Verizon Wireless Escapade – the Basic World Phone for Globe-trotting

Manufactured by PCD, the Verizon Wireless Escapade is a clamshell handset designed for Verizon customers who need to travel around the world occasionally. On top of the compatibility of both CDMA and GSM networks, the phone is also equipped with several functional features, such as a 2.0-megapixel camera, Bluetooth support, GPS and a mobile web browser, to satisfy your basic communication needs.

As a dual-mode CDMA/GSM phone, the Escapade allows users to place voice calls in more than 220 destinations worldwide. You can use Verizon’s CDMA network for making local calls when you are in the U.S., or use the pre-installed Vodafone SIM card on any GSM network when you are traveling abroad. However, you cannot use the SIM card within the nation, as Verizon does not have roaming agreements with AT&T or T-Mobile USA.

The Escapade sports a number of messaging features for you to stay in the social circle on the go. Not only does it support text, picture and voice messaging with T9 predictive text, it also offers mobile instant messengers from AIM, Windows Live and Yahoo. For emailing, you can either receive them via mobile Web e-mail, or via Verizon’s mobile email service that works with services like Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL.

Additionally, the handset comes with Verizon’s VZ Navigator for audible GPS-guided directions to more than 15 million points of interest in the country. Using the wireless web browser, you will find a wide range of wallpaper, graphics, ring tones, alert tones and games for purchase and download to personalize your phone.

The world phone has a flip form factor, measuring 3.9" long by 1.9" wide and 0.9" thick and weighing 3.4 ounces, which is rather lightweight and compact. On the front, there is a 1.1-inch 65,000-color CSTN external display, while the 2-inch TFT internal display shows 262,000 colors and 176x229-pixel resolutions. It has a bilingual interface supporting English and Spanish.

Other useful features you will find include Bluetooth support, a 500-entry phone book, a 2.5mm headset jack, a proprietary charger/data port, 53MB internal memory, plus a 2.0-megapixel camera with zoom and video recording capabilities. On the downside, it lacks a memory card slot and a music player.

The Verizon Escapade does not boast many advanced features like most of the smartphones on the market. But for casual travelers who want a simple camera phone for easy and convenient international communications, the Verizon Escapade can absolutely serve the purpose.

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