "Hey, the menus are color! The Vox 8500 was black and white. Yuck!" I say, "Yes, the menus are color. Whoopee. You can't send/receive pictures anyway. Can we say USELESS whistles and bells to lure the consumer?"
The ONLY improvement of this model over the 8500 is there is no rubber stopper to lose. (You know, the one that protected the slot where the charger plugged into?)
***In Conclusion***
I learned overtime that yes, this service is too good to be true. Sadly, Virgin Mobile is not the answer for a consumer who is in need of a light use cell phone. (At least, not for THIS consumer.) Until something is done about the obvious price fixing of 'real' cellular phone services, I guess I'm stuck paying somebody else $50 a month.
13 Good phone, great plan.
Having had experiance with various phones, this one is pretty good. This is my second Virgin Mobile phone, and overall I have pretty satisfied with the service. I only use the phone part time and keep it for emergancies or traveling, so the "plan" (or lack there of) works great and is more cost effective then most for my usage. I have usually been able to get reception (at least as well as any other phone service I have heard of or used) and the 8610 is better than my old one at that. I did have a few problems at first and have some difficulty downloading ringtones and the like on occasion, but nothing major.
14 My phone
With my phone my text messages hardley ever go through and it still uses the 10 cents and 2.50 cents for 10 mins in crazy I spent 100 dollars on this phone and i exxpected somthing better but i didnt get it so i suggest that you be careful before buying this phone unless u are someone that dont use it much like me i cant use it like iw ant to because i dont have many mains left after a talk time i run out of mins in a week and i think that it is dumb thatit is so much that u do.
15 Get this if you rarely use a phone
I bought this phone about 4 months ago. So far i've had to spend around $120. I figure with a $30 plan you get like 300 minutes plus maybe nights and weekends for free. So a plan would be more cost efficient.
The phone itself is pretty well made. It has decent call quality and no one ever needs me to repeat something. The Virgin extras it comes with are a joke. You have to pay to use it each time. So its like not having them at all if you dont want to pay. Ringtones are way to expensive. I mean come on who would pay $2.50 for a 15 second ringtone with poor quality. Plus with this phone you cant download wallpaper or games.It uses the Sprint PCS network and I have never been without service. If I decide to switch to a plan I would highly consider Sprint because of coverage.
Customer service is very poor. I had a problem because I couldnt get voicemail or send text messages. I spoke with six different people who all said different things and said that there was nothing wrong. Plus it took almost a half an hour to get a representative.
Pricing is very expensive. Its 25 cents for the first ten minutes then 10 cents afterwards. So you have to first pay $2.50 each day to get a lower rate. So if you plan using a phone occasionally then consider this phone. If your a person who loves to talk on their cell phone, then get a plan because this will burn a hole in your wallet very quickly.
16 great phone!
I love this phone. I am not the type call alot of people, so this cell phone and the Virgin Mobile plan are great for someone like me. I get service everywhere, even where my old tracfone wouldn't get service.
there are no roaming charges, no long distance charges, and you get free voicemail, free caller id, free call waiting...
it's awesome. i definately recomend!
17 Be Careful About the Reception Area
The phone seemed like a bargain if you don't use a cell phone very much, and it would have been if there were any signal. I live and work in the metro Kansas City area. Everyone at my work uses their cell phones just fine. I have no signal at all. Same for me at home. If you buy a bargain phone and can't use it, it's no bargain!!!
18 Pretty Good Phone for Virgin Mobile
Our friend has this phone and while happy with the service, wishes he had spent a little more to get a camera phone or the slider. It is a good basic cell phone especially for those wanting the Virgin Mobile Pay As You Go service. But I reccommend spending a little more to get the V7 Flasher Camera Phone. You won't regret it.
19 Great Phone, but Not Much "Xtras"
I got this new phone very recently....it's really a nice phone. I upgraded from a really simple boring phone, so I was really excited to get it. It sounds great; it has all the usual bells and whistles of most cell phones. However, I was very disappointed when I logged onto the Virgin Mobile website. I can download ringtones to it, but that's all. They don't allow you to download wallpapers and screensavers for this model phone. It's not a very user friendly site, either...when you click on screensaver or wallpaper, it just goes back to the Virgin Xtras home page...it doesn't actually say you can't download them. Very annoying! However, when you click on ringtones, it goes right to a ringtone page where you can select them. I thought it was a glitch on the website for a while! When I finally inquired about that to VirginMobile, they said it was a limitation of this particular phone....it can't download wallpapers or screensavers. Considering what I paid for this phone, that is very disappointing to me. So, if downloading screensavers and wallpapers is important to you, make sure you get an upgraded phone...the next model up is about $50 more. Other than that, this phone is great. The polyphonic ringtones sound good. You can get some dorky animated ringtones which might satisfy your need for a screensaver, but that's about it.
20 OK VIRGIN MOBILE, THIS COST TOO MUCH/switch to ATT
to start out, the phone is good and nice if you want to show off. The real music tones are very weak and cant make out what theyre saying because of the bad audio. Also it cost wayyy to much. It cost 25cents for the 1st 10 minutes. wayy to much. Thats 2.50 cents a day just to get 10 cents a minutue. Listen if you want a Bargain, go to www.attwireless.com for some refubished color flip phones. Theyre are only 10 dollars. No Joke. I just but a LG1150 for 10 dollarsd when they had it for the go phone. But if you get one you wont regret it. Att also offer free nights and weekends and the rest is 10cents. THe best part is its PREPAID.
21 I got a lemon
I bought an Audiovox 8610 cell phone last week and it broke after just two days. I had never had such a letdown experience with electronics before.
While it worked I thought it was an okay cell phone. The ringtones on the phone are really dumb and there are only 3 or 4 music tones, all of which sound stupid. The ringtones are also too soft to hear if you carry the phone on the street. One look and you'll see this is _NOT_ a durable phone at all. The all-plastic body feels it'll break anyday now. Well in my case I didn't drop it or anything, it just wouldn't turn on after 2 days. By the way folks, the battery is _IMPOSSIBLE_ to remove, without damaging the phone body.
This is an expensive product with poor quality.
22 Virgin mobile
I bought this phone about 2 weeks ago. I loved it since i got it. Virgin mobile has a great "Pay_as_you_go" service. They have great customer support and its the cheapest Prepaid ever!
its .25 a min for the first 10 mins of the day, and after that its only .10 a min! thats very cheap compaired to T-Mobile's Easyspeak,That was .30 a min everyday!
Virgin mobile:.10x120 (2hrs)= 12.00
T-Mobile: .30x120 (2hrs)=36.00! thats crazy
I love the good veatures that The Phone and Virgin mobile offer. on the phone it comes with:
2 games: Magic hexa, BlackJack
5 Poly. Ringtones
Downloadable Digi-Tones
easy to use Browser
Easy to use phonebook
Comes with VirginXL
External CallerID
Cons:
Has very dumb wallpaper
Has only 1 Screen saver
Cant download diffrent Screen savers,Wallpaper
Digi-Tones are 2.00-2.50
Cant really see LCD light in sun.
23 Dont Believe the detractors
I earlier had a 29.99 plan with T Moblie. I had about 300 any time minutes and "unlimited" week end minutes with it. I had a Mortorala V66 phone which came free with the plan , which I hated from the beginning. Made out of cheap material and the user interface and navigation was horrible with the V66. Once the contract expired, I wanted to switch and was shopping for a plan with free phone as usual. Then I stumbled upon this phone and the logic of some other older people using a prepaid ontract free phone. I realized as I am not using mobile phone as often why not try this. I have to say this phone and the "cool" service of Virgin mobile is AWESOME. I had earlier seen some reviewers writing about the volume of the ring etc. I do not have ANY problem with the phone or service so far. And guess what, at a monthly cost of 7 dollars I save about 30 dollars per month (no taxes with prepaid) the total cost of a $29.99 plan is about 38 dollars permonth!. And in 3 months I recovered the cost of the phone. Guys and gals, if you do not seriously "Need" a mobile phone do the following
1)Switch to High speed internet (Cable Modem) Cost about: $43 P.M
2)Switch your home phone to Vonage (17 to 30 dollars) for $30 you get unlimited nation wide, for $17 you get 500 minutes nation wide per month
3)Get a prepaid plan like this and a cool phone like this.
You will be much much better off
24 Good Standard Phone.
This is a very functional phone that may not have a lot of pizzazz but the flashy functions it lacks it more than makes up for as just a beater phone. i've seen this phone fall off 3 story balconies, dropped in water, and a barrage of other assaults and it still worked (after a day of recovering from the water that is). It still has all the functions you really need: an expansive phone book, good ringtones, calendar/datebook, the bare essentials. if you want a phone to just talk on as you go about town, this is all you need.
25 Ok phone, but very poor customer service
Phone:
The Audiovox 8610 is a color flip phone. Its all plastic casing makes it feel very cheap and flimsy. The battery cover is almost impossible to take off, so be sure to write down your ESN before you snap on the battery (the ESN is also printed on the box). The screen is small, which is not surprising given how small and lightweight the phone is. The screen is hard to see outdoors in broad daylight. The keys are arranged in an unusual way but not hard to get used to; but they do have terrible tactile feedback, probably one of the worst keypads on a cell phone I've used.
The volume on this small phone is also lacking, even at the highest level. Voice calls are generally clear. Virgin Mobile licenses Sprint's digital PCS network, which means there's no roaming. Be sure to check the coverage map on virginmobileusa.com before you buy a Virgin Mobile phone.
Overall, the phone feels and functions like a cheap toy. I was disappointed by the lack of quality for a phone that cost me over $100.
Service:
Initial online set-up took just five minutes and the phone pretty much worked right away after I programmed it. But, dealing with Virgin Mobile was a nightmare for me. After I activated online I decided to transfer my old number with AT&T (which REALLY sucks) to Virgin Mobile, so I called customer care. I was put on hold for 30 minutes before a live rep picked up. The grinding hold music they played was the most annoying I've ever heard. Then the rep told me in order to transfer the number I had to talk to a different department.
So I was put on hold for another good 15 minutes. Then I was told since I had already activated the phone I couldn't initiate the transfer that day. I would have to call back in 24 hours. So I called back in 2 days and went through the long holding time again. Then I got to talk to a fast-talking rep with little patience. She talked so fast and with an accent that I had trouble following her, and she got upset! I can't believe they hire teenage labor for the customer care dept. I guess they just want to save money and make money. Anyway, that call was 5 business days ago and when I called back this morning, surprise, their system was "down" so they couldn't help me. So I'm still waiting for my old number (which stopped working a week ago) to be activated on my Virgin Mobile phone. I should not have brought this hassle on myself.
26 durable phone; they could claim it's semi water/heat resist
i have to say i was totally amazed with this phone earlier today. my mom told me that it had been washed and dried and was broken. i let it dry out for a day and tried it, but it didn't work so i decided i'd take some of my anger out on it. i took it outside and threw it at trees and the fence a few times and then spent about 10 minutes launching it to the bottom of our yard with a water baloon slingshot mounted on our deck. when i finally brought it inside. i plugged it into the charger to see if the little light on the outside would turn on, and it did, starting to charge. i left it there for a while and then unplugged it and tried to turn it on. surprisingy, it worked. even though the top half of the phone is lose( the screen), the external caller id is filled with water, and on some calls it sounds choppy, it works!!! if you're on a budget i definitely recommend this phone.
27 great for retired folks
Bought two phones and cards (and rechargers) as gifts for traveling parents who don't "need or want" cell phones. Told them both they are more for us than them so that we wouldn't worry if they found themselves in trouble on the road. Easy for us to moniter and replace minutes, so they have no worries other than being instructed in the initial use and remembering these instructions. The manual is easy to follow. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network and coverage is fairly good.
For us, this has been a great find and we recommend it for those in similar situations
28 Great phone
This is the best phone ever! This is my second phone with Virgin Mobile. I was really surprised with the great quality color screen and the menu. I also love the ringtones. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the backlighting is green not blue. But the rest is great. I would recommend it to everyone!
29 The Coolest phone ever
If you need a cell phone. You want to start with this one. This is the best prepaid phone out there and it is with the best prepaid cell phone company out there. Virgin Mobile! checkout www.virginmobileusa.com for details and there very cheap prepaid plans. This phone has all the cool stuff including a color screen and ringtones. My phone rings to the theme song of the flinstones...haha You can even arrange wakeup calls get the latest entertaiment news from MTV and a whole lot more...what are you waiting for.
30 nice improvement
I bought this phone for my niece, who is nine. It's definitely an improvement on the 8500, and still very reliable and easy to use. It has excellent reception in our area, and it's very easy for her to manage minutes and download new ringtones through the website (virginmobileusa). The phone is small and rather remarkably sturdy, considering that it gets tossed around in her bag all day, and the best part about it is that it's very inexpensive.
31 nice phone if i could use it
I purchaced this phone and activted it online and everything went smooth, until I wanted to call someone or someone tried to call me. I found out that their is absolutly no reception around where I live. So much for Virgin Mobile having a good coverage area it is only in very specific areas. so i guess it is a good phone if you live in an area where you get reception. Good luck
32 Excellent phone... if you can hear it ring!
I bought this phone when my Audiovox 8500 was stolen. The 8610 is generally a step up from that older model. It has a nice color screen. Menu navigation is easy, and it was no problem creating contacts and single-digit shortcuts to frequently called numbers. Reception and sound quality during a call are excellent.
Although this phone is slightly bulkier than the 8500, it's still very small and easy to tuck into your pocket.
The phone has the option to choose from several "desktops" for different looks on the screen. The ones Virgin Mobile preloads are generally pretty dumb looking, but no harm done. The phone also allows for a choice of screen savers, but Virgin Mobile only has one installed without an option to get more. It's a silly feature, anyway -- a cell phone doesn't need a screen saver.
Oh, and don't forget, it comes preloaded with two games. One is sort of like Tetris. I don't use them, but my wife thinks they are all right.
Virgin Mobile itself has very good customer service, and their pay-as-you-go setup is good if you don't make a lot of calls. They stand by their phones... if yours stops working under warranty, they will replace it without hassle.
Audiovox has improved the ringtone quality from the previous model. Now the tunes sound good, not embarrassing, and you can also get sound effects and even voices yelling at you to answer the phone. (Of course that option will annoy everyone around you!) They even have a plain-sounding ring tone you can use, which believe it or not, the old 8500 model didn't have!
My one big complaint is that the ringtone doesn't get loud enough. I can hear other peoples' cell phones ring all the time on the bus, on the street, etc. But with the Audiovox 8610, if there's any ambient noise, forget it, you probably won't hear your phone ring even when it's set at maximum volume. I use the "ring and vibrate" setting to help make up for this.
Aside from the soft ringtones, I like this phone a lot and I recommend it!
33 Awsome Phone
Coming from the Party Animal this phone is awsome. Its got a nice solid feel too it, the screen is really nice. I've dropped it a few times and it hasnt affected it other than a scratch on the bottom. Good priced phone, nice screen, good call quality. Speakerphone function is definitely a plus. Customizable ringtones...i'd suggest this phone to any VM customer :)
34 Don't buy Audiovox
You might want to think twice about buying an Audiovox phone. I've had one for 2 1/2 months now. Well, I've actually had it only 2 months. It took a little over two weeks for the company to repair it when it stopped getting any signals.
But, less than 24 hours after I got it back the phone another problem! This time with the keypad. Audiovox won't let the dealer replace it. It's gotta be sent back again.
So, bad quality, bad repair, and bad customer service. Buy at your own risk.
35 Such a cool phone...
I just bought this phone yesterday so I suppose it could be awful in a few weeks but right now I LOVE it. I swoon over the way it looks -just too cute for words- and I'm blown away by the amazing color quality of the screen. I was also greatly impressed with how easy it was to activate (just log on to virgin mobile and activate). The sound quality is fantastic and much better so far than the AT&T wireless network. This phone utilizes the Sprint PCS system which seems to have better access in my area but perhaps not in everyone's. I understand that it has NO roaming at all so if that is an issue for you then I would not suggest this phone. I bought it primarily for emergencies and sporadic calls so it works for me but I would not recommend it for even moderate use as the money adds up quickly. It comes with $10 and spends out at .25 a minute up to the first 10 minutes per day and then goes down to .10 a minute afterwards.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I used up 4 minutes today just setting up my voicemail and that seemed like such a rip-off but perhaps there was a way to set it up using my landline and I could have saved the minutes.
All in all I am really pleased with the purchase of this fun phone.
36 Sleek, Chic, and Cute
I just bought this phone this past Friday to get ready for school. I can't wait to show it off. I'm almost 14 and I used to have the Party Animal. My friends thought I was still in the 20th century. It is a sleek phone with cute wallpapers. I especially like the Pinky one. I saved my $100+ to get this phone. I got it at Wal-mart for $98! My Party Animlal is going to my aunt. The coverage is good. Lost a few bars here and there. The thing I would change is the wallpapers, like downloading them. I love the external CID. My mom is actually jealous of me! I'll be showing my friends this cool new phone.
37 Excellent Phone
I bought this phone for $99.99 at Best Buy and I must say you are getting an excellent package for the money. What can you say when your getting a color flip phone with active flip and amazing features for such an inexpensive price. The phone itself has a wonderful and clear color display that's very easy on the eyes. The features are great, you get:Text Messaging,Games, Wallpaper, Ringtones that are downloadable and available for the cell phone user, plus much much more. The battery life is great for a color phone, I was amazed how much battery life I had left for how long I had it on throughout the day, plus it charges up very fast. All in all for the price you are getting an up to date and wonderful phone with jam packed features you wouldn't expect for what kind of service you are getting.
PROS:
65000 Color Display
Flip phone with active flip feature
Downloadable ringtones
excellent battery life
Cheaper than most Pay as you go services (EG: "TMobile Easyspeak")
great for the money
charge indicator and call indicator
CONS:
Could have came with more and better wallpaper (download optional)
at least a couple more games (4)(download optional)
I do have my Pros & My Cons about this phone, but what person doesn't have their Pros & Cons about anything. This is a great phone for the price and the features you get with the phone. It comes with excellent service & support. You are getting an effective phone that will keep you connected and feeling like you made the right choice by choosing the Vox 8610 with virgin mobile service. I know I did -------------CAN YOU?
38 Great phone, but Xtras are PRICEY
I bought this phone not too long ago and it has served me quite well. It had a voice mail I could actually set up (unlike my last phone) and is light weight and efficiant. But being a teen, as I am, I of course have to customize it to my liking. Enter Virgin Xtras. For a dime out of ones account it opens a close to endless link of information and fun from MTV. This is also the first phone to feature "Superphonic Ringtones" a.k.a ringtones that are actually part of a song insted of the basic rhythm and beats of monophonic and polyphonic ringtones. I'm in ecstacy over this; I can have all my favorite songs come out of my phone! The only problem...these ringtones costs $2.50. I know that doesnt seem like much, but if your like me, it can quickly build up on you if you get in the habit of added EVERY song you like. So the Xtras are expencive, but I believe they are worth it. The only other bad thing I can think of about this phone is that you cannot download backrounds or screensavers, your stuck with what they give you, which is to say, not much. Other than that, I find this phone to be a perfect companion for a teen-on-the-go.
39 Awesome for average cell user
What can I say. This is a great phone for the average cell phone user. Previous to owning this phone, I had the 8500, which was serviceable. But then I got this one and I've been pretty happy. My only major complaints are that you can barely hear the ringtones. I could have this thing on the loudest volume sitting next to me and still not hear it. On the 8500, on the loudest volume you could hear it a mile away. The same goes for the speakerphone. I love having it, but it's just not loud enough. That would have to be my major complaint about this phone. The screen is also a bit hard to see in direct sunlight, but that goes without saying.
On the plus side, the battery on this thing is just a mother. It lasts so long even if you are using it. I've had it last for over 10 days without charging at one point. The signal is this area is good, so no complaints there. I've rarely had a dropped call, either. The games are fun, too. I'm not going to complain about screensaves and wallpapers at all, because how often will you be looking at it? It's a flip phone.
I love the external CID. I love the keypad, it's very good and well sized. I like the little light on the front that blinks when you have a call or an alert. The inside menu is slick. I am also a big fan of text messanging, so if you like that, this is a good service to do it on.
But, even through all that, I am switching to Nextel because I am starting to use the cell too much for Virgin Mobile This is a good plan for a moderate or new cell phone user, but just to get to the 10 cents a minute after 10 minutes, you use $2.50 getting there. So if your a big time cell user, get a plan because this will start to catch up, but if your a moderate user who will only need to put in the minimum $20 every three months, then this is the perfect thing for you.
40 Execlent phone, but very expensive
I purchased my 8610 about 2 months ago and immediately I loved it. It has awesome futures like a color screen, buttons that are easy to access, the flip feature that allows you to answer and hang up easily, and cheap text messages ($.10 to send, free to receive). But after about a month I began to realize the downfalls of the service provider. First I've ended up spending upwards of $80 a month to maintain enough money on the phone to make calls; second Virgin Mobile runs its service off of Sprint which in my opinion is horrible. There are only certain places that I can make calls and they are frequently dropped, on the coverage map that you can find on the virgin mobile web site it shows that where I live (southern Ohio) is fully covered; it's not. The final thing that I find really annoying about this phone is that when I download ring tones, for about $2.50 each, I can't hear them when the phone rings, even if the phone is sitting right next to me and on the highest ring setting. Overall the phone it self is great, just not the service.
41 Pleased overall
Like many other reviewers I was not using enough minutes to justify a monthly plan. I had been interested in Virgin Mobile's pay-as-you-go plan and was excited when they came out with their beautiful new flip phone. After buying it, I have almost no complaints. The color screen is great, the games that come with it are fun little extras, and it's very easy to use. It also comes with a world clock, scheduler, calculator, and up to three alarms you can set (so don't pay $ .25 each to buy them off virgin). The wallpapers that come with it are okay, though I am not a fan of the ringtones. Right now virgin has a promo and you can get three free ringtones off their site though, so take advantage of it while you can. The only negative thing I would say about this phone is that the coverage could be better....but as long as you don't live in the middle of nowhere you should be okay.
42 Great Phone, Great Service
ok ill start with telling you why this is such a great phone
1. cool flip phone with external clock and caller id
2. amazingly detailed color screen
3. battery charges very fast
4. Speakerphone-great feature
5. downloadable superphonic ringtones that are the actual song, and the phone comes with 3 free ones
6. 2 great games-blackjack, magic hexa(tetris) that are very addicting
there are no downsides to the fone other than there are no downloadable backrounds.
the service (virgin mobile) is amazing.
you pay only 25 cents a miniute/ ten cents after 10 minutes. fone comes with 40 free minutes to start u off. I've had no proplems with reception and rarely have to even raise the antenna. u have to pay 20$ every 3 months to keep it active, but i find it easy to use 80 minutes in 90 days, and unused minutes roll over anyway.
overall this is an amazing cell phone and i recommend it to anyone that has $100 to spend on it. i dont think it is very expensive for such a great phone.
43 Battery Blow Out
AFter less then 6 months, my battery has gone to ***. I got a battery low message and when I plugged the phone in to charge, it wouldnt. So I shut it off hoping it would help. It proceeded to shut itself on and off over and over before it went capute.. To replace the battery, VM charges 70 dollars! The battery costs almost as much as the darn phone. I NOT going to top up to keep my number, it isn't worth it...
44 Good phone...
This phone is GREAT but it is VERY expensive. If you want to get a phone you can actually talk on that won't cost a lot, just go with a plan. I bought this phone because i didnt want to spend $30 a month on a plan. I regretted getting this phone immediately and i could not return it. If i actually use my phone, the money that i put on it would be gone in a week. It's a very expensive way to have a cell phone. For those of you who don't know, it is $.25 for the first ten minutes and $.10 a minute after that(and they charge you when you listen to your voicemail). Text messages cost $.10 per message. I realized that if i had to top up $30 every month, i would get MUCH more with a plan. So ive pretty much only used it for text messaging cuz the talking is SOO expensive. The VirginXtras arent very good. When i got the phone it said i had three free ringtones for some music campaign (they were free, thats the only reason i even got one) the ringtones were awful! they sound fine when you listen to them online, but when its on your phone it doesnt sound like a song, it sounds like noise (when you even hear it, most of the time i dont and i miss all of my calls). Also, when i would go into the menu on my phone, i always accicentally push virginxtras or topup which costs me $.25 each time (doesnt sound like a lot, but believe me it adds up). ALL of the backgrounds on the phone suck (they have a fist, a pineapple, "pinky", some virgin mobile background, "birdy", heart (this one is alright, but doesnt look good when you actually put it on the screen), a car,and "Julie"). You only have one choice in screensavers. Overall the games are very good. They have Black Jack and Magic Hexa (which is like tetris). Well thats all i have to say right now. I really do recommend getting a plan over this pay as you go plan.
45 fone sucks
miserable reception, poor quality and terrible graphics,. at a point i was excited when i had this fone but now it just sucks , when talking you can barely hear the person ur talkin to overall this is a crap phone.
46 Awesome Phone, All right service.
I bought the Audiovox 8610 about two days ago primarly because of the features and technology. The phone itself it amazing. For a 16 year old it's stylish, functional and fun. The screen is full of vivid color and the ringtones are out of this world. You can download your favorite song as your ringtone, making it your own. The only dissatisfication I found with it is the screen saver. I wish there was more than just one. The wallpaper choices are geared towards teens. I reccomend this to someone who is looking for something a little more up-to-date.
The "pay-as-you-go" service is an excellent choice for someone who doesn't need/use a lot of minutes. Twenty-five cents per minute for the first ten minutes, only 10 cents a minute after that for the rest of the day. You can purchase "top-up" cards in the amount of $20, $30, $50 or $100. You need to buy another card every 90 days (3 months) even if you have money in your balance. The reception is great, that is, if you're in the coverage area. In Virginia, that covers major interstates and highways. Thinking of taking the back way to work? Well I hope you don't need your cell phone en route. You can still call 911, but don't expect to call anyone or recieve any calls.
If you live in a metropolis area, there's coverage everywhere.
I give this phone 5 stars for the features and all-around appeal, alas, I only give the service 3 stars becuase of the coverage area. I hope this review helps.
47 Awesome phone
I just bought this phone 2 and a half weeks ago. However, two days after buying it I traveled overseas for almost 2 weeks so I have only used it a few days. So far it works very well, I've had no problems. I really wish there were downloadable wallpapers and screen savers but that is my only complaint. I anticipate the silver circle on the outside of the phone will get scratched off, but ya never know. In my town, I get really good reception so my calls are fine. This phone is great for anyone who doesn't mind having what everyone else has. And doesn't need a picture phone.
I highly recommend downloading the superphonic ringtones that play like real music...they're amazing!
48 Overall great phone
I have had virgin for about 2 year now (including this one) I just recently bought this phone less a week ago. Upgrading from Kryocera 2255. Which is no colors expect black font and blue backaround. Basic features phone book,recent call list,voice dailing and i think 3 or 4 games.
I think Audiovox 8610 is perfect for almost anyone. The price is okay but right now i just send in rebate for $50 back from Sam Goodie. Up front cost with tax is about 130.00/119.00 without. So I figure it perfect deal. Plus I actually got this phone cuz I thought lost old one. It turn out i just had hiden with under my bed.
I love the color screen it has 65k which look great. The ringtones are cool to. I prefer techno since im in my 20's. Phone book is also a plus, speaker phone also great feature if dont want to listen directly into from the phone. Speed dial is good incase you drive you just press the pre-set number you program press send it dials that person #.
It also has to games blackjack. It pretty easy for me. I always like playing it. The other game magic hexa have not spend much time. I wish put more game than 2. The wallpapers are okay. But they should include more.
---------------------------------
Service cost 25 cent per minute after 10 minutes you pay 10 from than forth in 24 hour period. 10 cent for text message/free to recieve. 2.50 per ringtone. Xtra I think are 10 per day.
20 /30/50/100 top cards for when you run out minutes. They also have auto top if count goes below certain it automatically up more minutes or you can purchase from retailer like best buys or 7-Eleven.
I suggest using for emergercies or calling your parents to tell where your at and when going to be home. Because you can use up your minutes fast with 20 or 30 card. If you want to talk a bf or gf have them call but tell you call them from home phone so you dont have buy a new top card the next day. If long distance call you better off using the cell. Remember it same rate 25 per minute.
One last thing you have to top up once every 3 months.
49 This looks very very cool!
I am about to get a virgin phone. Every review i had saw so far said that this is the best virgin phone. I am very interested to get my phone by the end of the month. Does anyone know how to work the screen-savers and wallpapers lol?? Thanks a lot!
50 Much improved over the 8500
I have had Virgin Mobile for about a year and a half now. I really am happy with the service. I used to be with AT&T on a contract but was feed up with going over on minutes and paying a horribly high bill. When I started with VM, I had the "Party Animal" phone. Decent starter phone. Then I bought the "Vox 8500"-which I lost about 6 months after buying it-, then the "K7 Rave" and now have the "Vox 8610". I only had the 8500 a short time, but in that time I noticed some shortcomings, which are listed below:
1. Reception was not the greatest with the 8500. I have had about 9 cell phones in the past 3 years, and drive the same route to and from work every day. The 8500 got little or no reception in certain areas, where the K7 did. The 8610 isn't as good in certain areas as my K7, but is much better than the 8500, and in most cases I don't need to extend the antenna.
2. The address book/contact list on the 8500 was way too difficult to get to. I was afraid this would be this case on the 8610, but it's not. On the main screen, the word "contacts" is positioned above a key for easy access, then you call scroll through your contacts. Another reviewer mentioned the lack of voice dial. I never did get the hang of voice dial, so it's a feature I don't miss. It does have 2 way speakerphone, which sounds good.
3. The screen on the 8610 is excellent with it's 65000 color LCD. The 8500 had, I think 4 or 6 colors that the back light would be, but it was very hard to see the screen. The colors on the 8610 are very vibrant, and pictures good.
4. The 8500 didn't offer any games. I use my cell phone to amuse myself when bored, so not having games was a big negative. The 8610 has blackjack, which is super funa dn easy to play, and Magic Hexa, which is a Tetris-esque game. The Magic Hexa game I don't like at all, and would rather had Tetris, like on my K7 Rave.
5. Size. The 8610 is actually a bit bigger than the 8500, and I like that. I was always losing the 8500(ultimately lost in a pile of leaves, to be damaged by weather). The 8610 is the perfect size to me, comfortable for talking, the keypad is a good size, and easy to use. Plus the outside has more buttons-one to light the external screen. Also, the charger isn't the little rubber piece you had to take out to charge the phone, this 8610 uses the same type my K7 Rave uses.
Now for the gripes-
It has the capabilities for wallpaper and screensavers. They do offer you a few wallpapers, but only one screensaver. I found a wallpaper I like, but I don't like the single screensaver. Virgin is so gung-ho on offering "hip" ring tones, why can't they make wallpaper and screesavers available?
The 8610 comes with 5 ringtones, which sound neat. I had listened to a few online, and was excited to be able to get actual songs. Once downloaded, the songs didn't sound so great. The polyphonic ring tones sound great though. The rings are rather quiet, but I usually have my phone on vibrate, so that's a minor point.
Virgin Mobile has internet links to such things as MTV, VH-! and Comedy Central. Geared towards teens, this doesn't interest me, an almost 30 year old business professional. I would like it if Virgin would open the internet access so I could check email, eBay, etc. That's not a fault of the phone though.
I toyed with getting the "Slider", but after reading reviews, and looking at it in person, it seems to be more of a "fad" phone. Overall, I am very please with my 8610. I feel it was worth the money for features and usage. I would recommend this phone if you want something a little higher end. If just testing the waters, check out the K7 Rave, it's also a great phone.
51 next time u need a fone, get this one!!!
this fone looks SO GREAT!!! im about to get it soon, in like a week or two, but i read all i could about it, and IT'S AWSOME!!! i would recomend this fone to anyone who needs a small, lightweight, easy-to-use fone that can get money on it ANYTIME!!! prepaid fones SOOOOOO beat contracts, because if you have a plan, they give you so many miutes, and when u run out, u'r out, unless you decied to buy a couple minutes(depending on ur service) for 25 cents a minute!!! what kind of deal is that? and even if you don't use all your minutes you bought with a plan, you still get charged!!! with Virgin Mobile, all you have to do is just buy new minutes, AS YOU WANT, even if you don't need anymore, when you need them, aka within 90 days to keep it on!! how smart!!! and people say that ringtones are a rip-off, but i don't thik so, because that's just one way to EXPRESS yourself, and it's only two dollars!!! wow, i mean, that's not alot. if you don't want to pay 2.00, just don't buy them, or other people can buy them for you!!! it's that simple!! and what way is better then having a choice? you don't have to buy them!!!
52 WOW!!
Exellent phone!! I would HIGHLY reccomend this phone. Crystal clear calls, and a beautiful screen. The keys light up green. It doensn't have a lot of ringtones, but you can download them. WOW!!!
53 Some improvements over the 8500 series
I previously owned an Audiovox 8500 and upgraded to the 8610. It is an improved phone in many ways. The keypad is larger and easier to operate. The screen has color. The 8610 lacks the voice dialing feature, but I didn't really miss it. However, I had to return the phone when I discoverd that the ringtones on the 8610 are only 1/2 as loud as the ringtones on the original 8500. In noisy environments, I couldn't hear the phone ringing. So I'm back to my 8500.
54 Great phone but
I have read all the other reviews and they are on point. the one thing that I would like to see added is data capability. It has a dataport and there is software for the non- Virgin phones, but not the Virgin model. per Virgin, adding the software would void the phone warranty. This is a great phone and has even greater potential. Come on Virgin, add these features. Customers are waiting to buy them.
55 FINALLY!!!!
i wanted a prepaid cell-phone that i could actually enjoy. I FOUND IT BABY! it is only $113 and im luvin it! it is lightweigt, amazing sound, bright color screen, entertaining games, awesome reseption and amazing content from virgin mobile. 1 con tho.... the ringtones are not that loud. but other than that this is the best phone ive ever had!
56 Best buy among Virgin Mobile phones
I only use 40 minutes per month on my cell phone, and my verizon plan was costing me $40 per month, that is about $1.00 per minute. After that plan expired, I decided to switch to a prepaid phone. I bought the Audiovox 8610 a week ago and I love it. Before buying it, I did tons of research on the net and in stores. I was looking for a good looking phone with a built-in speaker phone, and not too expensive.
I compared Rave K7, Vox 8500, Vox 8610 (this one), and Slider V5. I don't like Rave K7 because it is big and looks too cheap. I don't want to be embarrassed to be seen using this antique looking phone in public. Vox 8500 is small and I was really attempted to get it in the beginning, but later on I found tons of complaints on the internet about its reception. Reception is important to me, so Vox 8500 is out of the picture too. Then I had a hard time choosing between the $150 Slider V5 and the $120 Vox 8610. I finally decided on Vox 8610 for the following reasons.
1) 8610 has slightly better reception than the Slider, according to users to have both phones and compared them side by side.
2) Slider's sliding mechanism tends to become loose after a while. Also, when the slider mechanism becomes loose, the phone will open up in your pocket when you walk. 8610's time-proven clam-shell design is more reliable.
3) Slider and 8610 have almost identical features. Both have speaker phone, which is important to me. I don't want to put the phone against my ear that close and catch brain cancer. I don't bring the ear-bud with me often either, so I was specifically looking for a cell phone with a built-in two way speaker phone.
4) 8610 allows you to enter up to 3 phone numbers under one name. Slider only allows one number per name in its address book, which forces you to create a much longer list to scroll through.
5) Slider has some MTV features, 2 more games, and a few more wallpapers. 8610 has supersonic ringtones. All of these features are useless to me. I neither use nor care about these features.
6) I will put the phone in my pocket. Slider's convex screen can be easily scratched this way. On the other had, 8610 doesn't have this problem
7) From the aesthetic standpoint, 8610 is more elegant and looks good in a boardroom and on the street. Slider was new 6 months ago, but now it looks geeky and too teenage-looking. I am an adult and don't want to be seen carrying a teenager's toy.
8) 8610's color screen is sharper and better than the one on slider.
9) Slider's keypad is too small, and many people are complaining about it. 8610's keyboard has a good size and feel to it. It lights up too.
10) Audiovox and Kyocera are using the same Qualcomm CDMA chips and technologies. That is why these two phones have almost identical features. They even have the same data connector. People plugs Kyocera Slider's data cable onto 8610's data port, and can upload and download data from the phone.
11) Slider is a bit fragile, and some people have already broken it apart after a few months. 8610 looks and feels more sturdy and durable.
12) 8610 has longer battery life. It has 7 days standby time versus 4 days on the Slider.
13) There are tight-fitting cellphone leather/rubber cases that allow me to use 8610 with the case on. I currently cannot find any cases that allow me to use the Slider with the case on.
14) Finally, 8610 costs $120, which is $30 cheaper than Slider.
I also discovered that I can use this phone to send and receive short emails to any email boxes. I think this applies to all Virgin Mobile phones. The email address of your phone is your 10 digit phone number plus "@vmobl.com". For example: 7185551212@vmobl.com. All incoming text message are free, and it only costs $0.10 to send one.
I get good signal reception in Ithaca, NY. Voice and text communication works well whether I am on Cornell campus or in downtown. Virgin Mobile prepaid cell phone is great for people who don't want to pay $40 for 40 minutes of usage per month.
57 Outstanding
As a light to moderate cell phone user, I found this phone (the 8610) and Virgin Mobile perfect for my needs.
Adding $20 once every three months to keep the phone active is great, especially since the purchased minutes essentially roll over if unused. Being in a major SoCal city, my reception is consistently outstanding and better than my previous contract service, though it should be noted one can't use the phone (beyond 911) in "roaming" areas on the Sprint network -- one is limited to the formal Sprint PCS network which generally covers major cities and roads in all 50 states.
Minutes are currently 25 cents per minute for the first ten minutes each day, then 10 cents thereafter. No peak/off-peak stuff, no long-distance, etc. Perfect for what I need periodically. I know I'm sounding like a VM marketing person, but I'm not one. :)
Biggest downside to the 8610 is that it's a VM-specific phone. One is more-or-less pretty much stuck with their ringtones / wallpapers / games, though they have pretty nice additional ringtone offerings at the least at the VM website (for $2-$2.50). I suppose one might also have to deal with the VM brand being geared towards the youth / MTV crowd in general, but I personally couldn't care less.
Anyway, all-in-all, an outstanding phone and service for those who don't want monthly bills / sometimes don't use their phone enough to justify normal contracts. If I were to use a phone with family enough long-distance (or wanted WAP access), I might find a "family plan" elsewhere, but I absolutely couldn't be happier for now.
I was waiting for this kind of phone and very affordable prepaid "plan" that Virgin Mobile offers for years, and continue to be ecstatic with the phone and service for my own relatively mild needs. All I might suggest is that one also consider the "slider" phone also presently offered, as some seem to occasionally prefer it as an option.
58 Great Phone
This phone is awesome but at my house i get no reception but when i get into town i get reception which is fine since i'll just use my home phone. my only complaint is that a little over a week after i got it the blackjack on't work and it still isnt. i dont know what happened but it wont let me bet so virtually i cannot play it!!!!!!
59 5 stars baby
well i will make this plain and simple, wonderful phone in my opinion! i think the song id and real song ringtones are really kiil and the color screen is really really clear! if u dont have htis phone switch and get it and i promise u will not be disapointed. only cons are the games are ok and they say u can download games but u cant yet and no one knows how to add wall papers yet, so other than that 5 stars baby!
60 Generally a good phone for a low end user
I was shocked with the service plans that are offered now when my brother renwed his contract with another company. Initially, we were going to grab a family plan, but those were so outrageous, that I had to find my own plan.
The standard battery I got did not last as long as 7 days when I first fully charged it. I average about 3-4 days between recharges and I'm not a big user. (This was a key feature choice over the older 8500)
Customer service was good, and the Top-up cards are everywhere.
There are some places where coverage is a little spotty, but all and all Sprint has done a wonderful job in providing good signals. Check the Sprint service map before you buy if you're in a smaller city.
Virgin is a good choice for occasional users who aren't heavy on their phones.
61 MUCH better than Sony w/ AT&T
I bought two of these phones with Virgin Mobile's prepaid service for myself and my husband. We've had them about 2-3 weeks, and are amazed at the clarity of reception and the strength of the connections. AT&T's were never this clear, and we had the 'premium' GSM digital service. When we decide the kids can have a cell phone, we're planning on going with these. They'll have to earn the $$ to keep their phone(s) charged by helping out around the house.
I thought it was VERY cool that the user calls Virgin, and activates their new cell phone over their home phone. I was astounded that what took approximately 5-10 minutes per phone was what the 'contract' services charge $35 or more for. It really was easy; the support person was very friendly and helpful, too.
62 Great Phone!
I got this phone so I could give my mom my 'Party Animal' Virgin phone which was fine for keeping in the car, but this 8610 is so much more portable I find myself taking it with me wherever I go (which is saying a lot since I don't like things cluttering up my pockets or belt). I recommend the Virgin brand 'hydro-formed' case for it at Best Buy. It fits perfectly and clips onto your belt nicely. You hardly know it's there since the phone is lightweight and handy. Even though the 8610 is lightweight, I find battery life to be terrific and lives up to its advertised capacity.
The color screen is very nice. It's easy to read and has good brightness and contrast, except of course, outdoors, where all lcd screens are hard (and sometimes impossible) to read. The mini-screen on the outside of the phone is cool since it shows you the date, time, signal strength, ring mode (vibrate or ringtone), voice mail message indicator (if any) and battery strength. Also, when you get a call, if that person is in your phone's address book, their name also shows up on the screen (which is backlit if you hit a button on the outside of the phone.)
The address book is the best part for me. You store numbers by person, and each person can have a cell number, a home number, an office number, and an email address. Selecting which number to dial is easy since the numbers are all grouped under the person's name and you just click through that small list. (Unlike the Party Animal and my wife's 'Slider' where each different number has to be a seperate list entry which creates one long list you have to scroll through.)
Audio quality is fine. (It's a cell phone.) It has a microphone volume adjustment, but you'll have to ask your caller how effective it is. The rocker button that operates it isn't even labeled which way to make it louder or softer.
There are 5 polyphonic ringtones, 4 of which will appeal to Virgin's target demographic of teens and 20-somethings. For us older folks who like Virgin for the great deal it is, there's one very nice simple ring called "Jingle" (the one I use). However, all 8 of the color screen backgrounds are very youth oriented: a batmobile, a fist, a pineapple, a pattern of hearts, and 4 abstract graphic screens. The abstract ones are fine, but they should have included at least one plain, solid colored background. I decided on the batmobile. You can modify the top of the background with your own message. Since I can never remember my own number, I set mine to be my cell number.
Coming from the Party Animal phone, I didn't realize my favorite feature about a flip phone would be how you answer and hang up: you just open and close the phone! Very cool. This can be turned off in the menu system, though, if you prefer to press a button to answer/hang up. The phone's buttons are easy to press and not too small.
The included tools are 3 separate alarms (each can be one-time or daily) using any ringtone; Scheduler- same thing but using a calendar (great for top-up reminders); Calculator; Stopwatch; and lastly World Clock. Unfortunately, there's no convenient tip calculator. :-(
There are two games: BlackJack and Magic Hexa. Hopefully another reviewer can tell you about them. I don't use them.
In summary, it's a great phone with lots of good features, it's lightweight so it's very easy to carry with you, and add to that the great Virgin pricing for us infrequent talkers, and you've got a great deal. Highly recommended.
63 Great Phone!
Wow! I can not believe the price tag on this phone! It's great!
Features-
>Flip Design
>External Caller ID (1 Inch) (White Backlight)
>Full Color Screen (1.8 Inch) (White Backlight)
>2-Way Speakerphone
>2-Way Text Messaging (10 Cents to Send/Free to Receive)
>Free Voicemail
>Song ID
>Two Entertaining Games
>Free E-Mail Address~ YourNumber@vmobl.com
>Exclusive Content from MTV and VH1
>Real Music Clips for Ringtones! ($2.50 Each)
>Rubber Keypad (Green Backlight)
>Customized Ringtones & Graphics from Virgin Mobile
>Volume Control Buttons on Left Side Panel
>Single Button to activate External Caller ID Backlight on Left Side Panel
INCLUDED IN BOX:
>Audiovox Vox 8610 Handset
>Compatible Battery
>Home Charger
>$10 Starter Airtime
>When you activate your phone online you can get $5 extra balance for free! (Note: Must enter promotional code HIPSTER)
A holster for this phone is available for $9 at
VirginMobileUSA.com
Car Charger, Spare Battery, Travel Charger, Headset also available at VirginMobileUSA.com.
GREAT RATES!
>25 Cents a minute for the first 10 minutes each day, and 10 cents a minutes after that!
>Text Messaging/E-mail: 10 Cents to Send/Free to Receive
>Free Voicemail (Airtime charges apply to check)
>Free Nationwide Roaming on Sprint PCS Network
>Free Long Distance
