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LG VX9800
LG VX9800 EV-DO Phone (Verizon Wireless) |
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Reviews:
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Great phone for many many reasons
5 out of 5
I'll make this simple and bullet the key features (in no particular order) that make this phone a gem. First, I will tell you what the phone is not. It is not a Palm Pilot, a Pocket PC, a Treo, or a Blackberry, neither is it meant to be. it IS meant to be a "fun phone". Here go the reasons why I love this phone and still love it after having it for two months...
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
1-it is NOT huge. My former LG (the big one with the big screen that flips open) is thicker and clunkier.
2-it is not awkward.
3-the flip open design is very user-friendly.
4-I read a comment on one of the other reviews saying that the inside keyboard doesn't light up. This is UNtrue. It does, and it looks pretty snazzy when it does.
5-inside screen very clear, but a little small.
6-keyboard buttons easily discernable, although small. Not a problem messaging or navigating browser.
7-good speed dial and bluetooth initiated command options.
SOUND QUALITY: PHONE/SIGNAL
1-great for communication. Great signal strength - even from the lower level of the bus terminal.
2-excellent clarity.
3-does not shut down when jumping cell towers (i live in NJ and have had that experience with Verizon on other phones).
SOUND QUALITY: MUSIC
1-someone commented about the poor quality sound on the MP3 player - WR-r-r-r-ONG! very good quality. more a function of how you rip/burn and transfer to smartmedia card. Ie, what is the source of the transferred track - digital, analogue, etc. I have a decent set of Jabra headphones that sound very good. It's not "Acoustic Research" sound, but it does the trick and then some. Great highs and decent lows. There are numerous style selections through a very convenient button that scrolls through equalizer choices. PS - a 512 disk will hold about 60 or 70 songs. NOTE - you cannot download from verizon site on this phone - YET. I have been told to check back in a few months for it to become available. Also, I have been told that the phone will be 100% WMA - Windows Media Audio file compatible in a few months. Since that's what most music sites download in, that will conceptually eliminate the need to transfer, burn, rip, and convert to the MP3 formatted supported today. Enough about music functionality. Oh, one more thing, the stereo speakers when the device is flipped open are EXCELLENT. Very clear and crisp sounding - especially when Surround Sound is engaged.
PS - some banana in one of the reviews I read said that the sound is NOT in stereo when you listen via headphone. That might be because he/she doesn't hear in stereo. Trust me, all sound is IN STEREO and sounds very good to great.
CAMERA
more fun phone stuff. Very respectable quality stills even in dimmer lighting. Takes sepias, b&w's, etc. Outside shots and movies are best, but I have great pics and flix of my daughter at an indoor band recital. Very good novelty camera. Very comfortable holding position and snap controls. All single button zoom, exposure, snap and flash on/off. Inside screen is very clear and crisp to show off your photo album. You can also upload to "pix place" and access it from this phone.
BROWSER/COOL FUNCTIONALITY
The Verizon browser has come light years since just 6-12 months ago. There is so much here. News - all types, sports, weather are all retrieved quickly. Very ez to navigate. There are some neat services - pay services - that you can subscribe to. The coolest perhaps is the NAVIGATOR, a turn by turn sattelite-guided direction service that speaks directions to you. There is a monthly fee - but worth it if you drive a lot. Screen is a little small, but VERY CLEAR and crisp. There are, of course, games that you can download for a one-time or monthly fee. The good ones are generally monthly or one-time fee in excess of $8.99 one shot. I haven't gotten in to the FLIX newsclips much because I live in a non-service area for that. Generally speaking, you've got to be in a city to get news FLIX. Mountain and boonie dwellers need not apply. Just be thankful you can use the phone!
GAMING
This is one area I found a little difficult to get used to. The navigation directionals on the inside screen (you can't game on the outside screen) are a little small. Sometimes the controls are frustrating depending on the game. The directional pad is on the right side instead of the middle so you can only use ONE FUNGER TO NAVIGATE. This is NG for games like ZUMA, one of my used to be favs. Right now I am hung up on Diner Dash which is a keeper and doesn't really depend on pad much. Burger Time is a challenge with the pad on one side. Try not getting eaten by weenies when you've only got one big fat thumb to use. A PS2 this is not nor is it supposed to be. What it has done is prevented me from needing to by a separate gaming device to pass the time on my commute.
BLUE TOOTH
Works great - period. Don't skimp on the device. Spend the coin up front for a reliable device that synchs easily and doesn't need to be recharged frequently. Synching was a snap btw. Device sounds great for reception and transmitting.
POWER MANAGEMENT
Surprisingly good. My commute is long - 2 hours about. I surf the browser, call my wife and talk for 5 minutes, then I play a quick round of some game until the trip starts. Then I listen to MP3s for the next hour+. This is after a day of light to moderate talk time and somewhat heavier text messaging. When I arrive home, I'm down to two bars. TIP: charge the phone every night and you will have no problems. I keep a spare charger at work in case I forget to charge at home. LG is smart because they are making their phones all with the same adapter. Makes charging anywhere easy. Someone in a review commented about "poor power management". I don't see that. One more thing: there are backlighting options that will increase or decrease your battery life.
TEXTING
Very EZ. I use my pointer fingers. One dopey thing on the keyboard is that the clear/backspace is where I think the SPACE button should be. Makes my messages - - hard to read at times. It just takes getting used to. If you text a lot, this is cool. NOTE: texting OUT OF VERIZON network limits you to 160 characters. Within is not limited. I have the unlimited texting plan. It did not cost that much more than the next plan down.
That's all I have to say. Buy the phone if you are looking for a multi device that will help you pass the time talking, texting, getting caught up on news, gaming, or listening to tunes. All done very well within one package. This is not easy to pull off, but Verizon and LG have done just that. (I should get a job at a Verizon Wireless store!)
ENJOY!!!
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I LOVE this phone
5 out of 5
This is by far the best cell phone I have ever owned. It does more than I could want and does most of it well to excellent. But, before I get to far, let me tell you what this phone is NOT:
1) It is not a Blackberry killer. Verizon offers a push email system, but it is neither as good as RIM's nor as safe. Basically, it requires you to host it on their servers, which is a security risk that is not worth it to many companies. Cost is $19.99 per month. Works well though if you use it.
2) This is not a web browser. V Cast is pretty but not that great because it is snapshots of what VZ is putting out there. You can download ~5 minute videos that are great, but not the full internet. It also comes with Mobile Web 2.0, which will allow you to check web mail and browse most websites, but they won't really be formatted for your screen (although I check and send Gmail email all the time).
3) It is not an iPod. I have ripped and transferred (via miniSD card) around 150 songs to it and they sound great on the built in speakers and headphones. But it can't compete with a new iPod or even a deicated mp3 player. As a stand in, though, it's great.
Now, for what it is.
1) A great phone. Reception is as good or better than my previous Motorola T730. The speaker phone is the best I've ever used and the sound quality of using it as a handset is great. People say it's big, but it's not. Sure, it's not Zoolander mini phone, but if you lay it side by side with a typical flip phone, you will find it is the same thickness and only around ~3/4 of an inch longer.
2) A great text-er and capable emailer. As long as you are not looking at sending dozens of email a day, this is just fine as an emailer (even without the $19.99 subscription, since it hits webmail just fine). As for text, if you are into texting it is awesome. Definitely better than the sidekick.
3) It is feature rich. Aforementioned text capabilities and speaker phone. Bluetooth capable. Good music player. Better than average camera (you'll actually save photos to your PC and remember, you can transfer photos to your phone via mini SD to show others. Games play great on it.
4) VZ Navigator is AWESOME. You will get 95% of the features of a Magellan GPS system with only a $2.99 per use (24 hour) cost or $9.99 for 30 days. On its big screen with good speakers, you just perch it on your dash and it tells you where to go. Want to have lunch at XYZ restaurant on your way to Houston? Do a local search, have the phone call the restaurant, get your call-ahead seating, and then have the phone annouce as-you-drive instructions until you are there. This feature is offered on any V Cast capable phone but REALLY shines here.
5) Clam shell designs are the way to go. When I do type and email or text, I am much faster than my boss on his Blackberry.
6) It's cool. Keyboard is lit up in the dark. Mp3 player has a graphic equalizer. Inside screen is amazing. Clamshell will have other doing double takes. This may not be an important feature, but cool looking is cool looking.
There are a couple of things I don't like about it. For one, it only allows you to take 15 second videos. Not sure why when, with a 1GB mini SD card, you could go much longer. Also, not all of the features available to you when the clamshell is open are available on the front screen. Also, because this phone has usable music, speaker phone, camera, video, and games, battery life will be lighter since you will be using things that suck up batter life.
Still, this phone is great and I am extremely happy with my purchase. I have experienced NO trouble whatsoever with the screen breaking like that other reviewer. Nothing but happy for me.
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My Upgrade
4 out of 5
Ok, I know I said that the Sony Erricson s710 was the best phone that I have EVER had. Well, that was until I attained the LG VX9800. A mobile phone unlike just about any other cell phone created. This particular mobile phone is not JUST a cell phone. It is also an mp3 player, a digital camera and camcorder with a 1.3 megapixel lense. You can take very intriguing shots with this device, but these wonderful features aren't what makes this mobile phone unique. The thing that makes this particular phone unique and very user friendly is it's texting ability. Turn the phone to it's right side and you can flip it open revealing not just a keyboard for texting but also two speakers with major out-put for various sounds and music. There are other accessories that come with this mobile phone but they, of course, you have to purchase separately. I suggest this mobile phone for everyone, it's fun, unique, classy and very affordable.
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Incredibly versatile
4 out of 5
This is a HUGE phone that does a lot more than just a normal phone. If size matters, then treat my rating as a 2 star. This phone is approximately 2.5 times the size of a standard issue nokia.
So this phone will appeal to a very select group of individuals - its not for everyone.
If you want a phone - text messaging machine - camera - palm hybrid, look no further. This "phone" was built to do a lot of things and does them well. Well enough to justify 4 stars.
The LG menu is fairly intuitive once you get used to it. The phone ships with an excellent manual (and demo on CD) to get you up to speed.
The keyboard is very reasonable in size. The space bar is not underneath and instead to the side. I prefer it this way, others might not. Most people seem to adapt to it.
You can get a mini sd cheap - 35 bucks for a gig. I have not used it to play music yet, but you can transfer photos with it.
Lookup Bitpim on Google and then buy a standard USB data cable (should be < 10 bucks on Ebay). That will let you sync your phone with your computer. Very simple and intuitive. I entered all my contacts on the computer and synced the two.
The camera is reasonable. Better than the V710 camera. Not as good as a standard issue digital camera. Ok for pics and quick snapshots. With a 1 gig card, memory is not a problem.
The phone really really shines when opened and used as a text machine. Its really designed to be used that way. The speakerphone is EXCELLENT. Super duper. When combined with the keyboard, the screen and the software make using the cellphone a joy.
The build quality is good. Nothing chintzy or cheap - it feels solid. No flimsy parts that I expect to break soon.
One drawback is the lack of ringtones. The supplied default ringtones are terrible. But with Bitpim and some other software, you can make your own ringtones. Or download them from VZW.
All in all, this phone is not a conventional cellphone. The primary purpose of the phone is not making calls when being held next to the ear. It feels like a brick in those cases. This is a phone that you leave hooked on to your desk and use the blue tooth headset to walk around the room while taking the call. It is super charged up for use as a small hybrid palmtop/camera/cellphone, and excels in those roles. Or even as a speaker phone on a desk in a study.
Be very careful of expecting too much from Vcast. Vcast has limited service. And is expensive. And the web surfing is limited to content controlled by Verizon. You can not surf the web - just Verizon's version of the web.
Last, like all palm/cellphone hybrids - excellent battery life when using the phone only for calls/SMS. Twice the battery life of the V710.
Before purchasing, do take a look at a friend's phone and run over to the Verizon store. This is really not a conventional phone. If it fits your lifestyle and needs you will be very happy. If it does not, you are going to be miserable.
And it really is HUGE!
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Very Disappointing
2 out of 5
I've had this phone for 5 months now and it just keeps getting worse. I could deal with the lousy speakers and the odd choice of not allowing full menu options when the clamshell is closed, but the biggest weakness is actually the design. The directional pad on the outer shell is directly behind the center of the inner LCD screen.
As a result, this phone has broken on me twice in the last five months. The inner LCD screen (the large one) cracks if there is too much pressure on the directional pad of the outer shell. Just leaving it in a pocket of a jacket that gets jostled or pressing the "OK" button particularly hard can break the inner LCD. Its amazing more people haven't complained about this.
Especially since in order to get it fixed, you are charged at least $50, if not more by Verizon, and they couldn't care less about the aggravation. Their response is to ask if you will get insurance on the phone, or buy the hard leather sleeve for it. I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to buy a leather case that covers the outer screen. Aren't you supposed to use that outer screen for something, like, ummm, to see who's calling, or to find your contacts or set up your bluetooth or send pictures...?
I guess not, apparently, the purpose of the outer screen is to look cool as you have to yank an even bulkier phone out of your pocket, then pray you can slide this hideous black leather sleeve off of it before the person calling you has hung up.
It's just stupid and I wish I realized it before I wasted over $350 dollars on this junk.
I will never buy a LG phone again. And as soon as my plan is up with Verizon, they will never see another dime either.
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Buy at Amazon.com
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