Digital Trends

LG VX8100 February 19th, 2006 | by Stewart Wolpin

Performance

LG and Verizon have made the entire music downloading/uploading experience about as easy as possible. Verizon charges $1.99 per WMA track, but that's for two copies, one for your phone and one that you can download later to your PC (sorry, Apple fans, Music Cast isn't compatible with iTunes or the Mac). If you want to save some money, use the online Music Cast service that lives within Windows Media 10 (with software included in the Music Essentials Kit) to download 99 cent tracks, then simply upload these or other ripped or previously purchased MP3 or WMA tracks from other non-subscription services to the phone and save a buck per track.

You're also better off downloading tracks from Music Cast on your PC -- the online tracks are ripped at the higher-quality 256 kbps bit-rate. Songs downloaded to the phone itself are only 160 kbps. By comparison, iTunes tracks are ripped at just 128 kbps. Of course, you'll fit fewer tracks on your phone at the higher bit rate, necessitating a high-capacity and more costly miniSD card.

As a cell phone -- the whole reason you're buying this phone -- the VX8100, is a dual band/tri-mode 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS model, and performed seamlessly and fast on Verizon's broadband EV-DO CDMA network in Manhattan. Songs take between 60 and 90 seconds to download to the phone, depending on the length of the track, while V CAST videos, pictures and other messages uploaded in 30 seconds or less, and Web pages filled in half that time.

Included with the new version of the VX8100 are stereo earbud headphones with an inline microphone, enabling you to listen to music or talk on the phone. When the phone rings, music goes into pause and a button on the mic lets you start and then end a call, restarting the music automatically. Without the earbuds, earpiece conversation quality was loud and crisp, near land-line like quality. The VX8100's side-mounted stereo speakers produce plenty of music, video and ring tone volume -- the TV commercials don't exaggerate the decibel level -- with a hint of echo.

LG has equipped the VX8100 with a CMOS 1.3 MP camera, a technology that produces slightly better results than the standard CCD imaging chip -- although obviously no substitute for a real digital camera -- but still requires a death-like stillness when snapping a shot since the slightest movement will produce a blurred image. Also include are both a video light and a flash, an unusual combination.

Unfortunately, at 3.75 hours of talk time and 6.8 days in standby, battery life is about 10-20 percent lower than comparable phones, likely to be shortened still by music downloading and listening. If you recharge religiously every night, however, this short battery life becomes a non-issue and eliminates the only complaint you'll have about this otherwise excellently designed little multifunction workhorse.