The LG VX6000 is Verizon Wireless's flagship model. Unlike GSM phones, the VX6000 was specifically design to work with Verizon's CDMA network. This phone is incompatible with other CDMA networks.
CDMA varies with GSM and TDMA fundamentally based on how voice is transmitted through the airwaves. The inherent technical properties of CDMA makes voice quality more resistant to interference and noise. That results in cleaner and clearer voices.
The VX6000 voice quality is much better than GSM phones. It has to do more with the technology and service rather than to phone itself. But regardless, superior nonetheless.
So if CDMA is the better technology why didn't it take off? Well, simply put, because the rest of the world already had already settled on a standard. GSM's appeal was its ability to store customer information on a SIM card. So swapping phones was effortless. With Europe and Asia firmly embracing GSM, CDMA came too late and was always the minority. So the VX6000 is not compatible when outside the Verizon network. To many this may not be what they are looking for. If a world phone is needed, then GSM is the way to go.
From a hardware perspective, the VX6000 is stunning. With color internal and external screens, the VX6000 is sure to be a hit. As for ring tones, the phone is CMX 3.0 compliant. Midi files can to be converted to 16 bit mono wav and used for ring tones. As opposed to midis which is like storing a sheet music of notes to play. By using wav files, VX6000 has the ability to not only play music, but use voices, or real music from CDs. Additionally, with the popularity of built-in cameras on cellular phones, the VX6000 does not disappoint. In a market filled with camera phones, the VX6000 is the first one to be released on the Verizon network. A built-in 640 x 480 pixel, 330k pixel resolution, CMOS camera is attached to the back. The camera as a whole performed well, but where it really shines is the versatility of the functions. In addition to a 4X digital zoom, the phone also comes with a wide variety of image adjusting filters and tools. And for the playful side, custom frames to add to your photos are available too.
So with all the great features what's not to like about the VX6000? Well... for one, the difficulty in sending content to your phone. Verizon has made it very difficult to transfer files from a PC to the VX6000. Coincidentally, it is extremely easy to use the built in BREW platform to download Verizon's online content... at a fee. Undoubtedly, people that buy this phone want to take advantage of all the colors and multimedia features. And if you want to customize it, it's going to take a couple bucks.
Another thing to consider is that the VX6000 does NOT have analog. It only runs on digital CDMA 800 / 1900 bands. So if you do frequent traveling to rural areas and use analog, then this will be a big setback.
Controls
Overall LG designed a traditional keypad. Key spacing and ease of use when typing is excellent. On the side of the phone is a dedicated camera button, and two soft keys for additional controls.
One problem that was encountered with the keypad was the illumination. The VX6000 has a 7 second keypad light. When typing in the dark this isn't long enough for those situations when you fumble with the phone, and there is no way to change the delay settings.
Lastly, the VX600 includes a 4 way keypad for navigation. It's similar to all the other phones' keypads. Nothing LG could have really done to make it any different.
Battery and Charger
A lithium-polymer 950mAh battery is used with the VX6000. LG claims the battery will work for 2.5 hours of talk time and 110 hours of standby, however those numbers are maximum times. Realistically the times are much lower.
Minimum Rated Standby Time: 100 hours
Minimum Rated Talk Time: 135 minutes
When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance.
When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range.Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.
Storage
The VX6000 comes with an 1.6 MB of internal memory for storing pictures, ring tones, text messages, and games.
This is an average amount of storage. Nothing like the 5 MB in some Nokias, but not 500 KB like some other phones. There's enough room to store a few of games, backgrounds, and ring tones comfortably. But if you tire of the same thing, expect to clean out your phone from time to time.
Since the memory is dynamic, you can share memory between your ring tones, pictures, and games.
Connections
The VX6000 has a data cable attachment accessory for transferring files to your phone. Aside from that, transferring through WAP is the only other way possible. since the VX6000 doesn't have an infrared port or Bluetooth. It seems that not many phones specifically made for North American markets have infrared capabilities. More so with CDMA than GSM, and espeically Verizon for that matter. It's very convenient that these service providers also provide an easy no hassle way to purchase multimedia with the few presses of a button.
Either way, expect to pay a few dollars to use the full benefits of the 262k color screen. There are ways of getting content off websites, but it's tedious for a reason. Verizon claimed that their subscribers sent over 1 million picture messages the first month the feature was introduced. Due to the widely popular success of the launch, Verizon's flagship model, the VX6000 introduced a great camera phone
The VX6000 has a built-in CMOS camera. Although the resolution of the pictures are only 330k pixels, it comes packed full of options and features.
The number of camera options is amazing. For starters, you can get up close shots from far away with the 4x zoom in feature. If you want to take a self portrait of yourself to send to someone, there's a self timer. Add an artsy feel to the photos by using the built-in filters to add effects. Or adjust the image by changing the brightness, white balance, or resolution. Lastly, put fun frames around your pictures. The VX6000 comes with 5 preinstalled frames. For example, you can frame your friend's head on a strongman's body. If you get tired of them, upload custom frames for more versatility.
The VX6000 can take multiple shots at once too. The multishot feature allows you to take multiple pictures without interruption. However, if you put the resolution on high, you cannot take 5 or 3 simultaneous shots, the maximum is 2.
Overall the capabilities of the camera are very impressive. Perhaps the only thing missing that could have made it even better was a flash. But we're not complaining.Sound Quality
The LG VX6000 has excellent sound quality. The frequency ranges were balanced and incoming and outgoing voices had sufficient clarity and accuracy. Overall no major complaints.
RF Performance
As for RF performance, the VX6000 does a good job too. Inherently, CDMA has better noise resistance than other technologies such as GSM, and TDMA. The way the voice is transferred though the air is less susceptible to interference than the other forms of multiplexing. So whether it's the actual hardware that's superior, or just the technology is unclear. However, overall the VX6000 has very good RF performance.
One thing should be noted. The VX6000 is an all digital phone, and hence no analog. Thus, the VX6000 will be unusable in rural areas where analog is only present . If you are on the road a lot and travel between major cities, then the lack of analog on the VX6000 will need to be considered. Overall it gets a reception rating of:LG VX6000 Specs
Technical Specifications
Network: CDMA 800 / 1900
Form Factor: Clamshell
Dimensions: 90 x 48 x 24 mm
Weight: 113 g
Antenna: Stub
Navigation: 4-Way Keypad
Battery Type: 950 mAh Li-Ion
Talk Time: 2.50
Standby Time: 110
Memory: 1.6 MB
Expandable Memory: No
Imaging
Main Screen: 262000 colors (TFT)
120 x 160 px
External Screen: 2 colors (OLED)
96 x 38 px
Camera: 0.3 MP / 640 x 480 px / 4X Zoom / Self-timer
Audio
MP3 Player: No
FM Radio: No
Speakerphone: No
Push-To-Talk: No
Multimedia
Wallpapers: 120 x 160 px
Screen Savers: No
Ring Tones: CMX MIDI
Themes: No
Games: BREW
Streaming Multimedia: No
Messaging
SMS: Yes
EMS: Yes
MMS: Yes
Email: Yes
Chat: Yes
Predictive Text: T9
Applications
Phonebook Capacity: 500
Calendar: Yes
To-Do List: Yes
WAP: 2.0 / Openwave 4.1
Voice Commands: 30 names
Calculator: Yes
Connectivity
Bluetooth: No
Infrared Port: No
High-Speed Data: cdma2000 1xRTT
Wi-Fi: No
GPS: Yes
PC Sync: Yes
