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One of the biggest complaints about Verizon is that despite good domestic coverage, you simply can’t take your phone overseas. That’s because Verizon uses CDMA technology for their phones and network, which is limited, in essence, to the U.S. and Canada. The rest of the world uses GSM, which makes it easier for T-Mobile and AT&T customers to roam internationally — though having locked phones makes that a bit more difficult. Anyway, Verizon has introduced a phone that runs on CDMA technology in the States, but when you travel abroad, it switches over to GSM. Nifty, eh? So now Verizon customers can take their Motorola Z6c with them overseas and use it wherever Verizon has a roaming agreement.

The phone isn’t much special. It’s a slider, featuring multimedia functions like V-Cast Video and Music. However, it appears those download functions will not work overseas. It also has a 2.0 MP camera, Bluetooth, and microSD expandability.

The catch, as always, is the price. Roaming rates are either $1.29 or $2.49 per minute, depending on the country in which you’re roaming. Text messages sent and received internationally are 25 cents each.

And then you have the cost of the phone: $180 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year contract.

So it’s expensive, but sometimes the cost is justified if you’re on Verizon and you’re heading overseas.

[InformationWeek]

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