Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I really wanted to like this phone. The look of it is very sharp and the screen is nice and clear, with great graphics. It's small and fits well in the palm of my hand. The interface is slick and intuitive. It has a decent internal memory (60 MB) as well as supporting microSD cards. Most quibbles were minor enough to ignore (like button sensitivity). I liked almost everything except the reason I bought it. More on that shortly.
Some minor gripes:
As has been mentioned in other reviews, the interface is always a little touchy in some way, particularly the OK button, even after adjusting the sensitivity.
I'm not sure if this is an LG decision or Verizon, but the phone isn't fully capable out of the box. They advertise a music phone, but in order to be able to use it to its full capacity you'll need to get their Music Essentials kit for another 30 bucks, and all you get is a proprietary USB cable and some mediocre headphones. Anyone who buys Nokia phones knows this stuff is almost always included, especially if it's proprietary or required for specific features on the phone (like playing music).
The main reason for purchasing this phone, however, was to have a remote storage device along with being able to play MP3s. My previous phone was a Nokia 3300, which was billed as an MP3 phone, and worked great for that. I could put in a memory card, plug the USB into the computer, and it pops up as a removeable disk, and i could copy files to and from the phone like any other USB thumb/flash drive, no special software required (not even drivers, depending on the OS). This is great for me, because I work and go to school and am constantly shuffling files back and forth between the two and home. The Chocolate does not offer that versatility.
The only way you can copy stuff to the Choclate is using a sync feature via Windows Media Player 10; it does now show up in Windows Explorer when the USB is plugged in. That means the only thing you can copy to the phone is music, so no using it for portable storage. Also, the phone doesn't seem to accept anything except CBR mp3s, preferably ripped by Windows Media Player. Given that I've accumulated over 1000 CDs over the years and have ripped them using various methods with various software, most of my collection won't transfer. The only solution from Verizon's support (who know very little about the phone, I might add) was to re-rip everything using WMP. This is an unacceptable solution, especially since my Nokia would play just about anything I threw at it.
Also annoying, you can't use any of your MP3s as ringtones. I briefly tried the bitpim software, but the Chocolate isn't supported yet and there were various minor issues, most notably it didn't seem to recognize the memory card I purchased for the phone, only the internal memory. Bottom line is I shouln't have to rely on 3rd party software to hack my own phone to get it to work the way i want it.
Perhaps Nokia has spoiled me. No doubt some will say that means I'm just closed-minded, but I've had my 3300 for some time now and it's worked great. Everything was intuitive and versatile. Nokia doesn't intentionally gimp their products like Motorola's SLVR (why iTunes? gah!) or LG's Chocolate.
In short, if you're just looking for a flashy, stylish phone the LG Chocolate fits the bill nicely. Just don't expect it to be the great media player it's been advertised to be. And certainly don't count on it as a remote storage device.
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LG's newest mobile treat, the VX-8500 Chocolate offers minimalist-inspired style and a silky-smooth slider design. Deluxe features include support for V Cast Music, glowing touch-sensitive navigation keys, a powerful integrated music/video player, a 1.3 megapixel camera/camcorder, stereo Bluetooth capabilities, and a microSD memory slot for extra storage. If you value extreme style mixed with powerful substance, this is the phone for you.
Design The phone features a seriously attractive open-faced design with an internal antenna and a vibrant 240 x 320 pixel, 262,000-color TFT/TFD display. A touch sensor click wheel, similar to iPod, and sliding design set the phone apart stylistically. Opening the slider reveals a numeric keypad, as well as the 1.3-megapixel camera and LED flash, which are housed on the rear of the phone. The volume and voice slide keys are on the left of the phone, while the music, camera and "end" keys are on the right side. A memory card slot is provided for MicroSD/TransFlash memory cards of up to 2 GB capacity. The phone includes 512 MB of internal memory.Calling Features The Chocolate boasts powerful calling functions, such as speaker independent voice dialing, which makes it easy to call contacts by simply saying their names. No prior voice training is required and you can even speak individual digits to the phone for quick dialing of numbers you know by heart. And because the Chocolate is Bluetooth enabled, wireless headsets can be configured with the phone for total handsfree operation.
The Chocolate's internal memory can hold up to 500 contacts for quick access to email addresses and phone numbers. The phone lets you easily assign pictures as well as ringtones to your most common callers. In addition to vibrating alerts, the phone supports polyphonic ringtones, and a number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Verizon's Get It Now service. Lastly, the Chocolate's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911.
Messaging, Internet, and Tools The phone's support for multimedia messaging means that text, photos, video and audio can be sent with ease (Verizon messaging charges apply). When used in combination with the Chocolate's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. There's also a built-in web browser for downloads and mobile web browsing. Verizon's optional Mobile Web 2.0 package allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. You can check your e-mail, trade stocks online, compare prices while shopping, access flight information, get movie listings and find directions to the theater. 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.
With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, the Chocolate is fully compatible with Verizon's V Cast service. With V Cast, you can download and stream high-quality video. Need news and weather? Get the latest Accuweather forecast delivered right to your handset, or stream CNN news headlines. ESPN sports updates, entertainment news from E!, and even Sesame Street content for the kids, are all available. V Cast also serves as a portal for enhanced 3D games, making it possible to have more fun with a new breed of realistic games.
Verizon's music service is another EV-DO-powered service that makes the Chocolate all the more desirable. With V Cast music, your phone is a music player, letting you jam out wherever you are. It's also a music store, and you can download songs instantly to your phone. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that's right for you. You can even pause to take a call without missing a beat.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the Chocolate including a voice memo recorder that can record calls, a calculator, a calendar, and an alarm clock. You can even set the alarm to wake you to your favorite music. Also included with the Chocolate is Verizon's VG Navigator software, which allows you to get real-time, turn-by-turn audible directions as you're driving.
Imaging and Entertainment The Chocolate's is a 1.3-megapixel digital camera features a flash, as well as digital zoom, self-timer, night-mode functions, and brightness and white balance controls. The camera also offers up to one-hour of video capture. A built-in music player with stereo speakers and an equalizer, offering MP3 and WMA playback, lets you keep your music playing in the background. You can also take advantage of the Chocolate's Bluetooth wireless headset capability, allowing you to hook up a pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones.EV-DO Wireless Broadband Coverage Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.
Vital Statistics The LG VX-8500 Chocolate weighs just 3.53 ounces and measures 3.80 x 1.88 x .69 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of digital talk time, and up to 384 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 850/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one-year limited warranty.
Note: The LG Chocolate supports the Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, Advanced Audio Distribution, and Object Push for vCard. It does not support all Bluetooth object transfer (OBEX) profiles
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