Verizon Launches LG VX8600 - November 15, 2006
As expected, Verizon Wireless has finally released the LG VX8600, becoming the first cell phone carrier in the U.S. to offer the phone. The LG Chocolate flip phone is intended for consumers who plan to listen to music on their phone and even features a MicroSD slot for extra storage. Although the phone may look like a rip off Motorola’s KRZR, LG had actually released the VX8600 overseas before Motorola even pushed out their phone. Anyways we hope LG has added something to make this phone better than the Moto KRZR, which we were quite disappointed with.
Verizon LG VX8600 Specs:
- Type: 1.9GHz CDMA and EV-DO
- Form Factor: Clamshell Flip Phone
- Dimensions: 3.89″ x 1.93″ x 0.58″ inches
- Weight / Battery: 3.26 oz / 3hrs40mins talktime
- Camera / Camcorder: 1.3 megapixels w/ zoom
- V Cast: music store, video content, 3D games
- MicroSD: store music, images, videos, etc.
- Bluetooth v1.1: stereo support for music
- Others: Mobile Web 2, Get It Now, VZ Navigator
- Special: Music-Only mode, External Touch Controls
- Price: $129 with a new 2 year contract
The phone will now be available in all Verizon Wireless stores and authorized retailers for a price of $129 with a new two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in-rebate. Current VZW customers, who are eligible for upgrade, can get an additional $100 off the phone, therefore costing only about $30 before adding taxes. We would recommend this phone over both the KRZR and the original Chocolate phones since it is cheaper than the KRZR, has more features, and has a standard flip phone form factor.
DEAL ALERT: FREE VX8600 w/ New Contract
Links: Verizon Wireless - VX8600 | Press Release
Related: Motorola KRZR Review
posted by Sahas Katta in Mobile & News
on 11/15/2006 at 08:37 PM with Comments (178) & TrackPings (2)
Write a Comment.
178 comments.
Damien says
KRZR is better at least i can sync with zyb.com more often, and have no fears as my data is saved. Choclate lot is more of fancy and less of utility.
janet says
sahas, you’re my hero. i just saved $100 =)
Joe says
yo man i got a lg xv8600 chocolate flip and its off the hook i got great service great battery awesome pic quality long vids i got 250 songs on it and its the sleekest fuuckin thing ever your just jealous you dont got one and learn how to spell chocolate
Paula says
Help - I got the 8600 and love it… one problem that I can’t resolve is when I hook it up to my car MP3 plug (using an adapter cable) it only works in one speaker. Is is an issue with the phone or with the plug?
Aaron says
Here’s your prob Paula. The jack is meant for a wired headseat (as opposed to the recommended wireless headset). Because it is intended for this, it only sends a mono signal (hence the one speaker. So either A) you have to splice the cord you are using and crossover the cables to make it mono in both speakers or B) get the Music Essentials kit which has the stereo headphones. Cut off the ear buds and put a stereo end on those. That will give you sound out of both speakers and will also play your calls through your car speakers.
Ian says
I Just got the phone about two weeks ago. it’s awesome, but when i transfer music, and Cd’s that i’ve ripped to my library won’t play on the phone. It gives me an error that says something about not being able to find the license. help?
Maddie says
Ok, i got a LG VX8600 and i love it. There is one problem though, or maybe not but there is definetly one thing I’m confused about. I want to transfer music from my computer to my phone. How do i do this? I went out and bought a cable that i have to insert my memory card into. I do this and put my songs on and whatever, but then when i put the memory card back in my phone, there is nothing on it! Is there a different kind of cable i need? Please help! Thank you
Aaron says
Maddie,
Make sure the phone formats the memory card before you try to put stuff on it (menu >> Settings & Tools >> Memory >> card memory then hit the options button). If you have an SD slot on your computer, it’s really easy. Pop the micro-sd card into the adapter that should have come with it. a drive will pop up just like a jump drive and put your songs in the my_music folder. If you have the cable, you should be able to plug the cable into the side of your phone and just sync it with windows media player just like you would an MP3 player
markus says
Before you tell others to learn how to spell, maybe you should learn how to add some punctuation to your sentences. Furthermore the word “your,” in the context you were using should be you’re. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Rose says
Is there anyway to transfer music from a mac computer or am I out of luck?
sahas says
It is very easy to transfer from a Macintosh system to this phone. Just insert the microSD into a card reader/writer and copy the MP3s right on over. You will however not be able to use an application for assistance.
Cammy says
Is there a way I can download ringtones to this phone using a cable or my microSD
sahas says
There are two ways of getting ringtones on this phone. First you can email the audio file to your 10DigitPhoneNumber@vzwpix.com. Second method is to connect it to your computer then install BitPim, which will allow creating ringtones for this phone. Also note that if you use the email method, you will be charged for messaging if you have no plan.
kristina says
I am having problems with this phone. Every time I try to sync and transfer mp3s from my computer to the memory card, the phone crashes and restarts. Then, the sync function ceases to work. I am able to format the card and get everything back to normal. However, my phone still crashes before I finish loading all my songs. Does anyone else have this problem or know a way to fix it?
Anatoly says
Is there any way to make music from the memory card as ringtones, without usng any kinds of messaging because my music files are too big to send them….?
mary says
would you get the EN-V , Samsung u740 or the LG 8600?
sahas says
With the u740 and enV available, I would not go for the VX8600 since it is now the oldest of the three. The enV is a bit bulkier, but has a large QWERTY keyboard and 2 megapixel camera. The u740 is even newer, but it only has a 1.3 megapixel camera and the keyboard is a bit more difficult to use. Other than that both phones have mostly the same features. The u740 in my opinion is to fragile since it has two hinges to twist the phone in multiple directions. I would probably break it before my 2 year contract is over. Therefore I would go for the VX9900 (enV).
ad says
my friend has then enV and i dont like it. i just got the 8600 and so far i like this phone better than the enV. to me the enV is just to bulky and unless you text or get online alot there really is no need for the inside with a keyboard like that. but i guess thats just my opinion.
Katie says
i just got the LG VX8600. it is a really nice phone, but im having trouble finding how to use the speakerphone on it. can you help?
sahas says
Katie, to enable the speakerphone just press and hold the voice command key during a call. Click Here for an image of the button.
bobby says
i want to take a picture of myself on my new phone. When i take a picture i want flip the phone down like the razor and take the picture. except on the LG it doesn’t want to do it. why can’t i take a picture with it flipped down?
sahas says
I guarantee you should be able to. When the phone is closed. Press and hold the Camera button for a second or two. The camera should start up. If it still doesn’t let me know. Click Here for an image of the button.
alex says
i am having issues with the phone i am now on my 2nd one, for some reason it will just turn off real quick when it gets down to low batt. no noise or anything it will just shut off.
Aaron says
My phone does the same thing. There ıs almost no warning between when it says the battery is dead and when it turns off on yah.
Aaron says
Sahas,
Leave the lid closed on the phone. If you look at one of the arrow buttons on the side of the phone, ıt has a camera on it. Hold that button down and it will turn on the camera wıth the lid closed.
alex says
besides Aaron anyone else have this problem ? should i just take the phone back again and get another one or is it just a issue i have to deal with ?
melissa says
so..i’m an idiot. how do i even start to put mp3s onto my SD card?
sahas says
If any of you still need assistance or have any questions regarding the VX8600, please post them on our message boards
http://forums.skattertech.com
Aaron and Alex:
If your phones are shutting down randomly and not because they are low on battery, you should probably exchange them ASAP.
nicky says
Can anyone tell me what is the largest capacity micro-sd card i can use with the vx8600?
alex says
I think its a 2 gig
Tara says
Here’s a cool short cut to get your music going: Close your flip, unlock your keys, and hold your play/pause button down.
Quinton says
I just go the LG VX8600 and it is amazing. One problem I have with it is everytime i try to go to VZW tones, it either says network unavalable or just sits there saying “retreiving” for a long time. I have a good signal, anyone know whats wrong?
Heather says
I am having similar problems with my LG 8600 shutting down, not on low battery, but completely randomly and I just got it yesterday… should I exchange it?
Brian says
I just got the VX8600 and was trying to record a voice memo but I can not find this feature even though the LG and Verizon site says the phone has this feature. Can someone help?
Brian says
I figured out how to record a voice memo. However, on my old LG I could make the voice memo my alarm, ringer, etc. how do I do this on the 8600? It won’t let me make it anything other than a voice memo, and my old phone could set it as whatever I wanted.
sahas says
The phone itself can handle turning a sound into a ringer. However Verizon has locked the option on all their new cell phones. Too many people were recording music and using as their ringtone instead of purchasing the ringtones from Verizon’s store. One work around to get your own ringtones onto your phone is to record it on your computer then email it to your10digitnumber@vzwpix.com. It will cost you a few cents if you do not have a TXT/PIX plan.
nicky says
to all: a good web to check out for transfering files to your 8600 is : http://bitrazor.com/content/vx8600/index.php
this website describes how to transfer songs, photos, videos, and ringtones to and from your phone.
Brian says
So if I email myself a ringtone and email it to mynumber@vzwpix.com does it send it to my phone?
Thanks for the help
Mark says
if I download music from my pc to the EnV, can I use them as ringtones?
John Doe says
Quinton says
I just go the LG VX8600 and it is amazing. One problem I have with it is everytime i try to go to VZW tones, it either says network unavalable or just sits there saying “retreiving” for a long time. I have a good signal, anyone know whats wrong?
Quinten what you are experiencing is a problem with the phone’s registration on the network for data features the only way to get that resolved is to call into tech support. There is also another thing you can try which is to pull the battery off wait 60 seconds and when you power the phone back up make sure it has a native Verizon Wireless signal and it should come up and state on the phone registering applications you must let it finish this processes if it registers correctly the screen should go away if it doesn’t you will have to hit the end key to make it go away. This is a bad problem with a lot of these devices because they want to register as soon as they come on and don’t have time to cycle through the PRL(prefered roaming list) and find the verizon network before doing so.
debbie says
I’m having problems with using speakerphone, and when i hold down the voice command button, it doesn’t go to speaker, it records the call instead..how would i be able to use speakerphone? it is also not listed in the “options” menu during a call.
Brian says
for the speakerphone you need to press send before you put it on speakerphone. that button has 3 different functions: “driving mode” “voice memo” (record), and speakerphone. so, dial in the number, press send, then hit the speakerphone button.
Dio says
Just got my LG VX8600 and music kit along with a 2mb microSD card. I don’t plan on using vcast, just want to copy mp3’s to the card. So I haven’t installed the vcast sync software that came with the music kit. My question is, can I use the USB cable that came with the music kit to copy files to the card (like a drive) or do I need a USB reader/writer adapter/plug-in for the pc to put the microSD into in order to copy files to it?
Sarah says
I have this phone. It freezes and I don’t recieve phone calls quite frequently. Also, I have problems when dialing service numbers such as current balance. I took it in. They held it to test for 45 minutes and they informed me that all of these phones have a software bug and there hasn’t been an update released yet and I have to wait for one.. What to do? I’m a little frustrated.
Jonathan says
I figured out I can put mp3 and wma files on my phone, but how do I play them with the phone closed? I bought a song from vcast to check if that worked and it did. I can use the play, fast forward and rewind buttons on my phone, but my songs from my computer don’t show up in the vcast playlist, so I cant keep my phone closed if i want to listen to them.
Edit: Forgot to mention, I am transferring the songs onto a 2gb micro sd through the card reader on my laptop. They show up, but don’t show up on the play list.
Thank you!
Aaron says
First you have to put the memory card in your phone. Then go to menu >> settings & tools >> memory >> card memory and then select the options submenu and select format card. Once you’ve formatted your card, (I’m assuming you have a card reader in your computer) insert the card into the card reader on your computer. It should show up as an extra drive just like a jump/flash drive. There should be folders on the memory card. Copy your music into the music folder. The songs must be in this folder and not in any subfolders (so that when you open the music folder all you see are the mp3/wma files, no folders). Insert the card back into your phone and it should say “adding songs to library” (it adds the song to the mini database.
To start the media player with the phone closed, push the side buttons so that your media buttons unlock. Hold down the play button and your player will start. It will then play all the songs you have alphabetically.
If you have the My Music playing and you close the phone, the music should keep playing. If not, contact Verizon. Let me know if this doesn’t work for you.
(side note: if you’re using the cable instead of inserting the card into a memory reader on your computer, after you install the drivers and have formatted the card on the phone, your phone will appear as a drive just like a flash drive an all else should be the same as described above)
Jonathan says
I did all of this before, and it works fine except the only thing that happens different is that it doesn’t say “say adding songs to library”… thats my problem. Is there anyway to do this manually? Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.
Aaron says
if you’re using the cable, you could try the sync music function in the music menu.
Jonathan says
Using my card reader. Everything is setup correctly, card is formatted, etc.
Aaron says
what happens when you go into your music library?
Jonathan says
It just shows the song that I paid for directly from Vcast. If I go to memory, my music, card, then the files will show up there. BUT, it isn’t in my music library.
Wing says
Need help, how to I activate the repeat feature in VX8600 to play the same song over and over again?
Thanks in advance
chelsea says
i have the LG enV and i know how to put music onto the card but my problem is is that when i put my memory card back into my phone.. it has the songs in my library but it tells me something like it is unable to play the songs. why is this?
Steve says
When I press the voice activation button during a call it says recording and will not switch to speaker phone. What am I doing wrong.
Holly says
I am having trouble with my battery charger for the phone. I don’t know yet if it is the phone or the charger itself. Definitely hoping it’s the charger. Anyone else having trouble with this too?
djteva says
save the money and get the samsung u740….why would anybody wants his phone when u can spend the same price getting onewith the full QUERY keyboard
Connor says
I just purchased this phone a couple days ago, and it’s great so far. I figured out how to put my mp3’s onto it, but I still don’t know how to listen to the songs through the head phones only. Is it possible to listen to mp3’s using the headphones, or does it only come from the phone’s speakers?
Aaron says
Just plug the headphones in. They go into the same jack as the power cord (opposite side of the phone as the memory card). You have to use the headphones provided in the music pack or get bluetooth wireless headphones. You can’t use “normal” headphones (like for your mp3 or CD player)
Dio says
Make sure the file names are 32 chars or less. I had that issue. I have a 2gb card and don’t use v-cast at all.
Connor says
Thanks for the response to my last comment, Aaron, but I am still having the same problem. I am using the headphone jack and headphones that came with the phone. If I have them on while I scroll through menus etc, I can hear the beeps through the headphones, so I know that connection is okay. The moment I select a song to play, the sound comes out of the phone’s speakers. Any ideas what to do?
Aaron says
Connor,
Take the phone back. The headphones being plugged in should route all sound (the beeps and everything) to the headphones, not the speaker.
Connor says
Thanks for all the help Aaron. I’ll take it back in tomorrow and see if they can get it working for me. Thanks again!
brian says
My computer will not recognize LG VX8600 as being connected. I have synced the phone & it says it’s connected. But the LG Music essentials program & Windows Meia Player 11 doesn’t show it as being connected. What gives or how do I fix this?
Aaron says
I use bluetooth and it never says mine is connected either, but it works like it is connected, so I’ve given up looking at the phone to see if it’s connected. Your easiest bet would probably be to open the phone in your my computer (it should show up in there just like a USB flash drive) and just copy the song files into the music folder on the phone as opposed to syncing from media player.
Jonathan says
Thanks Dio, that was my problem. Frustrating, easy to fix though.
Chelsea says
I got the new LG VX8600 the thin phone and it is hot! My friends be callin me non stop. And dont i look good answering it. I gotta be rockin the best phones out there.
slade says
i was just wondering if ne one can help me with my phone when i take pictures they show the picture but are like 1 second later when i save them so if i saved a frame it would be the next one and my phone also shuts off when it is low battery with no sound or anything which could be cause i had vibrate on but yeah
slade says
for my last comment to tell u more about what i mean is like if i take a picture of me smiling and it makes the sound and then if i make another face after its frozen with me smiling i save it and it will be the second face
Dio says
Slade,
I found that lowering the resolution (under options when ready to take a picture) helps with that issue. Experiment with the choices. Even the lowest resolution will look fine for pictures that are just going to be displayed on your phone. I had the same gripe at first. You’ll see that it will make a difference.
Elisa says
I was wondering if there is any way to create my own ringtone and put it on the LG 8600. I recorded a sound clip on the phone thinking i might be able to use it as a ringtone. Although that did not work. Is there any way i would be able to put a sound clip on the phone? maybe convert the sound clip or something? I don’t know… I just wanted something different lol.
Elisa
Aaron says
Download and install bitpim- http://www.bitpim.org/ Once you have it downloaded and installed plug your phone into your computer (whether via USB or bluetooth). Bitpim will find your phone, click the ringtones directory and click add ringtones. I know that is a very crude description, so if you get to that point and need help, you can contact me… aaron.miller@utoledo.edu
Mark Hollinger says
I love the LG 8600, but when on the web the front screen
does not show the time nor does the main screen. Any way
I can do that?
Austin says
I have heard that some digital camera usb cords can be used to get the mp3s from your computer to your memory chip, has anybody else tried/ had success with this? If you have let me know
Damon says
What format are the ringtones in>
ie wav mod mid mp3 snd voc ?????
Thanks,
Aaron says
I have no idea what format they’re in, but I know if you use Bitpim it will convert it for you. I’m pretty sure it’s MP3 though.
Brett says
Just wanted to say thanks for all the great info on this thread. I have a VX8600 and just got a 2 gig card for it today. I put my mp3’s on it from my PC thru a sandisk reader….but when i put the card in my phone it only recoginized a few of the songs. After reading a previous i shortened the length of the file names and it works great now.
tyejohnston says
hey just got the chocolate flip, somehow i turned on vibrate only and after i turned it off the phone is still vibrating, and there seems to be no way to turn it off no matter what i do?? someone help!!!
biggie says
When i tried syncing songs onto my phone it only gave me two songs before it said they the rest didnt fit. Does this mean i need a memory card to fit the rest or can i get them on without?
Aaron says
Yes, your phone only has about 20 mb of memory.. assuming they were 4 minutes songs, that’s about 8 mb for the two songs, plus all the preloaded crap that verizon puts on your phone plus your contacts plus any pictures you’ve taken, the list goes on.. Bottom line, get a memory card. You can get a 2gig card online for dirt cheap.
Justin says
I have the LG from alltel i have a 1 gig sd card and when i insert it into my card reader on my lap top i will right click the start button and so on and then but the song i want under my MUSIC folder and drag them over the music part of the sd card file/folder and then it puts in the card well then i disconnect it from the computer the rigth way and stick it on my phone and it dont detect any songs i can save pictures on this card and put them on my computer even so i know there is no communication problem with the card and computer i even bought another card and nothing changed i need help thanks Sweet_Justin4u4ever@hotmail.com
WIlson says
Yea i tried sending it via email but, i am not able to locate where the file would be sent to. and is there a way to put ringtones throught the memory card instead because my usb cable doesnt work
Matt says
“What format are the ringtones in>
ie wav mod mid mp3 snd voc ?????
Thanks,”
I have put both MP3 and MID files on my xv8600. The factory ring tones are packed into one file from what I can tell. I may try to use an WMA file sometime.
Dio says
Justin, Make sure the filenames of the songs are 32 characters or less.
Hector says
Well i am getting the LG VX8600 or the KRZR i dont know witch one to get i have read all you comments and some are good and some are bad. WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!!
Aaron says
All I have to say is… You’re questioning between getting a Motorola over an LG phone?
Brad says
I am having a problem transfering music from my windows media player to my VX8600 when I try to sync my phone reads connect failure, I have checked all USB ports, and re installed the program 2wice returned both the cable and the phone and I still can’t get the phone to connect. any help? Please!
Cathy says
Does anyone know how to 3-way call on this phone?
Julie says
Aaron you’re my hero!! lol.. i would’ve never figured out how to get the sd card to work on my chocolate if it wasn’t cause of your intructions to Maddie!! anyway.. thanks!
Bev says
I sent a mp3 file to my cell and now have it as ringtone, I tried to send another mp3 but never got it and got a mssg on my email saying it was refussed because it was too large (it wasn’t though). Does Verizon have a way to block people from getting those files?? or is there another way??? HELP!!! please!!
Aaron says
No prob Julie. Anytime.
Hey Bev, just a thought… The average ring (when your phone starts ringing til when it goes to voicemail is about 30 seconds, so that’s about all the length of a song you need. I personally use Bitpim ( http://www.bitpim.org/ ). It allows you to turn an MP3 into a ringtone and select exactly which part of the song you want as your ringer and then will upload it to your phone (either via bluetooth or the usb cable thingy (yes, thingy is a technical term). If you’re interested in this option, let me know and I’d be glad to help you figure that out.
Katherine says
How do you turn the voice command option OFF on the LG Chocolate?
Bev says
Can I upload the tones via USB or bluetooth only? I have the micro sd card+adapter+ another adapter for the PC wich has a card reader, Would that work? or do I need the USB anyway?
Also, I put some mp3 files in the memory card using my computer, the phone recognized them but it doesn’t play the files. help??
Bev says
Hey! It’s me again…When I was living in Peru I bought a LG U8380 (wich is the best ever!!!) I kept that phone so I can use it when I’m down there, cell phone companies don’t sell it in Peru, a friend got the phone for me while in Europe, I like my new vx8600 but I REALLY miss my U8380, I everyone I asked told me this phone won’t work in the USA, is there ANY way to make this happen?…I mean…I paid like $300 for that phone because it’s AWESOME, and I’m still hoping there is a way…
P.S: The U8380 DOES play the mp3 files while the VX8600 doesn’t…?????…
Aaron says
Hey Bev,
It would be great to use the card reader, but you can’t. From all the research I’ve seen, the ringtones are stored in the phone’s memory. So, you’ll need either Bluetooth or the USB cable to connect it to your phone. If your computer doesn’t have bluetooth, I’d recommend buying a bluetooth dongle as opposed to buying the essentials kit because the dongle will be more useful as Bluetooth technology becomes more popular. If anyone finds and research that contradicts this, let me know, I’d love to be proven wrong :)
Aaron says
I recently bought the VX8600 and i love it, but I also bought a USB cable but yet it will not sync or even recognize the cable. Is there any software that I must download to get this to work?
Aaron says
You have to install the USB drivers.
VJ says
I got the 8600 second hand, and it was in pretty good condition. I have been using it for about three months now, and all of a sudden, it froze when i sent a txt. so i turned it on and off and now it wont power on fully. It just goes to the black verizon logo for like 30 secs then reset over and over again. can someone plese help me?
Aaron says
Sounds like you’re SOL VJ. See if you can take it back to a store and see if they’ll exchange it.
VJ says
so there is no way to fix it? i got it off ebay and i dont think i can exchange it. sigh, thanks for the help and sorry for the trouble.
Aaron says
I don’t know how to do like a master reset with the phone off. If you take it into the store and act like you bought it there, you shouldn’t have a problem.. the phone has been out for less than a year, so no matter how you got it, it’s still under warranty.
VJ says
wow, thanks so much dude. i really appreciate it.
Bev says
Hi Aaron! Can U please recommend any bluetooth dongle that is compatible with Windows Vista? I’ve some and almost bought one but one of the reviews says is not compatible. Thanks.
Aaron says
I personally run vista and one thing I LOVE about Vista (yes, I’m one of those people that absolutely LOVES Vista) is that it has driver support for just about anything. For plug and play (as in you take it out of the box and plug it in and it works), you need anything with the Broadcom chipset. I would recommend Bluetooth 2.0 over 1.2 (it’s the next generation of Bluetooth (kinda like USB v. 1.1 vs. 2.0). Anywho.. If you go to Amazon.com you can search for “Broadcom Bluetooth 2.0 Dongle” and it should pull up a list. I did that and here’s the URL of what I found. Anycom USB-250 Bluetooth 2.0 400 Ft Broadcom Chip I would say you should stick to any name brand (Iogear, Belkin, D-link, Logitech, etc.) but I suppose and dongle is any dongle as long as you have a broadcom chipset.
julia says
does anyone have the same problem as me…if i get the phone even slighly damp( im talking even just sweating) it gets messed up and wont turn on.
VJ says
does anyone know of a program for LG that accesses the phone directly? i dont mean flashing it, but i heard it somehow bypasses everything so you can reset the phone without turning it on. if anyone knows about it can you please let me know?
JJ says
I saw this question asked but couldn’t find the answer, is there a way to save ringtones to the SD card or does it have to be on the phones memory. I only have like 1/3 of the memory available because I have lots of contacts, I deleted all pics and videos yet 16 mbs are still used, is there a way to see whats