Chovy’s Blog

The LG VX8700 is a slick looking phone without a lot of frills, and misses the mark in respect to usability.

Pros

1. Looks cool…low profile
2. Voice dialing
3. Not a lot of “frills”
4. 1.3 MP Camera
5. Video
6. 1000 contacts in the addressbook

Cons

1. Non-standard plug for data and headphones. The phone comes with an adapter to fit a standard headphone jack, but is rather bulky and completely useless in the event you left it in another car.
2. Heavier and wider than the Motorola RAZR v3
3. Screen is not as wide as the RAZR, but does make the phone a bit skinnier
4. The data interface is not USB, as is the case with most modern phones. This is yet another accessory you must by, and carry with the phone at all times. I ordered a USB cable that plugs into the non-standard plug on the phone….do not know yet if it will charge the phone from the cable->laptop as my old PDA phone did.
5. No games are included. You must buy a game to play one. My old LG phone had 2 or 3 games installed by default, as does the RAZR.
6. Usability lacks on the LG VX8700. There are no bumps to indicate which key you are on, and the arrows are difficult to use, even when looking at the phone. This is a hinderence when driving, as I like to be able to hit keys without taking my eyes off the road.
7. The RAZR has a bump on the “5″ key, and the arrow keys have some relief to them to ensure your finger is on the key without having to look.

Here are the manuals for the Motorola RAZR v3 and the LG VX8700.

Only one volume control setting for the entire phone. There is no way to make the ringer volume “low”, and the call volume “high”.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 5:40 pm and is filed under Advocacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.