LG VX4600 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Rating:
Summary: Phone is good. Activation was a nightmare.
Review: First of all I must disagree with three points a previous reviewer made. The phone does have a "vibrate only" mode--to activate it, simply hold on to the asterisk key (or the microphone button if the phone is closed.) This turns on vibrate and silences all other sounds. In addition, the phone does allow you to silence the ringer. To do this, open the phone and use the volume rocker button on the left hand side of the phone. Third, you can talk on the phone while it charges. You can either use a headset or you can simply grab the charger and hold onto it to press the phone to your ear. Either this reviewer was using a completely different phone or s/he did not read the manual.

Because the phone does not have those deficiencies, it really is a pretty good phone. Like other reviewers, I find it slightly annoying that you cannot leave the outside display on, especially because I do not wear a watch. However, pushing the button to turn on the display is no big deal. I also find it a bit annoying that the external display goes into a marquee mode, scrolling the information horizontally. I would also point out that the color display can get washed out if you're in bright sunlight.

Otherwise, the phone has some good features. I like how LG allows you to have more than one number for each name in your address book. (Some phones make you program a different entry for each number, which is silly when you consider that one person can easily have four phone numbers.) I also find the menus to be easy to navigate. There is no camera, which I like because all I want to do is make phone calls.

Activating this phone was a nightmare. For some reason Amazon shipped it without activating it. So I took it to the Verizon booth in Circuit City, where he could not activate it because he claimed that there was no suitable electronic serial number on the back of the phone. (The number he needed was on the box, which I had left at home. So bring the box with you when you try to activate it.)

So I went to a different Verizon store the next day to activate it. First he tells me that the necessary number was indeed on the back of the phone and that person I saw at Circuit City did not know what he was doing. Despite this, it took over two hours to activate the phone. Supposedly this was because this particular model had never been sold in the Verizon store and therefore it was not in their computer.

Thus, although I like this phone and I got a good deal on it through Amazon, I will never buy another phone from Amazon because of the activation hassle. Instead I will just buy one in the store. Of course your mileage may vary--maybe my activation hassle was a unique one.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome phone
Review: I did a lot of comparison shopping before purchasing this phone. I even went so far as to purchase it online (it was not available in stores) simply because it seemed so much better than what was available at the Verizon stores. In short, for those who don't want/need a camera phone, it is ultra-compact, with plenty of features, functions excellently, and is affordable. A great purchase, and it has functioned excellently. Sturdy too, and will tolerate a few drops.

Rating:
Summary: A solid phone
Review: I was a little leary about buying a phone that I hadn't seen (held or used) over the Internet (this phone is only sold through Verizon'z online store. They do not offer it in their stores). But I was pleasently suprised when it arrived. It has a fairly small form factor which makes it easy to slip in a pocket. It is also very well made. It seems very solid, even for a small phone. The menus are well done and easy to use and I enjoy the interface more than other phones I have had.

The external OELD is neat, but you must know that the longest setting it can be set to is 3 minutes and then it shuts off. You can't keep it on all the time. Also, there is no LED indicator to let you know about missed calls, voicemail and the like. You have to press the volume button to activate the OELD and then it will indicate if there were any missed messages. If this bothers you, then I wouldn't reccommend buying. To me, these are small issues. To others they may not be.

This phone really looks nice too. The combination silver/dark blue finish along with its design really makes it stand out. This was a very well thought out phone aesthetically speaking.

All in all, this is a great phone. If the absence of an 'always on' external display isn't a big factor, and you are looking into getting this phone, I would suggest you do. I think you'll like it!

Rating:
Summary: Lacks simple functions, but works well
Review: I will be exchanging this phone for another model. The reception is good, phone works well, however there are a few simple functions that I just expected it to have, because nearly every phone now-a-days has these features:
1. It only has a desk top charger. You can't talk while it charges. It also doesn't have a speaker phone, which would be convenient to use while it is charging on the desk top charger.
2. You can't turn off the ringer.
3. There isn't a "vibrate only" mode for the ringer. The only vibrate option is with the highest ringer level.

For me, numbers 2 and 3 are important because I am a teacher. I need to be able to keep my phone on during class, without a ring. The lowest level of ring is also very loud.

It is also a pain that the light doesn't stay on for more than 2 seconds. If you're dialing a number and look away for a minute, the screen is dark and you can't see anything.

If none of these are a big deal to you, then the phone is pretty good. If small gripes like this will bother you, I wouldn't buy the 4600.

Rating:
Summary: does what it does, brilliantly
Review: This is an excellent phone. Small, light, easy-to-use, with intuitive functions, long battery life and, okay, a happy shiny kind of feel.

It fits in my pocket. I get great reception (though I imagine that's more my provider, Cingular, than the handset). It's easy to mute, turn on or off, and increase or decrease volume on the fly.

Lots of cool downloadable screen backgrounds and ringtones. Easy speed dial. Easy switching between alpha and numeric text modes. Easy input of info. Keyword: easy.

This phone does what it does, brilliantly.