Cell phone

**Wimpinator** · 04-02-2007, 12:30 AM

I am in the market for a cell phone. I use verizon and am eligible for an upgrade. My old phone is developing a few problems so I have decided to upgrade.

I don't currently own an MP3 player so I may consider getting a handset that will do MP3's. My music is encoded in MP3 format so I would prefer if handset does play music that it will play that format. I can convert to other formats if needed since the music lives on a Linux box. I would like it to have removable memory (uSD or some such) if it plays music or be syncable from my computer via USB. I will not buy individual tracks from Verizon when I already have a sizable music collection that I paid for already.

The other requirement is that the handset be fairly small. I will be carrying it in my pocket (I hate holsters) so don't want to injure myself every time I sit down.

I have been looking at the new Krazr K1M and it looks like a nice handset but I don't think it will do MP3. The Chocolate looks nice too but appears to be bigger than the Krazr, plus I prefer flip phones. I don't have a real reason to prefer flips, that's just what I have always had. I am definitely willing to look at other handsets than the two I listed. This one looks nice and comes out in April.
http://www.mobiledia.com/phones/lg/vx8700.html

I am basically brain fried over this so I am seeking advice. Which handset should I get?

**sordavie** · 04-02-2007, 12:35 AM

I have the VX8600, the flip version of the chocolate. In terms of square milimeters, the VX8600 is smaller than the Krzr, the Chocolate, and the Razr.

http://reviews.cnet.com/LG_VX8600/45...-32154930.html

I suppose the VX8700 will be the next version. It looks pretty nice.

**ThePenguineer** · 04-02-2007, 01:18 AM

Do you need a decent camera to boot?

I'm a big fan of Sony-Ericcsons, so I would the w810. The w300 is much more basic than the w810 in terms of bells and whistles, but it is a flip phone, if that's what you're looking for. I've never had the w300, but I have a lot of faith in the SE phones.

My best friend has a w810 and I have a w800 (the phone a 1/2 generation before the w810), both candy bar type phones. It has an expandable Pro Duo slot supporting up to 2 gigs. If you've ever seen the Sony walkman phones, they have a dedicated buttons for the media player function that allow you to quickly bring up the media player and to play or pause, even if the key pad is locked. They're Bluetooth enabled, and you can actually set them to be used a presentation clicker thing. The Sony phones come with a bunch of software that makes transfering music files to your phone easy so that your playlists and artist classifications work right. Since you said that your music files are mostly mp3, you should be okay, as the Walkman phones don't read wmv files. The other cruddy thing is that the serial port for the USB cable is the same for the headphone/handsfree/radio antennae/charger, so you can't charge it and use the headset at the same time (though it does charge through the USB cable). The phone reads as a removable drive to the computer, so you can use it as flash memory, if you really needed to.

The w8xx phones also have 2MP cameras built in, so, while not spectacular, you can still take some decent pictures whenever you feel inspired. The cameras have some fun features, like burst mode, panoramic, and negative colors, as well as some more functional features, like adjustable white balance, zoom, a night mode, and some preset lighting adjustments. The camera has auto-focus and an LED light, to boot. The candy bar phones were designed to look like a phone on one side and like a camera on the other, so me and my best friend always get a "Let me look at your camera!" when we start taking pictures with our phones.

I'm kinda biased as I've only ever had SE phones, but the ones that I've had I really liked. The only thing I'm not sure about is that I heard that the Cingular offering has an expanded internal memory (128 gig?) and no free 512 gig memory card. Other than that, they look pretty cool and are fairly unique (compared to the flood of Razrs out there). My best friend treats his like his baby

Finally, I'd just add that the w810 feels a lot more solid in your hand than the Motorolla Razor, Slivr, et al. Personally, I can't stand how cheap and flimsy those specific Motorolla's feel in your hand, especially the key pads.

UnDeaD77 · 04-02-2007, 01:19 AM

I'd be weary of LG, their appliances are crap. I don't know much about their other products though.

**sordavie** · 04-02-2007, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePenguineer

Do you need a decent camera to boot?

I'm a big fan of Sony-Ericcsons, so I would the w810. The w300 is much more basic than the w810 in terms of bells and whistles, but it is a flip phone, if that's what you're looking for. I've never had the w300, but I have a lot of faith in the SE phones.

Not for Verizon, unfortunately.

**CingularDuality** · 04-02-2007, 07:21 AM

My wife just got a RAZR V3m, and it's nice (free with plan, too), but the only way to connect headphones to it is via Bluetooth and we're not spending $150 on a pair of stereo headphones that can only be used with her cell phone.

You might want to keep that in mind...

**ThePenguineer** · 04-02-2007, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sordavie

Not for Verizon, unfortunately.

Oops. Somewhere, I thought I had read Cingular. I apologize.

On a related note, though, a friend of mine did have the Razr for Verizon and he told me that the data transfer functions were locked. I suppose that you'd have to pay to have your phone unlocked if you want to transfer your own music?

**Sawviper** · 04-02-2007, 12:22 PM

I have Verizon through work and have a LG VX8600 and could not be happier. I bought a 1 gb micro SD from Newegg and just use the memory card adapter to plug it into my computer and move MP3s. The only con I would give the phone is its glossy exterior. It really shows fingerprints, but if you got a case this would not be a issue. The best thing about the phone is its battery, I use my phone a lot and I can sometimes go a week between charges.

**Apophis** · 04-02-2007, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

My wife just got a RAZR V3m, and it's nice (free with plan, too), but the only way to connect headphones to it is via Bluetooth and we're not spending $150 on a pair of stereo headphones that can only be used with her cell phone.

You might want to keep that in mind...

I have the V3M as well. Mine came with a little dongle that plugs into the USB port and has a jack on it for headphones. I'm not sure why that didn't come with yours, but maybe you should tell whoever you bought it from? I should be standard equipment.

URL: http://www.emtcompany.com/products/a...ne-adaptor.htm

I like the Razor. A lot. It's VERY hackable and I've made quite a number of modifications to it already to personalize it a bit more. The first thing I did was get rid of the Verizon logo on the outside display and replaced it with a set of TG dogtags.

**troublesome4u** · 04-02-2007, 01:53 PM

I have LG Chocolate (VX8500) Phone from Verizon. It's so sweet and looks great too. The buttons are heat sensitive. It has a piano black finish and cool red lights. Flash interface. 2 Gigabyte SDmicro. Plays MP3 WMA MIDI. 1.3MP cam. Bluetooth. Well all the goodies. Five stars for the sexiest phone. There are hacks for the phone also.

LG Bluetooth STEREO Headset HBS-110
http://www.yourwirelesssource.com/bu...cessory/278101

**ednos** · 04-02-2007, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePenguineer

Oops. Somewhere, I thought I had read Cingular. I apologize.

You did... he posted right above you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apophis

The first thing I did was get rid of the Verizon logo on the outside display and replaced it with a set of TG dogtags.

Nice! That's almost reason enough to get a cell phone; maybe I'll join the club.

**CingularDuality** · 04-07-2007, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apophis

I have the V3M as well. Mine came with a little dongle that plugs into the USB port and has a jack on it for headphones. I'm not sure why that didn't come with yours, but maybe you should tell whoever you bought it from? I should be standard equipment.

I will ask tell her this! Thanks!

Boulderdash · 04-07-2007, 12:17 PM

SOrry this is off topic, but it pisses me off to no end that VErizon locks all their phones features. Cingulars network isn't the best, but at least I can use every single feature on my phone, including the mp3 player, without paying extra.

**Apophis** · 04-07-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boulderdash

SOrry this is off topic, but it pisses me off to no end that VErizon locks all their phones features. Cingulars network isn't the best, but at least I can use every single feature on my phone, including the mp3 player, without paying extra.

With some careful seem edits, you can unlock all of those features again. Oddly enough, Verizon locks the ability for the phone to use "vibe then ring" as an option. I was astonished by that as I normally prefer my phone to only ring after unsuccessfully getting my attention by vibrating for the first few seconds.

That was a quick and easy unlock.

**CingularDuality** · 04-07-2007, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apophis

With some careful seem edits, you can unlock all of those features again. Oddly enough, Verizon locks the ability for the phone to use "vibe then ring" as an option. I was astonished by that as I normally prefer my phone to only ring after unsuccessfully getting my attention by vibrating for the first few seconds.

That was a quick and easy unlock.

That's Verizon that does that? I was wondering why my work phone didn't come with that option. I REALLY prefer "vibe then ring", but my LG doesn't have it, just "vibe + ring", which seems almost useless except in very limited situations.

04-02-2007, 12:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Wimpinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: United states, TN Age: 36 Posts: 2,988	Cell phone I am in the market for a cell phone. I use verizon and am eligible for an upgrade. My old phone is developing a few problems so I have decided to upgrade. I don't currently own an MP3 player so I may consider getting a handset that will do MP3's. My music is encoded in MP3 format so I would prefer if handset does play music that it will play that format. I can convert to other formats if needed since the music lives on a Linux box. I would like it to have removable memory (uSD or some such) if it plays music or be syncable from my computer via USB. I will not buy individual tracks from Verizon when I already have a sizable music collection that I paid for already. The other requirement is that the handset be fairly small. I will be carrying it in my pocket (I hate holsters) so don't want to injure myself every time I sit down. I have been looking at the new Krazr K1M and it looks like a nice handset but I don't think it will do MP3. The Chocolate looks nice too but appears to be bigger than the Krazr, plus I prefer flip phones. I don't have a real reason to prefer flips, that's just what I have always had. I am definitely willing to look at other handsets than the two I listed. This one looks nice and comes out in April. http://www.mobiledia.com/phones/lg/vx8700.html I am basically brain fried over this so I am seeking advice. Which handset should I get? __________________ \|TG-6th\|Wimpinator BF2 Rules and SOP's\|Teamspeak information\|TG on IRC

04-02-2007, 12:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
sordavie Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 2,260	Re: Cell phone I have the VX8600, the flip version of the chocolate. In terms of square milimeters, the VX8600 is smaller than the Krzr, the Chocolate, and the Razr. http://reviews.cnet.com/LG_VX8600/45...-32154930.html I suppose the VX8700 will be the next version. It looks pretty nice. __________________

04-02-2007, 01:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
ThePenguineer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 813	Re: Cell phone Do you need a decent camera to boot? I'm a big fan of Sony-Ericcsons, so I would the w810. The w300 is much more basic than the w810 in terms of bells and whistles, but it is a flip phone, if that's what you're looking for. I've never had the w300, but I have a lot of faith in the SE phones. My best friend has a w810 and I have a w800 (the phone a 1/2 generation before the w810), both candy bar type phones. It has an expandable Pro Duo slot supporting up to 2 gigs. If you've ever seen the Sony walkman phones, they have a dedicated buttons for the media player function that allow you to quickly bring up the media player and to play or pause, even if the key pad is locked. They're Bluetooth enabled, and you can actually set them to be used a presentation clicker thing. The Sony phones come with a bunch of software that makes transfering music files to your phone easy so that your playlists and artist classifications work right. Since you said that your music files are mostly mp3, you should be okay, as the Walkman phones don't read wmv files. The other cruddy thing is that the serial port for the USB cable is the same for the headphone/handsfree/radio antennae/charger, so you can't charge it and use the headset at the same time (though it does charge through the USB cable). The phone reads as a removable drive to the computer, so you can use it as flash memory, if you really needed to. The w8xx phones also have 2MP cameras built in, so, while not spectacular, you can still take some decent pictures whenever you feel inspired. The cameras have some fun features, like burst mode, panoramic, and negative colors, as well as some more functional features, like adjustable white balance, zoom, a night mode, and some preset lighting adjustments. The camera has auto-focus and an LED light, to boot. The candy bar phones were designed to look like a phone on one side and like a camera on the other, so me and my best friend always get a "Let me look at your camera!" when we start taking pictures with our phones. I'm kinda biased as I've only ever had SE phones, but the ones that I've had I really liked. The only thing I'm not sure about is that I heard that the Cingular offering has an expanded internal memory (128 gig?) and no free 512 gig memory card. Other than that, they look pretty cool and are fairly unique (compared to the flood of Razrs out there). My best friend treats his like his baby Finally, I'd just add that the w810 feels a lot more solid in your hand than the Motorolla Razor, Slivr, et al. Personally, I can't stand how cheap and flimsy those specific Motorolla's feel in your hand, especially the key pads. __________________ \|TG-Irr\| ThePenguineer ::: \|TG-Irr\| Pengie the Noob TG-Irregulars Communications Officer Want to be more involved in TG? Think Irregulars!

04-02-2007, 01:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
UnDeaD77 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Fort Worth,Texas Age: 22 Posts: 5,925	Re: Cell phone I'd be weary of LG, their appliances are crap. I don't know much about their other products though. __________________

04-02-2007, 07:21 AM	#6 (permalink)
CingularDuality Join Date: May 2003 Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas, USA Age: 33 Posts: 17,137	Re: Cell phone My wife just got a RAZR V3m, and it's nice (free with plan, too), but the only way to connect headphones to it is via Bluetooth and we're not spending $150 on a pair of stereo headphones that can only be used with her cell phone. You might want to keep that in mind... __________________ Become a supporting member! Buy a Tactical Duck! Take the world's smallest political quiz! "I was touched by His Noodly Appendage." TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

04-02-2007, 12:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
Sawviper Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wichita, Kansas Age: 32 Posts: 496	Re: Cell phone I have Verizon through work and have a LG VX8600 and could not be happier. I bought a 1 gb micro SD from Newegg and just use the memory card adapter to plug it into my computer and move MP3s. The only con I would give the phone is its glossy exterior. It really shows fingerprints, but if you got a case this would not be a issue. The best thing about the phone is its battery, I use my phone a lot and I can sometimes go a week between charges. __________________

04-07-2007, 12:17 PM	#13 (permalink)
Boulderdash Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 175	Re: Cell phone SOrry this is off topic, but it pisses me off to no end that VErizon locks all their phones features. Cingulars network isn't the best, but at least I can use every single feature on my phone, including the mp3 player, without paying extra.

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