LG VX8000
The LG VX8000 is the first outing by Verizon Wireless to feature full EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) support. Already an ample mobile phone in its own right, it is all the more made better as it utilizes Verizon's promises of speed starting at 300 kbps and up to as much as 500 kbps. This is mobile networking at its best. But the real advantage of the VX8000 over its competitors is the ability to access Video On Demand, which has various programs such as news, sports, and entertainment available as a streaming video through Verizon's V Cast service.
In addition to the VX8000's many features, the phone is also able to store up to 500 contacts and store up to two email addresses and five telephone numbers. You can also assign a picture for each contact as a means of caller ID that will display on the VX8000's screen every time a call is received. The handset also has three way calling, a calendar, speakerphone, vibrating alert and the capability to record as much as thirty one-minute voice memos. Pretty much all the functions you are searching for in a mobile phone can be found in the VX8000. Or the important ones at least.
LG VX8000 Camera and Display
Although only at 1.3 mega pixels, the VX-8000's camera is very ample and has the capabilities as both a digital camera and a digital camcorder. It lets the user capture images at resolution of 1,280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 176 x 144. This gives the user more flexibility when taking pictures. And speaking of flexibility, the VX8000 comes with many photo editing options such as adjustments for white balance, color effects, file quality, brightness and also providing presets for different lighting situations such as cloudy, sunny, fluorescent and others. Even the 
shutter sound is customizable with different shutter sound effects available for use, or you may just opt to keep the shutter silent. But even with all the user settings, as one might expect from a 1.3 mega pixel camera, nighttime shots were not very good, even when utilizing the integrated flash.
The VX-8000's camcorder functions let the user record 15 second video clips in the popular mpeg4 format complete with sound. Editing options for the videos though are not as plenty as the options for photo editing, with only the brightness and the white balance available for further tweaking by the user. Photos and videos are stored directly on the phone so the VX-8000's included 128 mb of memory is not going to be enough. With this regard, the inclusion of an expansion slot for added memory would have been in order. You can however send and receive video clips and photos. It is interesting to note however that when videos and photos are sent as email, they are received as QuickTime and JEGS respectively.
LG VX8000 Design and Accessories
As one would expect from a mobile phone with this much features, the VX8000 is quite on the heavy side. Not only that, the unit is a bit bulky also, with dimensions of 3.7 inches x 
1.9 inches 0.9 inches (height x width x thickness respectively). With that much weight though, expect the LG VX8000 to carry all the punches when it comes to functionality.
As the VX8000 is a clamshell type phone, first to be checked of course is the sturdiness of the assembly between the top and bottom panels of the phone. Not any problems with regards to the build of the phone, as neither a squeak nor creak are heard while handling the phone. The silver casing gives the phone a tough and no nonsense exterior and the extra weight does give the VX8000 a rather solid and sturdy feel.
On the front flip panel of the LG VX8000 you will find the 1.25 inch, 262k color external display. Below this display are three buttons for playback controls such as rewind, play/stop, and fast-forward. There is also the speaker phone which is situated on the front of the VX8000 but you may also just opt to use the supplied stereo headphones.
Summary of LG VX8000 Features
- Weight: 110 g
- Width: 50 mm
- Height: 96 mm
- Thickness: 23 mm
- Network: CDMA dual band (800 / 1900)
- Screen Resolution: (Main Display) TFT, 262,000 colors, 176 x 220 pixels, (Secondary Display) TFT, 262,000 colors, 128 x 160 pixels
- Data: CDMA2000 1xRTT / 1xEV-DO rev.0
- Connectivity: GPS, PCSync
- Web Browser: WAP 2.0, Openwave 6.2.3
- Music: MP3
- Camera: 1.3 mega pixels resolution, 4x digital zoom, video capture
- Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Chat (AOL, MSN, Yahoo)
- Expansion Slot: microSD / microSDHC
- Tones: 64 chord
- Software Features: BREW / 3D gaming
- Other Features: VCAST Streaming Multimedia
- Battery: 1100 mAh Li-Ion, Up to 3.33 hours talk time, Up to 110 hours stand by time
PROS: The LG VX8000 is a feature-filled little device that has a lot of what users look for in mobile phones. With this handset, no frills is the name of the game and every ounce of it's rather hefty weight is filled to the brim with functions.
CONS: Although the VX-8000 is not entirely challenged design-wise, it could have used a bit more innovation. The camera on this handset, sufficient for many users, yielded results that leave more to be desired. EV-DO is also not supported in all regions so be sure to check before making a purchase.
Overall: If what you are looking for is the basic functions of mobile phones and then some, then by all means give the LG VX-8000 a careful examination.