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.