LG Chocolate 3 Phone, Black (Verizon Wireless)

Excellent music phone with a few tiny quirks September 3, 2008

Reviewer:  Frank Provo  (Lansing, MI) -

Contrary to what the documentation says, you don't need to install Rhapsody to sync music to the phone. Before you plug the phone in for the first time, just go into the Settings menu, pick the USB Auto Sync option, and set the phone to the "sync data" setting. That will install the proper drivers. After that, set the phone to "sync music" and you'll be able to use Windows Media Player to sync music anytime thereafter. Or, you can copy music files manually to the my_music folder by activating the "USB Mass Storage" option located in the Settings/Tools menu.

Little quirks like that are the story with this phone.

Pros:
* Strong signal and clear reception
* Great battery life as a phone (4+ hours talk, days of standby)
* Feels and works very much like an Ipod when closed
* Built-in FM transmitter to beam music to car stereo!
* Music playback is loud and clear on phone speaker
* Standard headphone jack
* 2MP camera
* Two beautiful color screens (pictures look great!)
* Menus and buttons are very intuitive
* Clicky, responsive keys (feels like a phone!)
* Solid construction, but thin enough to fit in pocket

Cons:
* Ringtone volume is TOO LOUD, with no real way to lower it
* Have to remove SD card to sync to internal memory
* Pictures look a little tinted when sent to PC
* Can't organize pictures into folders, so gallery gets unwieldy fast
* Can't change behavior of the lock button
* Signal strength meter is totally inaccurate
* Mirrored front quickly gathers fingerprints and smudges

For me, those quirks weren't enough to get me to dock a star from the Chocolate 3's rating. I bought the silicon cover to avoid the fingerprint problem. I got around the loud ringtones by downloading and sending a couple "quieter" ones to the phone. The lack of good picture organization and camera quality didn't bug me because I don't use my phone as a camera. The pictures look pretty decent anyway. The signal strength indicator doesn't jive with our two older phones, but in real-world use the Chocolate 3 can make a call in our favorite big grocery store whereas our older phones can't.

Out of all of those tiny peeves, the one thing I wish they'd fix is make it possible to change the behavior of the button that locks the scroll wheel. Right now, a single-click lets you use the scroll wheel. I'd prefer a double-click. I haven't actually managed to unlock the phone in my pocket yet, though, so it's all good.

What I wanted was 1) a comfortable, reliable phone, and 2) a decent music player. The LG VX-8560 Chocolate 3 has delivered superbly on both counts.

A Godsend August 8, 2008

Reviewer:  Mike Hinson 

I recently replaced my LG 8600 which was very similar to this phone. I replaced it with a Samsung Glyde. What a joke that was. I had the "upgraded" version of the Glyde (new firmware) and it was still a bad phone. Since most of the Verizon phones that are out either have a touch screen and/or a full keyboard, I just figured that is what I had to get. I am not a 13 year old girl so I did not need the keyboard. Besides I am faster with the T9 entry mode anyway. The touch screen is "cool" but that is all it is.

As for the Chocolate 3, WOW! What a great user friendly phone. I am into music and this has to be one of the best music based phones out right now. There has been some complaints about the FM transmitter. I have owned 2 other external plug in style transmitters and the one built into this phone works the same as the others.

The phone could not be any simpler to use, it is packed with features, and the size fits nicely into a pocket.

I give the Chocolate 3 a 10 out of 10

Music+Stereo Bluetooth+FM Transmitter=SUCCESS! October 23, 2008

Reviewer:  decan kelor "decan"  (Savannah, GA) -

PROS:
Strong-signaled stereo bluetooth, adequate FM transmitter, easy-to-use music system, 3.5mm headphone jack (!!), expandable microSD slot, very helpful and convenient front screen, programmable shortcut buttons, small form size like the RAZR

CONS:
Front scroll wheel somewhat temperamental, a tad slow response on some features, fiip-phone spring not 100% durable after use, keypad not as pleasant to text on as RAZR, haven't found a way to set music you put on the phone yourself as ringtones


First, anyone wanting the perfect balance between an mp3 player and a phone need go no further. I was originally in the market for a RAZR v9, but after reviewing the specs, I decided this was the phone for me. I couldn't be more happy!

Obviously, as the pros state, this phone has pretty much anything a music buff can need in a phone. Of course, it's not the world's greatest mp3 player, but it's all in what you're expecting. For me, I haven't found anything that an iPod can do that the Chocolate 3 can't; it even has the scroll-wheel like the iPod, except it's a more tactile feel. The wheel takes a little getting used to, but it's not rocket science.

The best thing about this phone to me is the variety of musical connectivity; loading music is easiest by plugging it into your computer's USB port and copy/pasting your music onto the phone. The phone also charges while loading, and automatically sorts songs by their ID3 tags just like an iPod. You can also load music via Bluetooth from your computer, as well as download from Verizon's VCast service. I don't use that because it costs more money, but it doesn't hinder my phone in any way.

In terms of music playing, the best feature ever is the built in 3.5mm headphone jack, something that is often taken for granted on cell phones. Also, stereo bluetooth (A2DP) is WONDERFUL... I recommend the Motorola S805 headphones for anyone who wants noise-canceling headphones with GREAT reception, sound, and still hands-free calling simultaneously. If you have no headphones, the built in speaker is acceptable enough to play while waiting on a midnight bus or whatever time you have to kill.

The phone itself is very similar in form and depth to the RAZR v9; I wasn't expecting it to be a good looking as it is. I have the light blue version, but the Black looks just as good. It's pretty sturdy, too; I've given it hell for the past three months, and it's still fine. My only complaint is the keypad itself... it isn't as smooth as the buttons on a Motorola phone, but it's just something to get used to.

One thing I really like that is unique to this phone is the ability to recieve and read text messages, view and play music and pictures, start and use the camera, and view calendar entries from the front screen... without having to open the phone. This may seem useless, but I've found it to be quite helpful, especially when you're in a place (such as class) when you want to stay inconspicuous.

The phone has all the basic features you'd expect... calendar, calculator, alarm clock, notepad... plus a fairly good camera (albeit no flash). The buttons on the phone are all laid out well, and the circular navigation arrows around the "ok" button are all programmable to a number of phone functions. When the phone is closed, there is an automatic lock-keys button to keep you from accidentally doing things to the phone while it's in your pocket. All you have to do to unlock it is press the button on the side, and you're good to go.

All in all, I strongly recommend this phone for anyone who likes bluetooth connectivity, listening to music without having to carry a separate mp3 player, and still have all the features of a good phone. The battery life lasts about three days on average, depending on what you're doing, and that makes it great for travel. One minor con is that the phone, while using USB, does not use the standard mini-USB port on the phone; there is a proprietary USB connection type on the phone side, which makes it annoying when you forget the cord that came with the phone. But overall, I'm glad I went with LG, and I'm glad LG went with a flip style for the next Chocolate!!

I only ever wanted a phone that made and received calls until I met the Chocolate 3 November 3, 2008

Reviewer:  Christopher R. Cole 

I am by no means someone who demands the latest and greatest in any electronic item I buy or receive as a gift. All my cell phones in the past have been ones that I only needed to make and receive calls. I am not into texting, and while having a camera in the phone is nice, it was never a necessity.

That has all changed with the Chocolate 3.

My sister gave this to me as an early birthday present. I was due for an upgrade, but money has been tight and I just kept putting it off. As soon as she gave me the phone I fell in love with it. It's not a slider like the previous incarnations of the Chocolate, but that doesn't matter to me.

The first thing that really impressed me was how easy it is to use the music player. Everything is laid out in a fairly simple manner. Adding and removing music from the phone isn't difficult. The bonus with the player is the built in FM transmitter. I walked around the first floor of my home while the radio I had on was in another room, and though there was a little bit of static it wasn't to the point where it drowned out the music. And it sounds especially good over my car's stereo system.

I have yet to try out the camera on it.

And, because this is a phone, I was interested in how well it makes and receives calls. The calls I have made and received on it so far are crisp. The earpiece is by far the best I have come across in a cell phone.

I may have really spoiled myself on this phone.

sleek AND tough. May 25, 2009

Reviewer:  R. Scott Fleder "www.myspace.com/rayonicon"  (Chicago) -

I've used this phone extensively for the past year (i have the blue one). Just last night it got immersed in water and stopped working. so i put it in the oven at 125 degrees for 20 minutes (this was after i had a box fan blowing on it overnight), and now it works perfectly. Not to mention being dropped to the floor countless times, I'm really impressed by the durability. I am considering some sort of cover or case, since my luck may be finally running out.

Wish it took better pix at night (excellent camera when there is good light), and i wish the fm transmitter actually worked in my Ford Focus; I think the issue is that if you live in a market where there's essentially a station at every point on the dial, the phone can't compete with those signals. When i was in belize, where radio was scared, it worked well... and that's when you want it to work most anyway, where there is not much else on but Religious propaganda, Mestizo and Punta Rock.

Contrary to other posts, i think texting on it is pretty user friendly (I text very frequently). And the auto-erase function is very nice, gradually erasing the oldest texts to allow new ones to come in (unless their locked, which is nice for conveniently storing addresses and other info). However, I'm sure plenty of phones have this feature these days.

actual phone function is good: crisp and clear. Music player is nice and functions much like an ipod when closed. You can make playlists, and even has settings to boost treble or bass, enhance vocal presence, and things like that. the internal speaker is as good as one could hope.

One other recent issue w/ mine: when i get a text, it does its normal notification, but then if i don't flip it open, it thinks the text is still unread (despite being displayed on the front screen), and then will vibrate annoyingly for about 15 seconds, which seems like eternity if you're not in a situation to get it out of yr pocket. Perhaps this is unique to my phone?

If your priority is to have a music-playing clam-shell style phone that also functions well as a phone (sad we have to provide this distinction these days), then this is your phone. I think its price is actually quite fair and remains my favorite verizon phone of all time (tied with the vx 6100)

PS To make your own ringtones, use the voice memo function (has its own hotkey, which is awesome), record anything in the world you think is special, and then you can save the differently differently, as needed. Records from a stereo speaker just fine, might take a couple tries to get it just right... and this way you're in control of the volume too.

big nerd,
Scott

Awesome phone...and this is how you can put self made ringtones on it December 5, 2008

Reviewer:  J. Rhodes  (Chicago, IL) -

First off I'd like to say I really like this phone. I won't go into all the details because Frank Provo does a really good job of naming off the pros and cons.

So yes you can put your own custom ringtones on the Chocolate 3, using a free program called Bitpim. You'll also need some sort of audio editing software, unless you plan on putting the whole MP3 on as your ringtone. I haven't done this yet, but I plan on changing my MP3 quality from 320kb to 96kb, because after all it is only a ringtone.

I'd explain how Bitpim works, but there are a plethera of websites that explain it. Just Google Bitpim and Chocolate 3 and you should be good to go. One thing to note that I never found on any of the sites...when I first tried to use Bitpim after installing it, Bitpim wouldn't work...I think it was because I hadn't restarted my computer...after I did that it was fine. So if you've set up Bitpim correctly and it's still not working...that may be the reason. Also make sure you bring up Bitpim before you attach your phone and that it is set for DATA and not MUSIC. You have to reboot your phone before the ringtones show up.

Delicate fascia, shoddy call quality - I may have gotten a Lemon, but... August 11, 2009

Reviewer:  J.O. 

Disclaimer - I see a lot of positive reviews here, so I see I'm probably going to be a sole dissenter. I was shopping for the best flip I could find, and don't really use the media features.

This phone is the biggest letdown I've had in a long time in consumer electronics. My previous phone was a Toshiba VM4050 from Sprint that lasted me nearly 5 years (yup). In it's last year, yes I had to keep the battery in with duct tape (heh), and it was beat to hell, but the call quality was outstanding, and it still worked; very well I might add. I should have kept it...and here are the reasons why:

(1) Build/Design: I doubt this LG Chocolate 3 will even make it a year. I'm pretty gentle with electronics, but the front fascia looks like a warzone relic after only four months. Four months! The chrome edges flake off if you look at them for too long, and the clear front fascia scratches more easily than car clear-coat. And now, sometimes the phone makes an ear-splitting feedback-type sound when I flip it closed. Plus the odd wheel on the front is unnecessarily touchy to use when "sleep"ing an alarm clock.

(2) Call Quality: The call quality is horrendously over-compressed - to the point that I ask folks to repeat themselves several times a call. This might be a Verizon net issue, as I had outstanding call quality with my Toshiba on Sprint, but my area is well covered by VZ and none of my VZ friends have the same problem.

(3) Verizon UI: While I am begrudgingly used to it now, I loathe the User Interface. I can't put my finger on it (pun intended), but the VZ UI is just very counter-intuitive to me. Some examples include unnecessary extra steps to drill to the menus you want, odd predictive cursor movements while texting, idiotic auto-capitalization when using apostrophes.

Those are the negative highlights. On the plus side, the battery life is excellent, it has fun media features that I don't use (just wanted an excellent flip) and...well...it hasn't given me cancer. That's about all I can say.

If you really like what the phone does, then make sure to purchase some sort of clear film to protect the front, make sure you are o.k. with the VZ UI, and try a few calls to see if the quality is good enough for you.

I'm glad a lot of people like the phone, but I'm probably going to have to transition to something else (expensively).

warning: do not buy this phone! January 9, 2010

Reviewer:  D. Cooper "tasmanian"  (san diego, ca usa) -

consider yourself warned... this phone is a piece of junk! my case started to crack at the hinge at about 1 year. on a 2 year contract that means you're stuck with a broken phone for a year. mine is currently held together with crazy glue until the contract is up. i have had several lg phones and this is by far the worst. cheaply made phone.

Overall good phone, one big kink November 10, 2009

Reviewer:  Erickson 

I got the phone about 6 months ago looking for a music/flip phone. I was initially impressed with the controls and features of it although it took a bit of playing around to figure out how to add music and longer to figure out how to get new ringtones without getting on the internet to download them (used a website that would text it to the phone). Once I got it figured out though, it was simple to navigate through music and had multiple categories to sort it: all songs, artists, albums, and genres. The speakers are loud, the camera is pretty good and I like that you can still use it with the phone closed.

The only thing that I don't like about it is the reliability of the wheel and center button on the cover. I've had the phone for 6 months now and I'm about to be on my fourth phone. I'm guessing that it gets beat up in my pocket but the four buttons when you press the wheel down, rotating the wheel itself, and the center button either stop working completely or start acting erratically when you try to use it. Erractically by being difficult to use accurately or it would start working by itself, scolling through music or other menus.

I'm guessing I'm not the only person this has happened to since it's been a consistent problem although I haven't read anyone else having the same problem. If it wasn't for this, I would rate it a five and I was on the fence between three and four stars. I like the phone, I think LG does well with their products, but I think I'll be getting a different phone because of this problem.

Music Synch is annoying. August 28, 2008

Reviewer:  Lukas Halim  (New Haven, United States) -

My main beef is with the music sync funtionality. In the store, they told me the phone works with Windows Media Player. This is true, however you have to use Windows Media Player 11, and you have to also have Rapsody installed and running when you first plug in the phone. I just hate it when companies force you to use their software. And even following thse steps, I've had trouble getting windows media player to always recognize the phone.

Aside from that, the interface on the phone itself is quite good.