LG is looking to topple the Apple iPod with its slick VX8500 (a.k.a. the Chocolate). Does this eye-catching slider have what it takes to knock off the Goliath of portable music?
Review summary of the LG VX8500:
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 With its groovy Flash interface and revamped music player, LG's new VX8500 Chocolate phone makes for one of the most satisfying V Cast music handsets we've seen to date; unfortunately, it's hobbled by its lack of dedicated music controls, earbuds and USB cables, while its touch-sensitive inputs are way too sensitive for our taste. Release: July 2006. Price: $50.
Pros: Snazzy new Flash interface; dedicated media player lets you play music in the background; purchased music compatible with Bluetooth stereo headsets
Cons: No dedicated music controls; no included earbuds or USB cable; middling battery life
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Full LG VX8500 Review:
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Music - Good
LG and Verizon Wireless made some long-overdue changes with the media player on the Chocolate; there's now a separate music player that play your tunes in the background, and you can listen to all your music with a Bluetooth stereo headset (yes, even protected music).
However, Verizon still skimps when it comes to earbuds and USB cables -- you'll have to buy them separately. And while the Chocolate's touch-sensitive pad looks like the iPod's famed scrollwheel, it's just a standard four-way navigational mouse, and it won't pause or skip your songs when the player is running in the background. Indeed, besides the one-step Music button and the volume controls, the VX8500 doesn't have any dedicated music controls at all.
Calling - Good
Our callers sounded loud and clear on the VX8500 (even over Bluetooth), and we got good reception during our tests in Manhattan. However, you can't make conference calls (a feature Verizon Wireless needs to start implementing with their consumer phones) and the hair-trigger, touch-sensitive navigational keys combined with the misplaced End key (which is on the side of the phone rather than next to the Send key) made for tricky call handling. Also, the mere 2.25 hours of talk time didn't help.
Messaging - Good
SMS and MMS messaging options for the VX8500 are par for the course; the phone's keypad is relatively roomy and we didn't run into any performance trouble while typing. That said, we wish the message interface took better advantage of the display; we could only fit about 115 characters on the screen, well short of the 200 we prefer. IM and e-mail fanatics will have to settle for using the mobile Web.
Multimedia - Very good
You get the usual slate of V Cast online offerings on the VX8500, including plenty of streaming video and downloadable tunes from Verizon's V Cast Music service (now even sweeter that VZW will let you buy music without paying the $15/month access fee). EV-DO reception in Manhattan was excellent, and the phone's WAP browser easily loaded up Google's home page, although it crashed when trying to pull down the lengthy New York Times site.
Best of the rest
We're pleased to see that Verizon and LG have finally made good on their long-promised Flash-infused interface. Gone is VZW's staid UI; in its place, you'll find slick, dynamic menus that spin around and slide open at a touch of the keypad. Very cool.
Price and availability
Available in the U.S. (Verizon) in July 2006, the LG VX8500 sells in the $130 range.
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