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(More customer reviews)I'm first for this review...seeing as how the phone only just came out a couple weeks ago, not everyone has had the chance to get the phone and try it out yet.
So for those of you out there who are looking into buying this gem of a phone, let me tell you, you're in for a treat.
Anyone who's had the previous versions of the Verizon Chocolate phones may or may not like the new look of this Chocolate and may be missing some features from what I've read about it online; however, I have never used the previous Chocolates - I have only had the LG VX9800 previous to this phone and I really enjoyed that phone as well (though I could totally do without the keyboard).
First off, the phone comes in two colors - black and light blue. I chose light blue because blue is one of my favorite colors and I was sick of always having a black or grey phone every two years. Wish they had this phone in more colors though.
Secondly, there is 1GB of memory in this phone for music. This phone is completely dedicated to music. There is even a 3.5mm jack so you can pop in your regular headphones you use to listen to your CD player or iPod with, to listen to music on this phone. Plus you can get up to 8GB of memory using a Micro SD card slot which is located on the right side of the phone (some of the newer phones I noticed have had their Micro SD slots where the battery is inserted and it can be a complete hassle having to take off the battery door just to put in the memory card into the phone - that's mostly with Samsung phones). You can save as many music files, ringtones, photos and more on your card and not have to worry about losing memory in the phone either. 1GB is very generous for a phone.
Second, I love the clamshell look of this Chocolate phone. The previous Chocolate phones were not clamshells but sliders...and I'm glad LG came out with the flip version of the phone. The outside screen is a good size - you can put a wallpaper of your favorite photo on the front screen and it will look amazing! The colors are vivid and bright too.
The main screen when you open the flip is about as big as the new Razr2, but the Razr2 I think is slightly larger. However, you can put up your favorite pictures as a wallpaper (comes with some already installed which are pretty neat in and of itself as well).
Ok, now let me get to the part about the music! First of all, I have to say, the clarity of the phone when listening to the music on your headset is amazing. I don't even feel like I'm listening to music on a phone, but rather an iPod or a Samsung MP3 player....heck, to me it sounds better then a CD player (but of course that is up to you and how your ears make the music sound to you). What I really like about the music feature of the phone is that you can listen to music while you text and make calls....your favorite songs are playing all the while you text, navigate the phone's contacts, and what not. There is also an option to just have the music play but not receive calls, make calls, or text message (however, I'd rather be doing 3 things at once while listening to my songs...that's just my opinion). You can listen to music with the flip closed. There is a dedicated wheel button like you will see in an iPod or another MP3 player, that you can use to navigate through your list of songs, pause, play or stop the song. The only downside to listening to music with your flip closed is that you have to constantly keep pressing the unlock button located on right side of the phone because it will keep locking itself and you have to unlock it(I'm sure there's a way to stop that from happening, but I still need to explore the phone).
The phone comes with an FM transmitter, that can be used to transmit the FM waves to your car stereo system or any other stereo system. I haven't tried that feature yet and don't know how to, so if anyone has anything to share in that area when they write their reviews, please do!
The camera is okay....it's not something I'd use on a daily basis though. I'd rather take my Canon if I want to take any meaningful shots. My old LG VX9800 took shots better then my Chocolate does and I have proof of that as I ordered printouts of them and they look like pictures taken from a digital camera.
You will notice when you are flipping through the menu that the style has changed. First off, you have 9 icons (kind of how the actual phones might look like without the Verizon UI installed) which can be navigated by the joystick arrows. The VZ Navigator and the Media Center (which is in the middle) are dedicated icons on the Chocolate. You will see icons for Games (which you have to buy as the phone doesn't come with any preinstalled), Mailbox, Music, Tools, and Recent calls as well as VCast Videos.
You can change the look and feel of the colors inside to either a Slick Black, White, Dark Chocolate, or Orbis. I personally like the White or the Black. Orbis is plain and Dark Chocolate looks a bit creepy to me. I was thinking more along the lines of the color of actual dark chocolate bars but I don't think they had that same idea for it.
Text messaging is easy! I had the Glyde before I decided to get the Chocolate phone when I upgraded (I also tried the Samsung Flipshot before I gave it to my mom to use). I hated the Samsung Glyde - the touch screen was horrendous to use as it would constantly freeze and while it had a dedicated keyboard, my fingers were too big for the buttons (considering I have smaller fingers then my own parents do). With the Chocolate, the buttons are roomy and big, and I find myself texting 100 x faster using the t9 predicted text then I ever did with the keyboard. I was not even able to be this fast when I used the Glyde's touch screen to type out t9 words. The keys of the Chocolate are smooth, flatter, and almost resemble the keys of a Razr. In fact a couple of people who saw my phone thought it looked a lot like the Razr because of it's slim compact design.
The Chocolate 3 is thinner (not as thin as the Razr), about as thin as the Samsung Alias. At times, you can find it a bit difficult to flip open because you might be afraid to drop the phone since it's slippery. The black version of the Chocolate 3 actually has a padded back so it doesn't slip and slide, but for some reason, they didn't add that to the light blue phone. O well. Just use both hands to flip open the phone if you're afraid of the phone slipping using one hand.
Battery life on this phone is great! Music playback is said to be 24 hours continuous, but that's without using the phone to talk or text. I don't have to usually charge the phone for at least a couple of days. The phone comes with a USB charger so you can charge your phone when you connect the USB to the computer. You can also connect the USB to the adapter plug to charge the phone without the use of a computer. The USB cable is great for syncing music and photos (though I just use my card to move my music and photos back and forth.
The one thing that I kind of find annoying with this phone is the headset - since it's 3.5 mm and I was used to the 2.5mm from the older phones (and the new ones that came out as well), any regular headphone I use does not work as a headset to talk to someone on your phone. Now I have to find a brand new headset that will allow me to talk on the phone and also listen to music at the same time. But I'm sure I will get used to it later on.....and I wasted 20 bucks on an actual 2.5mm headset. Bluetooth works on the phone perfectly (but I just don't want another radio trasmitter in my head causing negative long term effects, which is why I am looking for a good 3.5mm headset that can do both music and talk).
I hope this review helps you all out. I will come back and keep updating from time to time as I get more used to the phone and it's features. I only just bought it on Wednesday from the Verizon Store after selling my Glyde to someone who can deal with touch screens better then I can.
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LG Chocolate 3 Phone, Light Blue (Verizon Wireless)The third-generation of LG's iconic Chocolate, the Chocolate 3 for Verizon in light blue supports all of the latest features in mobile music technology. The first flip phone in the Chocolate lineup, the Chocolate 3 boasts an easy-to-use external front navigation wheel and center select key to make music navigation easy. It also includes dual speakers, Bluetooth stereo music streaming capabilities, and a built-in FM transmitter enabling you to play music through your car stereo. It's also compatible with the V Cast Music and V CAST Music with Rhapsody services, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via Verizon's fast EV-DO data network.
The Chocolate 3 has 1 GB of internal memory--enough to store up to 250 songs--and it's expandable via optoinal MicroSD memory cards up to 8 GB in size. Other features include fast downloads via Verizon's EV-DO 3G network, Verizon Navigator turn-by-turn direction capability, a 2-megapixel camera, one-touch speakerphone and Bluetooth wireless connectivity to handsfree devices, speaker-independent voice commands, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time.
Verizon Service Options With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon's multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.) The V Cast Music service enables you to download songs instantly to your phone, or purchase music through your PC and transfer the files to your phone. If purchased from your phone, you'll receive two copies of the song: a Windows Media Audio Pro Plus format at 64Kbps stereo is sent to your phone, and a Windows Media Audio 9 format at 160Kbps stereo is sent to your account in the V CAST Music online store for downloading to your PC. V Cast Music offers nearly 2 million songs, with more being added all the time.
In addition to the V Cast Music service, this phone is also compatible with Verizon's V CAST Music with Rhapsody, which enables you to access this exclusive digital music service for RealNetworks and for MTV Networks. V CAST Music with Rhapsody delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. In addition, customers who purchase music over-the-air are able to download the master copy of the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played.
The V Cast Video service enables you to stream or download video clips to your phone from a variety of news, entertainment, sports, and weather channels, including CNN, ABC News, E!, CBS Sports, The Weather Channel, and VH1.
Verizon's Mobile eMail gives you access to your Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL accounts so you can read, write, and reply. Access your address book, receive e-mail alerts and more, right on your Verizon Wireless phone. Getting on the Internet is easy using Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 package, which allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Verizon's Get It Now wireless download service is also fully compatible with this phone. This pay-per-download service features application downloads, games and productivity tools. You can also personalize your handset with ringtone downloads using the Get It Now service.
With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access Verizon's VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps. And Verizon's Chaperone service lets you easily locate your loved ones from your Verizon Wireless phone or PC in real time. After defining a zone, such as an area designating a school or summer camp, you'll be sent an alert via text message when the Chaperone handset enters or leaves the zone.
Phone Features The first Chocolate phone available in a clamshell form, LG's Chocolate 3 makes mobile music easy. Its easy-to-use external front navigation wheel and center select key provide quick access to your library and playback controls, and the front of the clamshell also offers a large 1.75-inch LCD screen with 262K colors and a 220 x 176-pixel resolution. In addition to viewing currently playing songs, you'll also be able to quickly check on battery level, signal strength, and current time.
Flip open the Chocolate 3 to reveal a 2.2-inch LCD (262K colors, 240 x 320-pixel resolution), alpha-numeric keypad, five-way navigation pad, and standard send/end and soft keys. The phone has a 1 GB internal memory so you can store music files right out of the box, and it's expandable via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 8 GB in size). You can store up to 1000 conact entries in the phone book, each storing up to 5 numbers, 2 email addresses, and a Picture ID. The phone also features a 999-entry speed dial (with default voicemail) and USB connectivity (with USB mass storage capability, allowing you to drag important files to the phone's memory from your PC's desktop).
The Chocolate 3's digital audio player supports MP3 and WMA files as well as unprotected AAC/AAC+ formats, and it to multitask in other areas of the phone (SMS texting, checking email) while still allowing the music to play on in the background. The built-in FM transmitter enables you to play music through a car or other stereo system, and it also has dual stereo speakers. Other music features include playlist creation and management and equalizer presets.
This phone provides the latest version of Bluetooth connectivity--version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), which makes pairing with the included headset as well as other Bluetooth devices a snap. And with EDR, you'll get a faster connection than with the previous version 1.2, which makes transferring files and using the phone as a modem for your laptop hum along nicely. And with the embedded A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones or other compatible devices.
The 2.0-megapixel imager enables you to capture still photos up to 1600 x 1200 pixels--perfect for printing up to 8 x 10 inches--as well as capture videos up to an hour in 320 x 240-pixel resolution. Other features include a 2x digital zoom, customizable brightness and white balance, self-timer, night mode, and multiple color effects. You can also edit still images right in the phone, by zooming, rotating and cropping. The phone also supports WMV, MP4, 3GP, and 3G2 video format playback.
Other features include:
Verizon Nationwide Premium Plan capable
Organization tools: Calendar, Calculator, EZ Tip Calculator, Alarm Clock, Stopwatch, World Clock, Notepad
USB mass storage and USB charging via PC
Flight mode that allows you to play uninterrupted music while flying or when you don't want to be interrupted by incoming calls
Voice recording up to 1 hour (depending on available memory
27 unique ringtones, MP3 music ringer support, vibrate/silent modes
Messaging: SMS, MMS, mobile email
Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3
TTY compatible
Download software upgrades over the air
Bluetooth version 2.1 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BIP (for sending images to another device), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PBA (transfer contacts)
Vital Statistics The LG Chocolate 3 weighs 3.36 ounces and measures 3.87 x 1.94 x 0.64 inches. Its 800 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours (270 minutes) of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.6 days) of standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 CDMA frequencies as well as the 1xEV-DO r0 data network.
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