Verizon's simplest global roaming phone is a little too simple for us. Motorola Z6c adds support for global voice networks (GSM and CDMA) as well as EV-DO support on Verizon's own network and in 22 other countries that use CDMA technology. Verizon introduced the new Motorola Z6c slider phone, just 1 week after being shown off and approved by the folks over at the FCC. The Z6c and Z6tv use different chip sets, which means they have somewhat different features and different phone performance. The Z6c has no mobile TV, and it isn't as good a voice phone as the Z6tv. The Z6c fell behind our benchmark Motorola E815 in being able to connect calls, and volume wobble in the speakerphone was more noticeable than on the Z6tv. Earpiece volume was pretty loud, with enough in-ear feedback to prevent your having to yell into the phone. Voice dialing works over wired or Bluetooth headsets, though you have to use an included adapter to plug in standard wired headsets; the phone's only port is a micro-USB that's also used for charging and syncing. Talk time, at over 5 hours, is excellent. But you won't want to go GSM all the time with the Z6c there are features that are only accessible via the CDMA network, such as e-mail, IM, the Web browser, and multimedia messaging Of course, you'll also only be able to access Verizon's V Cast Music and V Cast Video if you're on Verizon's CDMA network. Other features of the phone include a 2.0-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot, and stereo Bluetooth. Motorola Z6c is a "world phone", which means that it's a dual-mode GSM/CDMA handset. It comes equipped with a 2-inch QVGA display, a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth with A2DP and a microSD card slot for up to 4GB of extra memory. The Z6c's special power is CDMA/GSM roaming. Verizon, like Sprint, uses the CDMA radio system. That works in the U.S., Canada, parts of Mexico, and about 30 other countries, but not in the rest of the world—most notably, not in Europe, which uses GSM. Verizon customers who travel to Europe must either carry two phones or get one of the few phones that combine the CDMA and GSM networks. On Verizon, that means either this handset or the BlackBerry 8830.
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