LG's Chocolate is sexy but clumsy

31.08.2006
Market studies show that most people in the U.S. are cellular subscribers, which means that sales of phones and service inevitably will slow. By contrast, MP3 players and downloadable digital music are hot with no end in sight. So it makes sense to combine these devices and services, right?

LG Electronic's new Chocolate audio player/cell phone clearly makes sense for Verizon Wireless, enabling the carrier to not only sell more devices, but also its V CAST Music service. And Chocolate's initial appeal to users also is undeniable. It looks like an MP3 player, right down to the iPod-like round touchpad. The telephone keypad hides behind the device, and when you are ready to talk, you simply slide the keypad down. It has an unmistakable cool-gadget vibe with features like red backlighting for the touchpad.

Besides talking, you can download songs you purchase from V CAST Music directly to the phone via Verizon's 3G EV-DO cellular data network. Or, you can listen to MP3 files that you rip from CDs to your PC and transfer to the phone. In addition, the LG Chocolate is reasonably priced at US$150 with, of course, the inevitable two-year commitment.

But while Chocolate may initially be appealing, when you actually put it to work, it is clumsy to use and somewhat limited.

Voice and music combined

As a phone, Chocolate is solid but unexceptional. Its slide-down phone navigation keys are reasonably large and easy to press. It has a 500-name phone book, which should suffice for most users, and an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera.