LG Chocolate (VX8500)

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LG Chocolate (VX8500)
Screen LCD 320 x 240 pixels (262000 Colors)
Ringtone Polyphonic
Memory 128 MB (Internal)
Networks CDMA / GSM
Connectivity Bluetooth / USB Cable
Physical size 1.9 X 0.7 X 3.8 in
Weight 3.5 oz


The LG VX8500 (or "Chocolate") is a slider cellphone-MP3 player hybrid, and is sold as a "fashion phone". In the U.S. it was quietly released by Verizon Wireless in July 2006 and made available online, and later released in Verizon stores in the U.S. on August 7, 2006. In Canada, the Chocolate was released by Telus Mobility on November 6, 2006. The Chocolate has also been made available in Mexico. In addition to the original black form factor, the LG Chocolate VX8500 is also available in the U.S. in a light green, white and red (called "Mint Chocolate," "White Chocolate" and "Cherry," respectively).

Contents

[edit] Ad Campaign

The in-store release of the VX8500/Chocolate followed five television commercials, four of which featured music playing while the device was displayed from various camera angles, often with the glow from the touch-panel leaving a trail. The device was shown closed, making it look like an MP3 player, and the commercials ended with the music pausing, the phone opening, and a phone call or message being played. The fifth commercial simply played Goldfrapp's "Strict Machine" while the phone emerged from liquid chocolate. But since that song was not considered inline with LG's new ad campaign it was pulled off the shelf.

[edit] Touch Panel

The face of the Chocolate has no tactile buttons, but rather touch-sensitive panels with red-orange illuminating symbols to designate the touch-sensitive areas. Many users have criticised the use of touch-sensitive buttons, claiming they're inaccurate and annoying, even on the lowest sensitivity setting. Others have praised them, finding that using them feels gentle and is completely silent.

The buttons include four corner buttons (Left option, right option, Call, and Return), and a wheel. The four sides of the wheel behave like a direction pad in most applications. In the music player, they work as scroll up/down, and next/previous track. The OK button in the center of the wheel doubles as Pause/Play in the music player.

[edit] Origin

The original LG Chocolate was released in Korea long before the UK or U.S. version. In Korea, it was available in three colors which were black, white and pink. This device actually smelled like Chocolate, earning its nickname, which LG quickly adopted[citation needed]. After becoming an extremely popular item in South Korea's mobile phone market, it saw its release into the UK.

The US Chocolate is actually a different phone (VX8500). Aside from running on different networks (CDMA vs. GSM), the VX8500 sports a QVGA (320x240) LCD over the KG800's 176x220 LCD. The touch panel on the VX8500 has a slightly different design, with a circular button arrangement bordered with glossy metal, versus the KG800's square arrangement featuring simple arrow designs, and a rounded rectangle bordering the "OK" button in the centre. The KG800's number pad also features a grey and black checkerboard pattern, and the camera has a white LED flash, both of which the VX8500 does not have..

[edit] Firmware

The firmware in the U.S. models that are sold through Verizon has been heavily modified in efforts to persuade customers to buy optional accessories. The disabling of certain profiles and internal directory concealment are among these modifications. Many users have successfully reported being able to bypass the restrictions placed upon it by the modified firmware. However, some users have reported that the newest firmware version (v04) has been redesigned so they can't get past the restrictions.

[edit] Features

[edit] General Features

  • Cellular technology: CDMA2000 1X
  • Band/mode: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
  • Weight: 3.5 oz
  • Wireless Interface: Bluetooth (A2DP)
  • Standby time: Up to 384 h
  • Line Qty: 11
  • Combined with: Digital camera, media player

[edit] Memory

  • Internal: 128 MB (64mb reserved for system, 64mb available for music)
  • External: microSD card slot.

[edit] Phone

  • Vibrating Alert: Yes
  • Speaker Phone: Yes (with new firmware)
  • Polyphonic Ringer: Yes
  • Alarm Clock: Yes
  • Calendar: Yes
  • Additional Features: TTY compatible
  • 2.5 mm headphone jack: with adapter

[edit] Camera

  • Still image resolution:
  1. 160 x 120
  2. 176 x 144
  3. 320 x 240
  4. 640 x 480
  5. 1280 x 960
  • Digital zoom: 2
  • Video recorder resolutions: 176 x 144 (QCIF)

[edit] Messaging and Data

  • Voice Mail Capability: Yes
  • Short Messaging Service (SMS): Yes
  • Internet Browsing: Yes
  • Messaging / Data Features:
  1. Text messages
  2. Multimedia messages (MMS)
  3. Mobile IM (AIM, MSN, Y!)
  • WAP Supported: Yes
  • WAP Version: 2.0

[edit] Music Player / Recorder

  • Digital player supported digital audio standards: MP3, WMA

[edit] Display

  • Display Type: LCD
  • Display technology: TFT
  • Display Resolution 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
  • Colour Support: Yes
  • Colour Depth: 18-bit (262000 Colours)

[edit] Power

  • Battery installed: Lithium polymer
  • Talk Time: Up to 210 min
  • Audible Battery Alert: Yes

[edit] Cellular

  • Phone style: Slider (or Hybrid)
  • Automatic Redial: Yes
  • Call Divert: Yes
  • Call Barring: Yes
  • Call Timer: Yes
  • Caller ID: Yes
  • Caller Waiting: Yes
  • Volume Control: Yes
  • Ringer Control: Yes
  • Conference Call Capability: Yes
  • Computer Link: Yes
  1. USB cable
  2. Bluetooth

[edit] Physical Characteristics

  • Width: 1.9 in
  • Depth: 0.7 in
  • Height: 3.8 in
  • Antenna: Integrated


[edit] Sources

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