LG Chocolate VX8550 (black, Verizon Wireless)
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"Great phone definately worth taking a look at" on by srs1286
Pros: Absolutely everything is adjustable in settings, light up scroll wheel
Cons: attracts smudges
Summary: I have been reading a lot of reviews and comments about this phone. Most are of people who havent played around with the phone that much. Everything is adjustable on the phone including sensitivity of the touchpad buttons and sensitivity of the scroll wheel to fit your liking. The phone comes default with an automatic lock when the phone is closed. I happen to love this feature so that it doesnt go off in your pocket but again if this bugs you it can be turned to manual in settings. I have not used the music player on my phone but have in the verizon store. It is very simple and easy to work with now that there is a headphone jack and up to 4gig of memory. They have added a few features that you dont need but that make the phone unique and I happen to love them. When you use the touch pad buttons the phone vibrates (sort of sounds stupid now but a nice feature if your not looking at the phone while pushing the buttons) as well as the scroll light around the wheel that follows the wheel as you turn it. The battery is improved from the last chocolate. I have yet to go through 2 bars of battery in one day. The camera has also been improved and takes very crisp pictures even though it is still only 1.3 mp. Call quality is great and they now have added a dedicated speakerphone button with a larger speaker so there is no or not as much distortion.
All in all this is an amazing phone for the average user and definately worth the look. I gave it a 9 simply because of the smudges and they didn't have a 9.5 available. For those poeple who are writing reviews complaining about scroll wheel speed and touchpad buttons not working well then just go into settings and change sensitivity. -
"Functions better than any other music phones." on by specic
Pros: Stylish, Navigates well, Features plentiful
Cons: Touch buttons misfire sometimes, Music menus could be better.
Summary: It can do everything the iPhone would have done for me and MORE.
To begin it is Highly Stylish. I have received many comments on how nice it is.
The slider design is good and not loose or awkward like I would have imagined. (This also protects the camera lens) I like having actual keys for the number pad and I do not like having QWERTY boards… if you are the same, you’ll like this phone. I can text as fast using the Ole’ Numbers and a bit of counting.
There are the built in functions like Calculator, Tip Calculator, Alarm, Stop-watch & Notepad.
I can access my work IMAP e-mail to the phone.
I still haven't figured out how to sync the calendar with my outlook, but that is just a matter of short time now. (Susteen’s: DataPilot will surely have software soon to perform the task.)
The GPS Navigation is EXCELLENT and I like how it recalibrates and makes driving with its verbal announcements easy.
You can manage your music on the phone, sync with Media Center or download to the phone directly (Although still to pricy at 1.99 per song, buy the music on line at 0.99 and sync it over). The music menus could be a bit better. A graphic folder system that allowed the files to be moved into the play list would make it easier to create and manage. The music synthesized equalizer options are a nice touch.
Bluetooth Stereo connection for the headset is great. The ability to answer calls with the LG version of the headset on makes it an easy sell. (The Motorola set also has answering ability)
Games are great and plentiful… with an option to play against others (Online play – Does use phone time!!!)
The Voice commands are great. It is like talking to those irritating phone lists, but with a little training, the Chocolate does exactly what you want it to do.
The camera was a VERY nice surprise. Its quality impressed me immensely and I use it often now. I have even quit carrying the small digital camera for work, because this phone camera is nicely equipped. Verizon also made it easy to submit the photos to albums at your online account, where you can print them through a photo service, share them, alter them for MMS messaging, or get them to the computer without having to sync. You also have the option to save them to your memory card, where you can upload them to the computer through an SD card reader.
The battery has not been a problem on this phone. I was able to listen to music for about 3 hours, use navigation for an hour to get through Chicago construction zones, talk on the phone, and let the kids play with the games all on our family trip to Chicago. The total was approximately 5.5 – 6 hours of a variety of uses before we wore the battery out. Get the extended battery and you should never have a problem.
Be sure to tune the phone in to your liking, this will prevent my only other con of misfiring buttons. There are four touch sensitive buttons and they have different sensitivity levels you can set.
This is a phone that has a higher rating and in my opinion many more practical features than the other music phones in the market. You will enjoy it! -
"Not bad. Sexy design. Need time to get used to." on by gearsx
Pros: Slim Design, Great camera, easy to use scroll wheel, cool lights around scroll wheel, more tactile keypad, headphone jack. Slider phone! Loud speaker.
Cons: Touch pad is annoying, sometimes does not respond, need time to get used to. Attracts smudges.
Summary: After 1 week of using this phone, I have found a lot of good and bad things about this phone. The phone has a great camera (better than the previous chocolate). This phone has a scroll wheel. It is tactile and is much easier to use than the previous chocolate. The touch pad buttons take some time to get used but its not that bad. The scroll wheel has a cool blue and red light that you can change for when someone calls. The phone easily gets smudges. Overall the phone is great(after getting used to it) and one thing I personally like about this phone and some of the other new phones is that it has different themes, so you aren't stuck with the same old User Interfaces that the other Verizon phones have.
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"Totally enjoying all the nice features" on by watzan
Pros: lots of features, camera, scroll, display, sound quality
Cons: need to set up sensitivity before using
Summary: I am really impressed with all this phone can do and the quality of it. The camera is so nice and I did not expect that so it's a nice added bonus. I got his phone for the music features and I am not disappointed. The sound quality is great and it has been very easy to use.
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"Cool until you try to use it" on by dorcus_maximus
Pros: Nice look, shape, and feel, cool concept
Cons: wheel and touch buttons too hard to use
Summary: I wanted to like this phone. I'm returning it for sure...long before my 30 days are up. I really like the form and feel. There is a review from Sam down below mine who gave it a one. He's mainly right. You can adjust the sensitivity of the buttons. I haven't had a lot of problems during a call but it's *terrible* to navigate when you keep mis-clicking and accidentally spinning the wheel. If you have really small fingers and are the kind of person that has time to be very careful using a phone you'll be fine. For me a phone is a tool, not a hobby. Other gripes, I hear my own voice too much/too loud in the earpiece, no voice recorder, not really intuitive for simple things like switching a call to speakerphone, camera lag when taking a picture, etc.etc.
I really wish I could keep using my old Nokia 3200. One of the few phones ever made with a flashlight...
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