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List Price: $299.99
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The LG VX8300 is the latest offering in the market for do-(almost)-it-all cell phones. It combines all of the standard phone functionality with music and video playback and phone, making it a media powerhouse considering that it's such a portable, affordable package. The next step up would be a smartphone, but at significant extra cost for the addition of more well-rounded PDA functions.
THE PHONE
The first thing you'll notice about the 8300 is that it's a great-looking piece of tech stylish and modern yet also subdued enough that it won't embarrass you in business settings. Some pictures make it look black, but it is actually a deep metallic pewter color. It's roughly the same size (3.5 x 1.9 x 0.9) as LG's other recent clamshell phones, although a little slimmer for easier pocketing. It feels solid but not heavy at 3.9 oz with the standard battery. The plastic case feels softer than prior models, so it may be more susceptible to scratches and scrapes over time. There is a leather case for it, but I doubt you could bear the idea of covering up this good-looking unit.
The 8300 runs on Verizon's CDMA all-digital network, so coverage may be an issue if you live in rural areas. I've been a Verizon customer for years with LG digitals and never run into any dead spots around town and while traveling, but check Verizon's coverage maps on their website beforehand.
Voice clarity is superb, both for you and for the person you're calling. The 8300 has speakerphone capability, but amplified through the external audio speakers, it tends to be so loud that it may distort set your volume appropriately low.
The phone has a wide array of conveniences, including numerous handy voice-activated commands (send messages, check voice mail, look up contact, examine wireless account, etc.), one-touch calling, unique rings and photo IDs for different contacts, an address book with room for 500 contacts, and so on. I'm a huge proponent of the voice-activated commands, and while the 8300 is very easy to set up, the long-term downside is that instead of matching up your command with your own prerecorded voice as prior models did, this phone tries to actually phonetically "read" entries from your contacts list and find a match that way. So, if you have unusually-spelled names with silent letters in your contacts list, the 8300 will have a tough time making a match. Plus, when it repeats the name back to you, it generally mangles the pronunciation, making that form of caller ID undesirable. It's too bad that the contacts list doesn't have a separate "nickname" field so that you could accurately store the contact as say, "Mike Krzyzewski" but have the voice-activated commands look the entry up as "Coach", for example.
If you're obsessive about ringtones, then you'll be disappointed with the default offerings. They play back with great quality, but they're pretty boring. Verizon clearly wants you to go to their GetItNow service to purchase the latest and flashiest ringtones. It's not documented in the manual, but it is possible to use MP3s loaded into the phone as ringtones.
The phone supports Bluetooth v.1.1, which makes it easily compatible with many wireless devices like headsets/earpieces. You can also use this to wirelessly transmit and receive contact information with other Bluetooth devices.
THE CAMERA
I bought my first digital camera about five years ago a 1.3 megapixel Olympus for about $350. Now, for a fraction of the price and space, the 8300 delivers that same picture quality. It's also got additional features that make the results actually worth viewing/printing, including flash, white balancing for a variety of lighting conditions (no more washed out or oddly-tinted phone pics), a four-position digital zoom, and night mode. There are also some capabilities for having fun with your photos such as special effects (negative, posterize, etc.), self-portrait capability using the external screen as a viewfinder, and a timer. You can take pictures from 160x120 thumbnails all the way up to print-quality 1280x960.
The camera can also take videos, although the quality is predictably choppy and the largest clip that can be sent via email is only 15 seconds. Like any of the phone's media, larger clips can be stored to the phone's internal memory or onto an optional microSD card and then copied to another device or PC.
Photos taken can be used as contact IDs or wallpaper on either the external or main screen. Both screens are breathtaking in their brightness, clarity and resolution. They never fail to register the initial jaw-dropping compliment when someone sees the phone for the first time.
MUSIC PLAYER
You can't really say MP3 player because the 8300 wants to only play files in Microsoft's .wma format. This is because Verizon wants you to use their VCast online music store. I purchased the Music Essential Pack with my phone and was sorely disappointed in this the VCast software wouldn't load (it kept trying to roll me back to Windows Media Player 10 even though I'm on 11), the USB cable kept losing connection (crummy driver software), and the headphones were just so-so. I recommend instead investing in a big MicroSD card and using it to store and transfer all of your music, photos and videos. This is clearly the easiest way to load information back and forth between the phone, although Verizon won't tell you that since it cuts their overpriced music store out of the loop. And if you do prefer MP3s for playback, the 8300 may not be configured out of the box to play them, but it's a simple change to make just search the web for instructions.
The sound for playback is very good, again considering that it's not a dedicated music device. The external stereo speakers are on either side of the clamshell hinge and they pump out a lot of sound for their size. The 8300 has a very good ergonomic feature in the form of player control buttons (play/pause, fast forward, rewind) on the outside face of the phone. So, you can keep it in the palm of your hand rather than flipped open while listening.
BUSINESS/PRODUCTIVITY
The 8300 comes with the standard roster of business apps dumbed down for cell phone usage: calendar, world clock, calculator with tip macros, etc. At this time, I haven't found an easy way to sync data back and forth with any desktop apps like Outlook or Notes. There are open source apps on the Web like Bitpim that can do this, but the 8300 is currently too new for that software to handle. That gap should be remedied soon.
Verizon offers wireless broadband via an EV-DO network that includes most major metropolitan areas and airports.
One exceptional add-on that Verizon offers is VZ Navigator, which turns the 8300 into a GPS-driven navigation device. You can purchase the add-on either monthly if you do a lot of traveling by car or even day-to-day if you're just taking a short trip. It works well, looks great, and really boosts the usefulness of this unit.
CONCLUSION
The LG VX8300 combines a great phone, a camera that's actually useful and some pretty cool media capabilities into one compact unit. There are of course some trade-offs for each, but the convenience of only having to carry one slim item in your pocket is invaluable. It really is a marvel for the price.
PROS
* A very clear phone with many convenient features like voice-activated commands.
* A 1.3 megapixel camera capable of taking pictures you'd actually have printed thanks to 1280x960 resolution, flash, and color effects.
* A good-sounding music player that, when combined with your own library on an optional microSD card, puts hours of entertainment in your pocket.
* Bluetooth capability for wireless add-ons and communication with other devices.
CONS
* Incompatible with existing accessories get ready to buy new chargers, sync cables, etc.
* VCast music store is overpriced and not easy to set up (just get a microSD card and use it to store/transfer media instead no problem).
* Initial selection of ringtones is pretty dull another attempt by Verizon to squeeze extra charges out of you.
* Some of the external buttons are awkwardly sized and/or placed people with larger hands may cramp up after prolonged periods of use.
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