Pros: Small size, durability, bluetooth
Cons: Battery life
Summary: I've been a long-time Verizon customer (since the days of 15-minutes-per-month plans and phones that didn't come close to fitting in your pocket), so I've unfortunately been at the whim of Verizon's less-than-stellar selection of phones. I started off with a few Motorolas, but once I got the LG VX6000, I was hooked on the LG quality, styling, and durability (I drop my phones - a lot!).
In moving forward from the Motorola to the VX6000, and then the VX6000 to the VX8000, I consistently noticed my battery life doubling, at the very least. Whereas older phones needed to be constantly charged, I found that by the time I was on the VX8000, I could go several days without charging the phone, even while using a few hours of talk time. So, when I stepped up to the VX8600, I was expecting the same improvement. This time, I was proven wrong. Battery life has actually worsened!
The most irritating issue that I have found with the VX8600 is how quickly it goes from "3 bars" of battery to dead, even without using any talk time. For an LG veteran, I found this surprising, as I usually didn't even worry about charging my phone until it was down to that last bar. With this phone, after even two hours of talking, you're down to 2 bars of battery. That 2 bars of battery would have lasted a few days on standby with older LG's. Now, I'm lucky if I make it through a day without my phone turning off on me.
Battery irritation aside (and as I've been told by friends who work in the cell phone business, you don't buy a small flip phone if you're concerned about battery life), everything else about this phone is great. It is by far the most stylish phone I've ever seen from Verizon. It's sturdier than the RAZR's, as evidenced by my scientific research (ok, fine, I may have dropped this phone three or four times already, and have had no issues.)
This is also the first Verizon phone I've seen that did not have the Bluetooth functionality crippled. What this means is that you can download the BitPim software from http://www.bitpim.org/ and, if your PC or laptop is Bluetooth enabled, you can transfer your contacts (and possibly your photos and videos, though I have yet to test this) all wirelessly. So, when you experience that fateful phone-drop into a puddle, at least you don't lose your contacts..
Call quality has been excellent, and the camera is acceptable, although newer phones tend to sport resolutions greater than the 1.3 megapixels that this phone offers.
Overall, I'm quite happy with this phone - just make sure to keep it charged!
Robert H. Goretsky
Hoboken, NJ
The Phonedog Days of Summer giveaway is coming to a close, but stay tuned for our new "Phonedog One-Paw Bandit Instant Winner Game", coming soon! We'll be giving away an iPhone in the very first week!
