Anyone have an LG Chocolate?

[Kaido]

Update: After hearing poor reviews of the Chocolate, I'm now interested in the VX8600 (flip version of the Chocolate). Please comment on it vs. a v710/e815

Update 2: Played with the VX8600 and all the other phones on display, I actually like the KRZR a lot. Discuss.

My "New Every 2" plan with Verizon is coming up and I want to get a new phone. I currently have a Motorola v710 and I'm looking at the LG Chocolate. Anyone have one and care to comment? And can you really get speakerphone with the V4 firmware update? (that's a must)

Also what can I do with my old phone, sell it or something?

 

[Xylitol]

It lags after a while kind of like the razor
I like sticking with the older phones - They're plainer but don't lag

 

[drinkmorejava]

I get a KG320 on Wed, but I suppose that doesn't help you. Google says the new firmware put out by verizon enables the speakerphone feature.

the FS/FT forums are always a good place to start if you want to sell your phone. I got my current--soon to be old--phone there, Nokia 3650 btw.

 

[Kaido]

One thing I really like about my v710 is the excellent call quality, it's as good as a house phone. However the battery life stinks. I just bought an extended battery, barely makes it through the day

 

[KarmaPolice]

i am in the same position as you. I am not a fan of the chocolate tho because of the touch buttons..i want something i can click. I am looking at the envy but I cant seem to get my IM to work right for it. It will only show like 3 people online when I know i have a lot more then that.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: drinkmorejava
I get a KG320 on Wed, but I suppose that doesn't help you. Google says the new firmware put out by verizon enables the speakerphone feature.

the FS/FT forums are always a good place to start if you want to sell your phone. I got my current--soon to be old--phone there, Nokia 3650 btw.

Is the KG320 available from Verizon?

 

[BabaBooey]

If you get one get the touch front instead of the cheesy mp3 looking one..

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
i am in the same position as you. I am not a fan of the chocolate tho because of the touch buttons..i want something i can click. I am looking at the envy but I cant seem to get my IM to work right for it. It will only show like 3 people online when I know i have a lot more then that.

Yeah I'm also looking at the enV. Not a huge IM-on-the-go guy but it looks fun and geeky

 

[Kaido]

Oooh the Mint Chocolate is sexy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peroty/332515306/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshcaffeine/333430254/

 

[shopbruin]

i have the chocolate. i wanted the enV but it's too muchright now. after playing with the enV, it was probably a good thing cuz it's too big. i just got the chocolate about a week ago.

you will need two hands at all times to hold the phone, since once it slides open, the keypad under it is kinda flimsy since so much weight is now shifted to the top of the phone. i'd suggest playing with it a few times before you get it to see if it fits your hands. i don't plan on using it for the mp3 player at all. i was kinda irked that the charger adapter thingy shrank since i had a nice car charger i bought from verizon for my old LG phone, and now i'm going to have to sell it or get rid of it.

turn down the sensitivity on the keypad - i have mine down as low as possible. when the phone is closed the keys are locked and you can't touch them, and also when you're on a call, but otherwise it's pretty easy to hit the wrong button.

i didn't like the mint chocolate - it looked wayyy too plasticky when i saw it in person, same for the cherry and the white chocolate. i got the standard boring black one, and it's perfectly fine for me.

i still need to get a bluetooth for this phone (i never had one for my old phone) and i'm still debating on whether to get a microSD for it also. if i could somehow make an MP3 that i loaded onto the microSD as my ringtone i'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[drinkmorejava]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: drinkmorejava
I get a KG320 on Wed, but I suppose that doesn't help you. Google says the new firmware put out by verizon enables the speakerphone feature.

the FS/FT forums are always a good place to start if you want to sell your phone. I got my current--soon to be old--phone there, Nokia 3650 btw.

Is the KG320 available from Verizon?

nope, I got it on ebay. It's GSM only too.

 

[compman25]

Yes, it has speaker phone with v4. Battery life sucks. Poor reception. Do I hate it now?, yes.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: freesia39
i have the chocolate. i wanted the enV but it's too muchright now. after playing with the enV, it was probably a good thing cuz it's too big. i just got the chocolate about a week ago.

you will need two hands at all times to hold the phone, since once it slides open, the keypad under it is kinda flimsy since so much weight is now shifted to the top of the phone. i'd suggest playing with it a few times before you get it to see if it fits your hands. i don't plan on using it for the mp3 player at all. i was kinda irked that the charger adapter thingy shrank since i had a nice car charger i bought from verizon for my old LG phone, and now i'm going to have to sell it or get rid of it.

turn down the sensitivity on the keypad - i have mine down as low as possible. when the phone is closed the keys are locked and you can't touch them, and also when you're on a call, but otherwise it's pretty easy to hit the wrong button.

i didn't like the mint chocolate - it looked wayyy too plasticky when i saw it in person, same for the cherry and the white chocolate. i got the standard boring black one, and it's perfectly fine for me.

i still need to get a bluetooth for this phone (i never had one for my old phone) and i'm still debating on whether to get a microSD for it also. if i could somehow make an MP3 that i loaded onto the microSD as my ringtone i'd do it in a heartbeat.

if its anything like the vx8300 verizon i got you can access the main memory using bitpim and dump an mp3 into the correct directory. worked for my phone. i'm pretty sure they made sure their phones can't access any media off microsd for ringtones..they dont want to make it that easy.

annoying how verizon nerfs all the data features on their phones so they can sell more ringtones and stuff. makes bluetooth basically useless, think you also have to buy a kit of software and cable for data transfer..and an adapter cable to use normal headphones. buncha garbage. my phone came free so i can't say that much, but if i paid for a supposed media phone i would be peeved.

 

[Kaido]

The LG VX-8600 is starting to look pretty good, I think it's the flip version of the Chocolate. Anyone have one?

Also what would be a good asking price for my v710? Comes with phone in used but good condition, car charger, A/C adapter, and dock. I think I have a USB cable for it too. Edit: and extended battery with cover.

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: Kaido
The LG VX-8600 is starting to look pretty good, I think it's the flip version of the Chocolate. Anyone have one?

Also what would be a good asking price for my v710? Comes with phone in used but good condition, car charger, A/C adapter, and dock. I think I have a USB cable for it too. Edit: and extended battery with cover.

i saw that one too, and i had considered it originally, but once i opened it up i decided it was too thin for me, which was the entire reason why i didn't want to get the razr. chocolate became the most sensible and cheapest (well free) alternative. if you can handle it, it opens up to a good size, and you don't have to deal with the "off balance" weight distribution.

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
if its anything like the vx8300 verizon i got you can access the main memory using bitpim and dump an mp3 into the correct directory. worked for my phone. i'm pretty sure they made sure their phones can't access any media off microsd for ringtones..they dont want to make it that easy.

annoying how verizon nerfs all the data features on their phones so they can sell more ringtones and stuff. makes bluetooth basically useless, think you also have to buy a kit of software and cable for data transfer..and an adapter cable to use normal headphones. buncha garbage. my phone came free so i can't say that much, but if i paid for a supposed media phone i would be peeved.

i can try, but i doubt it'll work, verizon is mean like that. there are cables you can buy - i was going to do it to my sister's old phone, but the success rate wasn't that high, and i didn't want to have to go back to verizon to reflash the phone if i messed up.

i remember when i first signed on to verizon and my phones had NO games, but i could download and pay for games. i was like "HECK NO!" i miss playing snake sometimes!

they give you the little adapter to plug in the headphones to listen to music, but headphones are not included with the chocolate. more reason for me not to ever use it for mp3 purposes.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I have this phone. It's impossible for me to text message without screwing up at least a few times. I always end up hitting one or two buttons at a time, and I have normal sized fingers. Also, most will not like the touch-wheel thing.

Other than this it's a great phone. Good reception, battery life, and screen is amazing. I'd suggest you try it out first though before buying.

 

[slayer202]

I am in the exact same spot as you. I have the v710 and I am up for a new phone in march. I HATEEEE this phone. The battery doesn't last from noon until midnight. It freezes up temporarily allll the time. I am also looking at the chocolate, but from what people have said here, it doesn't sound very good. I am probably going to go for something simple that just works

 

[oogabooga]

I have a chocolate, love the phone. Some quick thoughts:

- I can text message without messing up, and I have fat fingers. It's not easy, but it's doable
- There is no clickwheel thing, it is touch sensitive d-pad, with touch sensitive buttons. At first they pissed me off a lot, but either they work better now or i just got used to the way it works. Either way I don't have any problems
- I got the firmware upgrade, got the speakerphone. It's not bad, I'm more inclined to use a bluetooth headset, but it is nice when you have multiple people who should hear something (like directions).
- on my phone Battery life is s#!t. I can't stress this enough sadly. I can get through 1 day on 1 charge. Maybe 1.5 depending on talk time. That's fully charged to dead. For me it isn't a big deal since I can charge every night but for some people it is a big issue (i guess)
-BitPIM works, i think you just say it's a vx8300? I don't remember but you can load MP3's,or you can load them onto a miniSD card and transfer them over to the phone (without paying 30 bucks for an audio cable, i think this is the fastest way). Pictures loaded from sd card is kinda slow but what can one expect, they load and they load fine.
btw: i only have a 256mb sd card for pictures which has proven to be more then enough. Don't really use the music function (though I have mp3's loaded on it) since I have a zune.


The biggest thing i hear about the chocolate is from people who do not own one saying "that phone just looks good, but it really sucks" but that's bull, it's a perfectly good phone, best I've owned and that's over a razr.

If you have any questions just ask, I'll try to give you my hopefully helpful information

 

[Raduque]

The Chocolate is good. If you're not a fatfinger, the touch sensitive keys are fine. Firmware v4, which is what most now have, has speakerphone support, but the speaker/mic relationship isn't very good. Speakers on the back, and the mic's on the bottom of the slide.... I guess if you can brace it, or hold it upside down it might work well.

The software is pretty good, the flash UIs are nice. Jazz is pretty laggy in the main menu, but Rock 'N Roll works well. The adapter for headphones is BS, but don't most phones only have the 1/8th headset jack instead of a standard 1/4 minijack? The chocolate does come with an adapter that plugs into the charging/data port to let you use them.

The MP3 player is also pretty decent. You can hide it and go about your (non-voice call) business while still listening. Just hit the music key to bring it back up.

Also, bitpm for ringers.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Kaido
The LG VX-8600 is starting to look pretty good, I think it's the flip version of the Chocolate. Anyone have one?

Also what would be a good asking price for my v710? Comes with phone in used but good condition, car charger, A/C adapter, and dock. I think I have a USB cable for it too. Edit: and extended battery with cover.

I have the LG VX8600

it is the flip version of the chocolate.

I like it. Nice and thin. Pocketable. the only thing is it's Super Black Glossy so finger prints and crap are a pain in the ass

 

[fallenangel99]

Get the flip phone version of the Chocolate, the lg vx8600. I was going to get a Chocolate phone also but I did not trust the slider "technology". After all, not many phones even use a slider feature now; the slider probably breaks off after normal wear and tear.

 

[torpid]

A friend bought this when we all joined in on a family plan. I got the samsung pda phone.

I used the chocolate briefly and had a real hard time using it due to excessive button sensitivity out of the box. Apparently you can turn that down, though.

I like the slim design but it kind of is annoying that you have to get a special cord just to use headphones and can't plug them directly in.

 

[NatePo717]

I have the white chocolate. So far it has been working very well for me. The touch pad takes some getting used to but after a day or so it's pretty easy to use. If you have any specific questions about it let me know.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: fallenangel99
Get the flip phone version of the Chocolate, the lg vx8600. I was going to get a Chocolate phone also but I did not trust the slider "technology". After all, not many phones even use a slider feature now; the slider probably breaks off after normal wear and tear.

I actually really like the vx8600, I played with it the other day at the mall. My wife has a Razr and I'm not a big fan of that particular line of slim phones, but the vx8600 felt pretty good in my hand.

Edit: I also played with what I believe is the Samsung SCH-a930 - I LOVED the big, easy-to-find-and-push buttons. The form factor wasn't as slick as a slim phone, but it was sure nice to handle. I was only at the verizon store there for a minute so I'll take a look more when I go again.

 

[fallenangel99]

Yeah< I've had it for over 3 months and its still going strong. The only problem is that after I take on the phone for about 3 hours, the battery dies.. no biggie, I'll just have to recharge. Other than that, its good, Im happy with my choice.