LG VX-8600 Cell Phone
 LG's VX-8600 is the clamshell successor to their very popular "Chocolate" candy bar phone. This dual-band CDMA cell phone for Verizon Wireless actually packs all of Chocolate's functionality into a sleek flip phone that I found easier to use and more attractive than the VX-8500. Clad in shiny black with silver trim, the 8600 is a thin clamshell packed with multimedia features.
The VX-8600 features a 1.3 megapixel camera, VCAST-compatible media player with external touch-sensitive music controls, and dual color displays. While Verizon doesn't include many goodies in their retail package, the handset is compatible with a number of add-ons to make phone calls and listening to music more enjoyable on this very capable handset. Are the 8600's good looks enough to make it stand out from the crowd in a marketplace packed with multimedia phones? If Verizon's your carrier, then yes, I think so. Read on ...
I love the design of the VX-8600. The black clamshell is sleek, shiny, and light but sturdy-feeling. This handset doesn't at all feel bulky or cumbersome in a front pants pocket, which is my defacto "real world" design test. The glossy black plastic finish is a bit prone to attracting fingerprints, but that's going to be the case with any handset with a non-matte finish.
Measuring 99 x 48.5 x 15mm and weighing in at 93g, the 8600 is both thinner and lighter than the VX-8500 Chocolate, and roughly the size of a Motorola RAZR. Where the RAZR (and it is a testament to the longevity of that phone's popularity that I'm still using it as a reference point) is all about hard, clean angles, however, the 8600 features soft curves and rounded edges set off by chrome-colored plastic trim.
The front panel of the handset features an external display and three touch-sensitive buttons that "disappear" when not in use. Twin LG and Verizon logos frame the display top and bottom, and the sensor for a 1.3 megapixel camera is set in a circular housing at the top of the panel.
Opening the flip reveals a large color display on the top half of the interior and a roomy navigation pad and dialing keypad on the bottom. The navigational controls include a five-way directional pad with a centered OK button and left/right soft keys. Keeping with the phone's overall design, keys are finished in black, flush-mount plastic with silver trim. The flush design of the buttons doesn't provide quite the same tactile feedback as standard buttons, which are more readily delineated by the "valleys" between raised surfaces. While this might create a fear of difficulty during blind dialing, I had no problem with the keys. In fact, I found all of the keys easy to use and being that I have somewhat large fingers, I appreciated the roomy layout.
The left panel of the phone houses a charger/data port and volume up/down buttons. The volume controls are actually located on the top portion of the flip (the display half) and would probably be easier to use if they'd been moved down to the lower half, as that's the portion most people hold while talking on the phone. On the right side of the phone we find camera and voice command buttons and a covered port for MicroSD memory cards.
The back portion of the phone is blank save for logos and stickers. A latch at the very top of the back panel releases the battery, which takes up roughly half of the rear panel.
I have to reiterate how much I like the look and feel of this phone. The VX-8600 is one of the first phones in awhile to make me want it purely for the way it looks and feels in hand, and seems to disappear in my pocket. Generally speaking I'm a sucker for spec sheets and customizability; this LG had be before I even turned it on to see what it could do.
Read full review » Well, I have a VX8600 with Verizon. And many people maybe know how to get into the service menu of their phone. By dialing #7764726, and entering 000000. (some may need to dail #7764726 + their model number, i.e. #77647268600)(others can just hit the menu button, and hit 0, then enter in 000000) This service menu can do a lot of things, such as testing the motor, battery, screen settings, and much more. One of the best things things that can be... Like the rest of Verizon's VCast-compatible handsets, the VX-8600 is capable of providing you with a host of entertainment options including music, video, and gaming. Nothing comes free in this world, however, and access to online entertainment requires a $15/month VCast subscription.
The built-in digital music player works with music files purchased and downloaded from the VCast music store; songs cost $1.99 for a dual phone/PC... The main display is a 2.2" TFT screen capable of resolutions of 176 x 220 pixels at up to 262,00 colors. Big and bright, the display is easy to read and generally looks great. Watching videos on the handset, however, reveals the limitations of the display resolution - some videos that looked a bit blocky here surely would have benefited from a QVGA (320 x 240) display.
A real treat, however, was the externally mounted secondary... In a world of sleek, thin phones, the LG VX-8600 manages to stand out from the crowd on the sheer power of its good looks. I wasn't a big fan of this phone's predecessor, the VX-8500 "Chocolate," as I found the touch-sensitive controls overly difficult to use, the features run-of-the-mill, and the design uninspired. LG's got me hooked on the 8600, however. This slim, light clamshell is light, comfortable, and easy to... Composing SMS and MMS messages on the VX-8600 was straightforward, as was attaching images, videos, and audio clips to MMS messages. The predictive text input system worked well, though this handset shouldn't be mistaken for a "serious" messaging device. On the other hand, tapping out missives on the 8600's keys is much, much easier than on the VX-8500's famously difficult touch-sensitive keypad.
Email is supported through... LG's VX-8600 is the clamshell successor to their very popular "Chocolate" candy bar phone. This dual-band CDMA cell phone for Verizon Wireless actually packs all of Chocolate's functionality into a sleek flip phone that I found easier to use and more attractive than the VX-8500. Clad in shiny black with silver trim, the 8600 is a thin clamshell packed with multimedia features.
The VX-8600 features a 1.3 megapixel camera,... Pros: Looks nice,light weight, easy texting Cons: Bad reception, breaks easily,bad picture quality Summary: Looks nice when you first get it but once you had it for a while its get worst break easily i replaced this phone twice im tired of it.Oh it also has a bad battery life it dies out quick if you are a person who likes to talk on the phone like me Pros: Great texting, very sharp picture quality, sleek, pretty easy to use, big screen Cons: Charging sucks after a while, bluetooth is worthless, paint chips terribly, and glitches liek none other. Summary: I've about had it with this phone. i've had mine about 15 months now and at about 13 i couldnt charge it anymore, like the first reviewer said. I dont know why, but it just stopped charging and then i got it replaced, but my provider put in a used charging jack. so now, two months later its unbearable again. the past three days i have been working hard to get the cord jack (what you plug into the phone) at just the PERFECT spot in the phone so that it'll charge. i have to hold it sideways with downwards pressure on the cord for it to charge. Terrible. On top of that, the phone glitches pretty badly and the paint is almost all gone. I can't get cool ringtones frmo my friends cause bluetooth doesnt work. overall- sh!tphone. Pros: Sleek Cool Menus Good calling quality (but starts to get worse over time) Decent Battery Life Cons: I have had to infringe on this phone's warrenty two times! I became so fend up with it that I made my provider give me a new one! Summary: This phone stinks! When you first get it you love it, it is so cool, the wow factor is nice, and you got a music player! Great menus and ok when it comes to texting! But, after have this phone two times I have gotten two broken phones right after the other! The first time, my phone came with a broken hing and over time of me charging my phone it stopped working! I couldn't charge it anymore! I don't know what happened it just stoped charging at night! So I went back and got a refirbushed phone because by that time the phone was discontinued! But soon after getting the refurbished phone I started to notice little glitches! Like my phone would randomly shut down in the middle of a text! I would be typing this extremly long message to someone and all of a sudden my phone would shut down and restart! It was extremly annoying! Then I noticed the call quality started to go down hill, I fell like I was in the Grand Canyon when talking to someone! I could here what I was saying and I could hear what they were saying, but with an echo! Not to mention, the phone is febile! I live down south were the area is kinda dry and weekend I went up to Chicago during one of its humid days and my phone formed a moisture buble! So I told my parents about it and they told me to put the screen out into the sun and let it evaportate! Well I did and guess what the bubble did evaporate, but instead of a mositure bubble there was now an air bubble! I is now sealed there and there is a big swirl of colors in my screen that is as annoying as crap! Lastly, if you are a big texter do not get this phone! If you have seen this phone in person you should notice that it doesn't have keys but this "skin" which you might think is great because then teacher or whomever won't be able to hear you texting! Yea this is true, but that skin, over time, will start to lift up from the glue that holds it down releasing and I have seen friends who have this phone with the skin on thier phone completely gone! They have to dail by guessing (even though most people do know which numbers are which)! Seriously, take me heed do not buy this phone is you are hard on electronics (not abbusive)! I would recommend a Samsung! LGs SuX! btw... this phone (for me) usually only takes 4 months to start to break! 2 out of 3 people found this review helpful Pros: Neat phone with alot of features. Cons: Reception not that great and phone shuts off in middle of converstations for no reason. Summary: I got this phone when it had just came out through Verizon. It is a neat phone, if you can figure out how everything works. I don't have much tech smarts, so I don't use alot of the features. It is thin, but wide and long. I've had problems with mine shutting off for no reason. I am going to take it back and have them exchange it for a new one. The battery life doesn't last very long either. I've also not had very good reception with it. My Mom has a small and more simple phone and hers picks up way better than this LG8600 does. Also, the speaker phone is not very loud at all. Overall opinion: I wouldn't buy it again. 7 out of 13 people found this review helpful Pros: easy fast texting, great picture capabilities, slim design, sometimes I forget I have it in my pocket, variety of colors, quick charging, long lasting battery, MP3 player (my favorite CD's go with me whereever I go) easy navigation (I only read the manual to find out how to download MP3's on it) Cons: Ringers aren't loud enough (I wouldn't use the alarm clock to save my life)... and there is no flash on the camera (but I've taken pictures in even the darkest places with the night mode and can still see everything...) Summary: I've been through about twenty cell phones in the past 10 years, I'm usually reckless with them. I've lost them to leaving them on the roof of cars, drowning them in the toilet, I've snapped the head off of one of my flip phones, just plain loosing them. My LG VX-8600 will never be a victim to any of these unfortunate events... I could be drowning at sea somewhere and I would be treading water with one hand and holding my phone up to save it from the water with the other... I'm serious. I've had it for about five months now. It is recently showing signs of wear and tear, but it's only left my side maybe twice in those months. I fell asleep with the MP3 player going once for about 7 hours and when I woke up not only was it still playing but it had over half the battery power left. It holds up to 100 texts in the inbox, for those of us who don't like to delete, and I have over 70 songs downloaded onto my SD card, so 70 of my favorite songs are with me at all times. I've watched TV on it, the visual is great. I am on my yahoo messenger on it. And if that's not enough proof that this is a great phone, I usually don't do product reviews for anything, but I stumbled accross this page, looking for an icon guide to find out what my son turned on and had to fill this out. This phone will be cherished!!! Hey never mind about that... I just found the icon guide on the phone... now I really don't have to find that manual!!! Yippeee!! 12 out of 25 people found this review helpful Well, I have a VX8600 with Verizon. And many people maybe know how to get into the service menu of their phone. By dialing #7764726, and entering 000000. (some may need to dail #7764726 + their model number, i.e. #77647268600)(others can just hit the menu button, and hit 0, then enter in 000000) This service menu can do a lot of things, such as testing the motor, battery, screen settings, and much more. One of the best things things that can be... The easiest way is to get yourself a MicroSD card reader from staples ($9.99). There is no formating or software to install. Simply insert the chip into the adaptor that comes with the reader and connect it to your computer via the USB port.
It will show up as a new drive on your computer - choose/ "open to view files".
You will be able to access all of the folders including MP3,Videos and photos.
You should be good to go [:)] Buying choicesWith new service  This item is not being sold with a service plan by any online merchant. With pre-paid service This item is not being sold with a pre-paid service service plan by any online merchant. Purchase phone only Accessories Purchase compatible accessories for this phone Ringtones & MediaShop for compatible mobile content for this phone
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