LG VX8600 Review - Introduction / Design

Introduction

The slim and stylish LG VX8600 music phone from Verizon Wireless is the perfect answer for those pining for the multimedia features of the LG VX8500 Chocolate, but in a an ultra-thin and more conventional clamshell design.

Like the Chocolate, the VX8600 offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, camcorder, music player and link to Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0, Get It Now and VCAST video and music service for streaming and downloading media clips.

Highlights on the VX8600 include one-touch speakerphone, a microSD external memory card slot, EV-DO high-speed broadband network for speedy downloads, built-in GPS and Bluetooth compatibility to support up to 20 accessory pairings, including Bluetooth headsets and stereo headsets, which are sold separately.

Design

Those who may not be willing to convert to the Chocolate's modern slider design will find familiar, yet contemporary characteristics in the VX8600, which also bears a resemblance to the popular Motorola KRZR K1m.

The ultra-thin 3.26-ounce handset comes in a glossy, sophisticated black and measures in at 3.89" x 1.93" x 0.58". The VX8600's glossy and reflective exterior, framed by a shiny silver trim, does have a propensity for attracting fingerprints, but when it's spot-free, the phone can almost double as a mirror.
The lower half of the VX8600's exterior sports three touch-sensitive music control buttons - play/pause and track forward and back buttons - which can be activated to a glowing red by pressing the music control button on the device's right side panel. Once the red backlighting is off, the controls disappear from the face of the handheld.

Above the music controls is a large 128 x 160 px 65K-color TFT LCD screen that displays caller ID, time, battery life and music tracks if the music player is on. The external LCD screen can also be used as a camera viewfinder for self-portraits. Directly above the screen is the 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder lens. A small external speaker for music features is located near the bottom rim of the VX8600.

The bottom half of the clamshell houses the internal antenna and 800 mAh Li-Ion battery with up to 3 hours and 40 minutes of talk time and up to 16 days and 14 hours of standby time. A carrying hole on the top of the bottom half allows a hand strap or other cell phone bauble to be attached.

A thin volume control button on the top left side of the VX8600 offers five volume settings in addition to a choice between vibrate and alarm only options. Just below the volume control is a charging port and headset adapter port. The top right side of the phone also has two thin control buttons: One button for activating the music player, voice command and speakerphone and another button for controlling the camera and camcorder features. Just below that is a slot for a microSD memory card, which is sold separately.

Flip the VX8600 open, and users will see the VX8600's nearly flat keypad, which might be problematic if they like to dial without looking at the keypad. And unlike the Chocolate, the VX8600 uses a conventional push-button keypad and not the touch-sensitive buttons many Chocolate users seem to dislike. The center navigation key was easy to use; however, the adjacent right and left soft keys could be problematic if they weren't pushed in square on. Another equally impressive interior feature was the device's large 176 x 220 px, 262K-color TFT LCD screen that displays an easy-to-use Flash menu interface.

The new user menu is an upgraded version of the Verizon Wireless's standard menu setup. Users can customize their display settings between two additional themes and 19 wallpapers that come with the handheld. More themes and screen shots can be downloaded from Verizon's Get It Now service.

The LG VX8600 comes with a standard 800 mAh Li-Ion battery, Travel Charger, 2.5 mm Headset Adaptor, Quick Reference Guide and User Manual.

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