Customer Reviews

LG VX8500 CHERRY CHOCOLATE CELL PHONE VERIZON CDMA

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've owned the phone for about 3 weeks now, and I'm pretty happy with it. Granted, I had a 5-year old brick of a phone before. I got the Cherry (red), my friends all love it and I still love to play around with the buttons when I'm bored. Overall, I would recommend this phone if:

- You want something small, sleek, stylish (and are willing to sacrifice some minor flaws in order to make your friends jealous of your phone)

- You are pretty comfortable with fancier phones and you have a medium level of technology knowledge

- You aren't a huge fan of flip phones

- You are willing to take the time to get used to how to hold the phone, use the touch-sensitive pad, the arrangement of buttons (for example, the "end call" button is located on the side... although you may also hang up a call simply by closing the phone) - At first it felt funny but now I'm completely comfortable with it.

- You use your phone as more than just a "phone" (camera, mp3s, alarms, etc.)

PROS:
- Sleek design, nice and fun to use

- Camera nice with sharp quality

- Screen is crystal clear!

- Has a speakerphone that works well

- Clear reception

- Having the slider is nice; it both locks the keypad and acts as a "hang-up" button. It is very satisfying to end a call by sliding the phone shut

CONS:
- Since I have a Mac computer and the Music Kit & memory card are kind of pricey (you need this to play music unless you plan on spending $1.99 per song downloading through VCast), I can't play music on my phone.

- Sometimes when I'm using the touch-sensitive buttons I accidentally call the first friend on my list, once I accidentally sent a text message before I was finished writing it.

- Shiny outside can show fingerprints, oil appears on screen after talking (but can easily be wiped off on my pant leg...)

- Small keypad number buttons take a while to get used to, are more difficult if you have large fingers (mine are normal sized, I guess)


Definitely read many reviews and check out all the features before you buy this phone... do your research! I did, and I'm happy with my purchase :)

I absolutely LOVE this phone. I was skeptical about purchasing a phone with verizon since the menus are usually not that great on phones *coughrazrcough*, and I'm REALLY picky. But since I get a company discount I couldn't say no to the mp3 phone. I do not regret this purchase at all.

*** ON DESIGN ***

+ PROS: I love it's slick, slim design, the screen is crystal clear and has great quality. I'm not very much into flip phones, but I loathe the huge, tacky alternative phones. All four colors of the chocolate look beautiful, but cherry won me over.

- CONS: The buttons need a litlte getting used to. I was so confused at first as to how to actually work the chocolate, but after a quick glance on my manual I mostly got the hang of it. I'm not sure if it's my stupidity to blame, but just recently I figured out how to actually RAISE the volume. :')

Also, the controls are EXTRA sensitive, so if you tap too hard you'll probablly end up making a lot of undesired phone calls or something. A little tap will do - you only need a couple of minutes to get used to it.

*** BUILT-IN CAMERA***

+ PROS: Button built in on the side of the phone to take quick snapshots for that surprise ocassion! The quality of the pictures is very good for a phone (yes, it's a phone not a camera, so I'm not having expectations for a 10MP SLR digital camera or something) and I love the options it has. When it's too dark, just raise the brightness, change the size, ect.

- CONS: None found yet!

*** RECEPTION ***

+ PROS: Fantastic reception! My first phone call was while I was waiting for the bus on a very busy road at peak hours, where usually I can't hear myself talk but yet it had one of the best phone quality I've heard in a while. To this point, I haven't had a dropped call, and it's never let me down!

- CONS: None! Good job, verizon.

*** MP3 PLAYER ***

+ PROS: Main reason I bought it. I'm a huge music fan, so my ears have headphones covering them most of the time, and blocking me from other noises when I'm focused on Pink Floyd or something... which made me usually have no idea what's going on in the rest of the earth.

I can tell you that I'm not missing any phone calls anymore because I didn't hear them! Sound quality is great, and it does it's job. My Music menu very easy to access!

-CONS: I wish I could add more storage, but I guess that's to blame on the SD Card... I also wish the phone would have alittle bit more life power.

*** V CAST ***

+ PROS: Can keep me amused for hours. Very addictive and fun.

- CONS: Can keep me from doing other things for hours. I'm afriad of my phone bill.

Other features I still have to look at, and expectations are high! :) BUY THIS PHONE, you won't regret it!

I got this phone as an early Christmas present and I absolutely love it. First, the color is beautiful, and the keypads large and easy to navigate. I love it with my Bluetooth headset. The menus are easy to read and navigate, and the open SD slot allows you to add your own media to customize the phone or remove media stored to the phone. Calls are clear and sound is good on both ends. On the other hand, for some reason they did not add flash to the camera on this phone, and the MP3 sound is high and tinny without other speakers. The touch keypad locks to keep you from accidentally activating it, which can be somewhat of a pain. Overall, though, this phone is small, sleek, attractive, and easy to use. It's about time Verizon came out with some decent phones!

I love the phone...but this is a tip for all of you chocolate lovers out there!!! If you don't want to pay 3 Bucks for ringtones and make your own...just record your own sound...send it to yourself...then when you receive it, go to options and select "save as ringtone"....Voila...sinfully sweet and simple! Verizon is the best ever!!!

First of all, the phone is georgeous. The cherry red color is rich and dark. The display screen is vibrant and crisp. The red-lit buttons are, well, sexy. :)
Personally, I think the touch-sensitive buttons are awesome. It took me a whole 10 minutes to get used to them. I even adjusted the sensitivity to "high". You just touch the pad ever so quickly and gently, and the phone responds with lightening-quick speed.
I haven't played with the music, yet. Although, I have downloaded a ringtone. It was quick and painless---except for the $3 it costs. Which brings me to the ONLY thing that I don't like about the phone....Verizon nickels and dimes you for nearly every extra phone feature. *sigh* I know that's part of the game, but, it's still disappointing.
On to call quality. So far, every call has been consistantly clear. I've read in other reviews that the call volume is a bit low??? They must need a Beltone 'cuz I put this sucker on "high", and it nearly blasted my eardrum! I've actually set the call volume on low, and it's perfect.
Overall, I am relishing this cherry chocolate treat. I've become a complete "chocoholic". Thanks LG for making such a beautiful and fun product!

After much research I decided to give the Cherry chocolate a try. I was eager to see if the big issues of navigating the keypad, phone dialing random numbers if my phone was in my pocket and how the MP3 player would work. All 3 were total non-issues. If you leave the phone closed and try and operate the keypad you better be fast or it will lock in about 3 seconds and you will have to press the side un-lock keys. If you slide it open then you eliminate that problem and can take your time. Phone menu engaging and dialing numbes in your contacts while in my pocket or jacket has not happened in over a week and I have been trying to make it happen. There is a setting in the phone that will make you press the unlock key TWICE before the keypad is active (unless you slide open the phone). You only have about 5 seconds to press the unlock button a second time or it will reset and you then need to press the unlock button twice. MP3 player has worked great so far. I used the Verizon Music kit that came with the software, USB cable and headphones (that plug right into the phone without using the jack included with the phone). The headphones sounds really good and I can use them for music or the phone calls. So far I am only using the phone's hard drive and no memory card. I also use the program Bitpim so I can take my mp3's and make them ringtones for my phone. The Cherry color and the phone look great. Overall one of the best phones I have owened. I too have left the keypad sensitivity to medium ( which is what it is out of the box) and I can navigate the menu great and texting is not an issue. I was worried since my old phone was the LG 9800 with full keypad. Also the 2 built in screen animations are pretty cool to for the wallpaper.

I love the Cherry Chocolate! It's hot and it's fun!
The music quality is pretty good for a cell phone, as is the camera quality.
Some people have said that they have a hard time text messaging. I don't do much text messaging myself, but have tried it a few times with this phone and have not had a problem at all. Although, I do have small fingers.
The phone has not made any surprise calls, as some reviewers say that it does. I'm not sure how that's even possible, as the phone locks when it is closed.
As far the battery, I got the phone three days ago and it was charged to 3 bars. I immediately charged the battery all the way up, as the owner's manual recommends. I played with it for a few hours that night and charged the battery up overnight (although I didn't necessarily have to). I used the phone constantly to talk, listen to music, and just to play around and experiment for two days before I had to charge it again. Unless you plan on using this phone as a primary mp3 player, I can't see battery life being a problem.
The phone may not be as thin as a Razor, but overall it is smaller and seems to be of better quality. I have never had a Razor, but I know some people who have it, and the Chocolate seems quite a bit sturdier.
As expected, the phone does attract a ton of fingerprints, but I keep mine in a padded case in my purse and I have a soft cloth I use to wipe the phone off.
If you like to send e-mails, text messages, and use the internet on your phone often, the Chocolate is not the phone for you, but it works fine if you do that only occasionally.

This is phone is stylish and functional and I definitely recommend it.

I have had my red VX8500 for less than 24 hours, less than 12 in fact, and I've already gotten the hang of the oh-so-difficult to use touchpad and interface. I think most people will have no problem figuring it out, or using it intuitively. I left the sensitivity at medium, and I think it is doing well. Sound quality is excellent, far better than my old VX7000. I am also able to get an average of 1-2 bars extra signal as compared to the old phone. The phone's options are highly customizable (I've basically turned it into the bar phone I've always wanted by setting it so I can answer by pressing the send button, meaning I don't have to open it to talk, if I need the numbers, the sliding motion springs open very easily), and the menus are a fair improvement over Verizon's old UI. Mind you, I'm using the Rock n' Roll display theme, the default.

I have very few complaints, and they're quite minor. In order of descending importance: The camera is quite mediocre. Again, it's leagues over my VX7000, but that's not saying anything. The pictures look okay on a cellphone, but sending them to your computer reveals the camera's weakness quite blatantly. Next would be the fact that the OK button is kind of hard to press accurately sometimes, but it's not nearly as much of a problem as I thought it might be. The final and smallest problem is that the phone locks far too quickly when you slide it shut, one button press is required to reactivate it, and then you're given 3 seconds to give additional input or it shuts off again. Additionally, any input that leads back to the main screen automatically locks the phone again.

Thankfully the phone is ergonomic enough that pressing the side buttons isn't much of a hassle. Overall, this phone is definitely an attractive(but I didn't need to mention that in my review, did I?) option for music fans and casual phone users. I have no real substancial reports on battery life, but I've been screwing around with the various features since I got the phone almost non-stop, and the battery is still at the 2 bars it originally shipped with.

I upgraded online through Verizon to get the new Strawberry totally beautiful Chocolate! Only complaint is the OK button for actually taking a picture is hard to do for some reason, I can't seem to one hand it and I touch the OK button and nothing happens, maybe touching too hard, maybe not.. I dunno. Again, that is only when taking a picture, other than that it is a very cool phone and I agree with the other reviews so no need to repeat it all, just go buy the Chocolate in your favorite flavor! I will just reitterate... Do not buy Verizon ringtones or V-cast music or anything!!!!!!!! Heck, I don't even get V-cast in my town anyways. Nor buy Verizon accessories. Amazon.com or other online stores are by far cheaper!

I bought my first Cherry Chocolate in December 2006. Today June 13, I received my recplacement chocolate in the mail. The phone is very easy to get used to. Honestly, I don't know how any phone can be too confusing.

The pictures are great. I bought a ringtone ($2.99 is pricy, T-Moble charged me $1.99 for the past 3 years) and a game. I really do hate that Verizon Wireless phones do not come with default games.

After 2-3 months, my cancel button stopped working. I'd come back if I didn't close the phone, but then eventually it completely stopped working. Like another reviewer, it would constantly call the last person on my call log. It can be so sensitive, but yet not sensitive enough for the cancel button (sensor pad) to work.

I would be typing a text message and before I could even finish one sentence, it would automatically send. Sometimes, it would scroll down the menus non stop until I just closed it. It would also freeze while I would do something, so I would have to close the phone and open it up again.

The music player was great. You really need a memory card to get the total use of this "MP3 player/cellphone"

I get my new phone in the mail today and one of the screws on the back of the phone (where the battery goes) was missing. The factory sent me a phone that was either NOT inspected, or had a terrible inspection job. I understand it's just a screw, but that's just plain lazy.

Also, the pictures I have saved on my card do not cover the entire wallpaper like on my old phone. I do not understand this.

If you have a lot of money to spend, I guess this is a good phone for you. You can buy V-Cast and download all their extra stuff. If you have a lot of money and want to use it wisely, I suggest going to T-Moble and purchasing a Blackberry or any other phone.