-
"i know all the little secrets" on by cheap man
Pros: overall good phone, tons of features
Cons: verizon kept on playing around with the release date
Summary: people on here have been saying how you cant not use all the features on this phone...that is partly true because they are hidden but you can simply go on the phone and find them and use them for yourself, its quite simple
some sites that explain this are http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=295
and http://www.kuhna.com/
and another thing, you do not need to give verizon money for ringtones, movies, etc if you just buy a $7 usb data cable (you need to get the lg vx 7000 or 8000 data cable with cd) you can transfer whatever you want over there, but yes this is an overall good phone people just complain because they're too lazy to find out info on itUpdated
after having it for a few days i started having some technical problems such as the speakers messing up and phone calls being very fuzzy
also teh camera i realize is not that good it will show up on display very clear but once you take the picture its real bad (also there is a 3 second delay with the phone which you can not make shorter)
its still a good phone but now i have the motorola e815 and its as good and actually better than the 8100 it has a longer battery life, bettter reception it has about 1 signal bar more and just more tricks/hacks you can do with the phone (also a much better mp3 player you can make playlists, etc) -
"Sadly disappointing...oh, what could have been..." on by Animal Crow
Pros: EXTREMELY well-built, the best vibrate feature out there, (limited) bluetooth and miniSD compatibility, nice screens, nice stereo speakers, menus well-designed, read txt messages without opening phone
Cons: Camera is terrible, speakerphone is mediocre at best, earpiece volume issues, numerous software bugs, some of which can cause rebooting and freezing...and more!
Summary: First of all - if this phone truly met its potential, it would be the undisputed king. Nothing would even come close. Sadly, that's not the case.
Second of all - if you have this phone and have problems like what I've described - CALL OR WRITE TO BOTH VERIZON AND LG. You can do so on the Verizon site by clicking support and then "contact us." You can call LG at 1-800-793-8896 , or write to customerservice@lge.com. Don't be rude or obnoxious, just tell them what problems you are having. The more people that do this, the quicker they will have a fire lit under them to correct some of these problems. Spread the word. Now, onto the phone:
There are just too many problems dragging this phone down. While some of these may (and hopefully will) be fixed in software updates, there is no telling when or even if they will be available.
I was looking forward to this phone for a long time. On paper it looked fantastic..from its 512 mb memory to its MP3 player to its 1.3 mpx camera...then reality struck when I purchased it. The MP3 player is not enabled yet since Verizon hasn't launched their version of ITunes (Verizon doesn't want you using your phone for what it was meant to do unless you pay them more first, you know). And the 512 meg of memory? I don't know where that came from, but anything you heard about that during the promotion is wrong. What memory IS there is segmented all over the place - you only get 2 meg for ringtones! TWO MEG?! Welcome to several years ago! For a company that enjoys gouging you on Get It Now, Verizon really dropped the ball here. You buy 10 or so MP3-based ringtones, and you're full. Ugh.
The camera is my biggest gripe here. Besides the odd fact that you can zoom in on every resolution EXCEPT the highest (I know it doesn't literally "zoom in" per se, but how about a little consistency here?). Anyway, taking photos at its highest resolution...well...it sucks. Anything in even moderate low light will come out over-bright (no matter how much you adjust white balance and brightness) and grainy. Turning it down to 640x480 or below does help somewhat, but what's the point of having a 1.3 mpx camera if you can't use the highest setting properly? Of all the problems, this one bothered me the most - fortunately it also seems like one of the most likely candidates to be fixed by a software fix, since the picture looks fine in the viewfinder before it is taken...but don't hold your breath. Verizon and LG have still yet to acknowledge any problem with it, and it's been out for over a week now.
The speakerphone is shoddy. While results have varied from "not bad" to "awful," the latters outweigh the formers. Often echo-ey and crackling, with background noise somehow becoming a problem even when there isn't any. And don't bother trying to have a 2-way speakerphone conversation. An exercise in futility.
I've experienced random rebooting multiple times as well as complete freeze-ups on two occasions, where the only way to restart the phone was pull the battery and then put it back in.
The earpiece volume can be very flakey, going from too quiet to too loud (mostly too quiet though). This is not as bad for me as it is for others I have seen, but it is still an issue.
There are some bright spots, but even those seem to be overshadowed by more glaring issues...to wit...
Bluetooth compatibility. Yep, it fully supports bluetooth! Just don't be expecting to transfer files to people and do half the stuff you normally would. It's mostly just for syncing up with your PC and using wireless headsets - and people are complaining about the quality of that as well.
MiniSD card support! Awesome! Stick in a 256, 512, or 1 GB card and watch movies or listen to music on your phone!...that is, if you figure out how to get in and use the media player that Verizon turned off and didn't want you to find. Oh, by the way - you can't transfer ringtones from the miniSD to your phone, either. That might take another dollar or two from Verizon, so it has to go as well!
There are ways to do things besides what Verizon wants you to do with the MiniSD and Bluetooth capabilities, but even those are somewhat limited. Check out howardforums.com in the Verizon/LG section for info on what people have discovered about the phone.
Honestly though, this is one of the most well-built phones I've ever seen. Solid, but not heavy, with a sturdy hinge. Feels very nice. Keypad is well laid-out and the user menus are very intuitive.
The (stereo!) speakers are fantastic...very loud if you need them to be while still maintaining nice quality.
There are more pros and cons obviously, but I think I've touched on enough of the major factors to give you an idea of how I feel.
Despite all the letdown, I will hold onto this phone (although I will be exchanging it for a new one to hopefully solve my freeze/reboot problems). I am going to give Verizon and LG a chance to make this right. And if they don't? Well, shame on me. Lesson learned, I guess. But if these problems go ignored, I will never buy an LG product again, and I will be through with Verizon's service.
The right software updates could bring this phone up to a solid 7...maybe even an 8 if they pull off a few minor miracles like getting the speakerphone fixed (not likely).
It had the potential to be the best ever, but thus far, has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments ever. If software/firmware updates are released that make this phone better, I will update this review.Updated
There has been some talk on the howardforums.com boards that "LG will be enabling the mp3 player in the next software update within 4-6 weeks (approx)."
If this is true (and it's not confirmed yet, but the person is usually reliable), then it's a step in the right direction, but it needs to be more than just unlocking the MP3 player...we need fixes as well. 8100 owners, cross your fingers, but most of all keep telling people to call and write to Verizon and LG if they have not yet, and they are experiencing the same problems talked about above.Updated
I did get the software update a few weeks ago, and I also got my replacement phone. Between the two, I'd bump it up to a 6 - that is, a few nice minor improvements, but still disappointing. The camera problem I described is somewhat resolved - highest resolution photos are no longer completely washed out, although the quality still isn't as high as the LG VX8000. The MP3 player is certainly the biggest addition with this software update, and it's pretty nice actually. You're able to play songs with the phone both open and closed, and although it's a fairly simple player (play/fast-forward/rewind/skip ahead and back/pause, with about half a dozen equalizer presets), it's very easy to use and a very notable addition. For the two + months I've had the phone, I think I've had maybe one dropped call (and I don't even know if it was my fault). While the earpiece volume problem can still be a pain, I've found using a headset more convienent anyway so I rarely use the phone normally.
Still can't give this phone a really strong recommendation, but it gets the job done if you want a new, well-built phone that can do everything. Just don't expect "everything" to be executed perfectly. -
"Very satisfied with this phone!" on by Arcane76
Pros: Great camera, phone feels solid, voice record is handy, call quality is great, screens look vibrant, also love the fact that I can read texts, and use the headset with flip closed.
Cons: Battery life
Summary: My last phone was the Motorola V710, and I am so glad I made the switch to the LG. The phonebook makes a lot more sense than that of the Motorola, it's easier and quicker to use the phone's menus, and the pics are great. I've used the video camera outside at night with only the streetlights to brighten my subject and was amazed at how well the video looked on the computer. Very smooth.
My only problem with this phone is battery life, but I admit I'm probably harder on the phone than most. During a normal day, I take lots of pics, spend a lot of time playing my trivia games (from GIN, of course), plus I don't wear a watch so I'm forever hitting the side button when the flip is closed to view the time. I work 8 to 4 and by the time I leave work at 4 (yes, I play with my phone during work, and STILL get the job done!), I only have two bars left.
This is something I can live with however, as I've already gotten in the habit of charging it twice a day; every night when I go to bed, and in the car during the half hour drive home, so I can play to my heart's content and not fear that it will cut off on me. Service is great, I've never had a dropped call, and the only time I've had a problem with the ear volume being so low I had to strain to hear the person on the other end of the line is when I call Verizon for questions. (I'm a new customer and called them three days in a row with different questions. Old carrier was Alltel.) I could hear the automated system loud and clear, but when an actual person came on the line, they sounded very low. But like I said, that's only when I call Verizon. I've called plenty of other people with this phone and heard them just fine. I'm very happy with the phone. -
"Excellent Phone. Big improvement over previous LG models. Much easier interface then Motorola e815" on by jorgb
Pros: Sound quality, simple interface, great sounding speakerphone
Cons: A little bulky.
Summary: I use my cell phone constantly for business so the most important feature to me is the sound quality on BOTH ends. So far this phone has met or exceeded my expectations. Sound quality and general "feel" of this phone is superior. The speakerphone also does a great job. I returned the Motorola e815 for this phone and i'm glad i did.
Since i bought the phone the first day it came out VZW did not yet have the correct software to transfer my phonebook. Once i got it home and input them by hand i realized how easy the interface was. Very user friendly.
I even watched a few V-cast videos. Took a couple of seconds to buffer but the videos were in perfect sync.
The Bluetooth feature successfully paired and worked with my car. It was a little tricky to set up but once i got the hang of it, it worked seamlessly.
As far as being angry about the MP3 player...I could see how that would frustrate some people but that's not why i bought this phone so i could care less.
Can't wait to really use it starting the new work week. -
"Nice, but falls short of perfection" on by KaneRobot
Pros: Features, "latest and greatest" factor is always a plus
Cons: Poor manual, Verizon service keeps it from full potential
Summary: Just bought this yesterday so obviously I don't know every single thing about this yet - take that into account while reading this. I got this one for free (after mail-in rebate) since I was in the "new every two" promotion window. So in that respect, it was certainly worth it. A few nice bells and whistles here between the bluetooth and memory card slot.
The same old Verizon annoyances are there - IE, they want you to only be able to get their ringtones/wallpaper/etc so you are forced to pay for them. If you're not anal about ringtones (I am, sadly) then it's no big deal.
Good feel, not too heavy although the phone feels "solid." The battery life doesn't seem to be living up to what was advertised, but it never does so no big deal there. 1.3 mpx camera gives slightly higher quality than your run-of-the mill camera phone.
The documentation with this thing sucks, as already posted here someone couldn't even find how to use the speakerphone and MP3 player (which apparently isn't what it seems, although I haven't looked into that myself yet). They give you a giant VCAST manual, yet a brief phone manual that comes with a CD-ROM that doesn't do much more than the manual itself. Priorities need to be rearranged.
So my final score is an 8 for the new LGVX king. The two qualifications for this score: If I had not gotten it for free, it would be a 7, and if it were any provider besides Verizon, I'd strongly consider a 9.Updated
I've had a heck of a time trying to get a good picture with at the maximum resolution (1280x960). Everything is extremely washed out and crappy quality. Messing with the brightness and white balance did nothing to improve it. I've heard that pics outside look better than indoor ones, I don't know since I haven't tried it myself.
However, after switching to 640x480 resolution, it worked noticably better. I was tempted to lower my score by a point because of this (what's the point in having a higher-res camera if it doesn't work good?), but I'll hold off for now and see how it works outside of the house.Updated
Right off the bat...my new score for this phone is a 6, so ignore that 8 up there. While everything seemed dandy right off the bat, there are a few very annoying issues that have popped up.
The camera on this phone is awful. While it's not bad at 640x480 or below, when you put it at it's highest setting - its default setting, mind you - it's horrible. Washed out pictures that are way too bright. Adjusting the brightness and white balance does nothing. This is a VERY serious issue and other than the possibility of a "bad batch" of 8100s going out, I can't see HOW this slipped by quality control. This may be able to be fixed by a software update, as the picture in the viewfinder is fine before you actually click the shutter button - then it goes to crap.
There are also your typical Verizon-cripples-the-features-because-they
-want-all-your-money problems, IE not being able to transfer MP3s from the mini-SD card to the phone to use as ringers.
The speakerphone is flaky as well...while it seems to work ok (not great) for me, if the people on both ends are using it (I have a friend with this phone as well), the quality is horrible and it's next to impossible to have a conversation.
This is very disappointing. I was looking forward to this being my first LGVX phone after owning a Motorola for two years prior and being disappointed by that. Despite that, if this camera issue is not resolved quickly, I'll be returning this for an E815.
Write a Review
Compare to other s
Compare Selected
Check coverage in your area 
%20-%20Cell%20Phones%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/lg-vx8100-verizon-wireless/4852-6454_7-31313346.html&x_breadcrumb=8900:3488:3504:6454&x_arw_bkts=MAD:high_wireless_switcher){kind=small}