Hey Tobivan,
Excellent question my friend! The main difference is that Phone View is accessed via the phone after you have dialed into voicemail and entered the "Conversation" and the Widget is accessed directly from the phone screen. The Widgets are only supported on the 7.x versions of CCM/Unity/Unity Connection;
Visual Voicemail
You can view, listen and respond to Cisco Unity and
Cisco Unity Connection messages right from the Cisco
Unified IP Phone display without having to dial into your
corporate voicemail box.
Visual Voicemail Application Requirements
supported Cisco Unified IP Phones
Cisco IP Phone 7941, 7941G-GE, 7961,
7961G-GE, 7970, 7971, 7942, 7945,
7962, 7965 and 7975 models
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 7.0
Cisco Unity Version 7.0
Cisco Unity Connection Version 7.0
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6882/ps9156/at_a_glance_c45-487475.pdf
Phone View can be used with either the touchtone or the voice recognition version of the phone conversation.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/2x/user_mac/guide/2xcucmac040.html#wpxref71237
Finding Messages by Using the Phone View Option
The Phone View option allows you to search for voice messages by using the Display Messages menu, and select a message to play back from results displayed on the LCD screen of your Cisco IP phone.
Phone View can be used with either touchtone keys or with voice commands, and the criteria that you use to search for messages depends on the conversation version that you are using.
Based on the criteria that you enter, Connection displays results on your IP phone, as they are found. By default, messages are presented in order of newest to oldest-regardless of whether the messages are new or saved-though your Connection administrator may change this playback order.
This section contains two procedures for using the Phone View option to find messages by phone. Do the applicable procedure, depending on whether you are using touchtone keys or voice commands.
The procedures use keypad mappings for the standard conversation
To Find Messages by Using the Phone View Option (Using Touchtone Keys)
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Step 1 Log on to Cisco Unity Connection.
Step 2 Press 5 to access Message Locator.
Step 3 Use the following keys to define your search:
Key Action
1 Find voice messages from another user. When prompted, use the phone keypad to spell the user name or to enter the extension of the user. Press # # to switch between spelling and number entry.
2 Find voice messages from all outside callers.
3 Find voice messages from a specific outside caller. When prompted, use the phone keypad to enter the phone number-or part of the number-of the caller, followed by #.
4 Find all new voice messages.
5 Find all voice messages.
Step 4 When the list of messages displays on the LCD screen, use the following soft keys to select the message to play back:
Key Action
Select Start message playback from the selected message.
Next Go to the next page of messages, if applicable.
Previous Go to the previous page of messages, if applicable.
More Displays the Goto and Exit soft keys. This key appears only on phones that display a maximum of 4 soft keys.
Goto Skip to the message specified.
Phone View displays a screen that allows you to specify the message number by using the phone keypad. When the number is entered, the message is highlighted.
Exit Exit the Phone View display. This action returns you to the search criteria prompt.
From this good doc;
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/2x/user/guide/2xcucug090.html#wp1060816
Hope this helps!
Rob
