LG VX8550 Chocolate Maroon Phone (Verizon Wireless)

LG VX8550 Chocolate Maroon Phone (Verizon Wireless)
Average customer rating:

I LOVE this phone!

Benefit of the doubt...

The Chocolate is not so tasty after all!!!

One Man's Treasure...

LG VX8550 Chocolate Maroon Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Manufacturer: Verizon Wireless
ProductGroup: Wireless
Binding: Wireless Phone

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Product Features:

Lightweight multimedia powerhouse in red with new Trace Motion Light navigation wheel

Supports both WMA and MP3 music formats for more versitility in music listening; Bluetooth stereo headset support

Expandable memory slot compatible with optional 4 GB microSD memory card for storage of up to 2000 songs

1.3 megapixel camera with digital zoom; video capture up to 1 hour

Up to 250 minutes of talk time, up to 350 hours of standby time

ASIN: B000TJT1BG
Release Date: 2007-07-12
LG VX8550 Chocolate Maroon Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Amazon.com Product Description

Slimmer, lighter and sweeter than ever, LG updates its Chocolate slider phone to the VX8550 with improvements including a new metal navigation wheel (which traces your finger's movement with a small light), vibrating touch keypad, and the ability to run the music player in the background while using the other features of the phone. But many of the much vaunted features of the original Chocolate remain: silky-smooth slider design support for V Cast Music, an integrated music/video player, a 1.3 megapixel camera/camcorder, stereo Bluetooth capabilities, and a microSD memory slot for up to 4 GB of storage. In addition to Verizon's V Cast Music feature, this phone is also enabled with the Get It Now service, which allows you to easily download ringtones, games, and applications. It runs on Verizon's CDMA 850/CDMA 1900 frequencies and EV-DO high-speed data network. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.)

Imaging and Entertainment

The LG VX8550 Chocolate comes in three delicious colors and features advanced music playback features--including the ability to play in the background while accessing other phone features.
The Chocolate's is a 1.3-megapixel digital camera features a flash, as well as 2x digital zoom, self-timer, night-mode functions, and brightness and white balance controls. Other features include an in-phone image editor (zoom, rotate, crop) and a mirror for self-portrait capability. The camera can also capture video clips--30 seconds for sending and up to 1 hour for saving to memory card--at a 176 x 144-pixel resolution. It's compatible with playing MP3, 3GP, and 3G2 video formats, and you can set a video as your screen's wallpaper (as long as it's under 5 MB in size).

A built-in music player with a dedicated music key for easy access, stereo speakers and an equalizer, MP3 and WMA playback, and the ability to hide the music player while still allowing the music to play on in the background. You can create and manage playlists right on the phone, as well as synchronize music between the Chocolate and your PC (using an optional USB cable and connecting with Windows Media Player 10 or higher). You can also take advantage of the Chocolate's Bluetooth wireless headset capability, allowing you to hook up a pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones.

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 new navigation wheel with Trace Motion Light allows for easy navigation through phone functions, as well as quick and simple functionality while browsing music and videos. The touch keypad provides an improved feel for quicker input.

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. You can save up to 20 Bluetooth pairings, and it supports the following Bluetooth profiles: headset, hands-free, dial-up networking, advanced audio distribution, phone book access, basic printing, object push for vCard and vCalendar (accessories sold separately), file transfer, and basic imaging.

The Chocolate's internal memory can hold up to 1000 contacts for quick access to email addresses and phone numbers. Each contact can store up to five numbers and two email addresses. 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

With Verizon's Mobile Email option, the LG Chocolate allows you to send and receive emails from MSN, Hotmail, and America Online, as well as access your address book and be alerted to new email.
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 emails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. You can check your email, 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 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. You can also download and stream high-quality video--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. 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.

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.

Vital Statistics
The LG VX8550 Chocolate weighs 3.24 ounces and measures 3.85 x 1.87 x .67 inches. Its l800 mAh ithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.17 hours (250 minutes) of digital talk time, and up to 350 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 850/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one-year limited warranty.

Customer Reviews:

I LOVE this phone!.......2007-09-24

I bought this phone over the weekend. I was a little hesitant about spending so much money (it is new so kinda pricey), but now I am sooo glad that I did. The phone is gorgeous. The interface is very classy and bright. Even the lighting on the phone is spectacular. It just looks very appealing!
Anyway, coming from a flip phone, I had been worried about getting used to the touch sensitive keys and slider design. Seriously, though, within an hour of playing around with it, I felt like I had been using it forever. As for the touch sensitive keys, they really aren't that bad at all. You get used to them. As for the comments about rubbing against the keys during a call, this doesn't really happen. After you've been on the phone for so long (maybe a minute or so) those keys lock up, so you can't hit them accidentally anyway. This does make it a little difficult to turn on the speaker phone mid-call, though, because you have to unlock the keypad again before you can press it. But seriously, not a big deal.
The phone feels very durable and so far the call quality is great. The battery seems to be doing pretty well too, but I'm the person who charges my phone every night regardless of whether or not the battery is low.
All in all, get this phone! You'll love it!

Benefit of the doubt..........2007-09-15

This phone is absolutely gorgeous. Calls are clear and sharp. The speaker phone is plenty loud and clear. It has more fun to play with bells and whistles than any reasonable person could ask for, and they all work beautifully. The camera, both still and video, is amazingly good.

Now, on to the doubt part. I got the phone day before yesterday and I'm currently getting about 2 hours of talk time per charge. Also, it refuses to stay paired with my bluetooth headset. I'm taking it back to my verizon store tomorrow and hoping they'll exchange it.

I will update this review after I've had the replacement a couple of days. I really am hoping for the best, because I can easily see myself truly loving this pretty pretty little phone.

Okay! I swapped out the phone and played with it until the minimal charge it came with was used up then gave it a full charge. I then made 2 long (45 minutes plus) phone calls, played with it some more, and listened to around 5, 5 and a half hours of music before it needed recharging, which I think is perfectly acceptable.

It's almost official - I love this phone!

The Chocolate is not so tasty after all!!!.......2007-09-01

I was really excited about this phone when I first purchased it. It looked beautiful, was attractive in every way, had a lot of cool features, including a good camera. However, the superficial features of this phone faded very quickly as reality set in. I had 3 major, exasperating problems with this phone:

1. The snazzy wheel that is so highly promoted was unwieldy. Every time I would use my finger to turn the navigation wheel, it would accidentally touch the touch-sensitive controls -- usually, it would be that I accidentally touched the "clear" command, and I would have to start all over again with what I was doing.
2. The touch-sensitive controls are too sensitive! Even when I turned it down to 'low', I still had problems with it. This is a terrible design!!! Any time I talk on the phone, my cheek would inevitably touch one of those 'controls' and I would get buzzed at (it vibrates to let you know that you pushed something). Suddenly, I would be in a menu that I didn't want to be in. This is the worse when I am using my voicemail or calling some place (i.e. verizon), where they put me through a phone tree (you know, "press 1 if..., press 2 if..."), because the controls light up (to show that it's active) and suddenly, my cheek is causing me to run through different menus. Horrible, horrible! I hate this feature!!! It caused me so much trouble. Great idea in theory but really stupid in practice.
3. The call quality was HORRIBLE!! I live in southern california where Verizon coverage is AWESOME. However, while using this phone, the other person was always distorted and unclear. I had to repeatedly ask, "What was that? Can you repeat that?" There was a terrible echo, and turning the volume up meant that I was hearing the distortion at a LOUDER volume. It did not help me understand the other person better.

The reason why I purchase a phone is in order to make phone calls. I expect to get good reception and great call quality. I expect to be able to hear the other person. This phone is attractive, "sleek and sexy", but it does not do what it's supposed to do. Seriously, the only thing I want sleek and sexy is my husband, because at least HE can communicate.

Bottom line? I am returning my phone tomorrow and I highly discourage you from making the purchase of an LG Chocolate Disaster.

One Man's Treasure..........2007-08-17

I recently upgraded to the LG VX8550 (the new LG Chocolate) from a pretty cheap old motorola (no camera, small screen, etc). This phone is great if you're primarily looking for a phone that takes great pictures, has a Micro SD slot for music and pictures, is bluetooth and A2DP capable, and looks stylish. You can transfer wallpapers to your phone from your computer with the SD card, and text ringtones to yourself too, so no more paying for those extras! It also gets pretty good reception up in Vermont even outside of Burlington, which is a major plus. I talk and text on my Chocolate pretty often, and I'm highly satisfied with the general wireless functions regardless of all those extras.
However: be prepared to utilize warranty services, as this model tends to have some manufacturing faults. My first model overheated and only got about 12 hours of *standby* time on one charge, and couldn't handle phone calls over 25mins long. Went to Verizon the next week and traded her in for a new one, only to find that the slider and navigation wheel were loose right out of the box. This last bit is a common issue among Chocolate models, so the techs were ready to switch out for a third model (A+ service from Verizon, btw). Finally, the model I have works like a dream: I get hours of talk time, days on standby, and great sound/call/ringtone quality. I've had it for a month and the slider and nav wheel are still working great.
So:
Excellent Extras + Some well known manufacturing glitches = a phone for the stylish and patient who do more than just business calling.

PREMIUM CAR CHARGER FOR LG PHONE (BLUE LED!) For: VX8550 VX-8550 New Slim Chocolate Black Maroon VX8500 VX-8500 Cherry Mint Strawberry Red Black Green Chocolate Blue AX8600 AX-8600 VX8600 VX-8600 VX8700 VX-8700 Shine Flip VX9400 VX-9400 VX9900 VX-9900 enV Orange KG810 KG-810 KG800 KG-800 KE790 KE-790 Prada LX570 LX-570 MUSIQ MUSI Q AX390 AX-390 Hot Pink Silver U310 U-310 AX275 AX-275 LX150 LX-150 KG90 KG-90 Verizon, Alltel, Sprint, Cingular, AT&T, Bell, Helio, Vodafone, Telstra, Virgin, Yes Optus, Singtel Optus Limited, Canada, & Australia phones providers.

Average customer rating:

PREMIUM CAR CHARGER FOR LG PHONE (BLUE LED!) For: VX8550 VX-8550 New Slim Chocolate Black Maroon VX8500 VX-8500 Cherry Mint Strawberry Red Black Green Chocolate Blue AX8600 AX-8600 VX8600 VX-8600 VX8700 VX-8700 Shine Flip VX9400 VX-9400 VX9900 VX-9900 enV Orange KG810 KG-810 KG800 KG-800 KE790 KE-790 Prada LX570 LX-570 MUSIQ MUSI Q AX390 AX-390 Hot Pink Silver U310 U-310 AX275 AX-275 LX150 LX-150 KG90 KG-90 Verizon, Alltel, Sprint, Cingular, AT&T, Bell, Helio, Vodafone, Telstra, Virgin, Yes Optus, Singtel Optus Limited, Canada, & Australia phones providers.

Manufacturer: Mobile Excess
ProductGroup: CE

USB DATA CABLE FOR LG PHONE VX8550 VX-8550 Maroon Black VX8500 VX-8500 Cherry Mint Strawberry Red Black Green Chocolate Blue AX8600 AX-8600 VX8600 VX-8600 VX8700 VX-8700 Shine Flip VX9400 VX-9400 VX9900 VX-9900 U830 enV Orange LGU830 U830 KG810 KG-810 KG800 KG-800 KE790 KE-790 MUSIQ MUSI Q LGMUSIQ LX570 LX-570 Prada AX390 AX-390 Hot Pink Silver U310 U-310 AX275 AX-275 LX160 LX-160 LX150 LX-150 KG90 KG-90
SanDisk 2GB MicroSD Card with SD & MiniSD Adapters (SDSDQ-2048, BULK package)
Motorola Cigarette Lighter Adapter for Motorola Phones [Motorola Retail Packaging]

Product Features:

Advanced Blue LED indicator
9 FT coiled cord (shielded)
Heavy duty ABS Plastic, durable, won't break or melt.
Built-in original 34063 IC charging chip
Innovative comfortable hand-grip design

ASIN: 9990974802

Product Description

Mobile Excess's Premium Edition Vehicle Power Adapter lets you conserve the phone's battery. Charge simultaneously in an operating vehicle without ever overcharging. Made of heavy duty ABS Plastic, this charger will last longer than others, including the original LG ones. Durable, yet as compact as the original, this charger withstands extreme heat, cold, hard impacts, wear and tear. 6 month warranty.

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