LG Verizon or PagePlus VX8300 Great Condition MP3 3G Camera CDMA Flip Cell Phone

I decided on this phone after months of research, and have been quite happy with my purchase. MP3 playback is great, and you can forget about paying for the Verizon music kit- just get a MicroSD memory card instead. They're suprisingly cheap, and the phone handles cards up to 2gb. You just stick the card in your computer/reader, and use it like you would a regular flash drive. After you drag and drop your mp3s into a folder and put the card back in your phone you're good to go. You can do this for pictures (and videos!) too, and won't have to worry about running out of space. The primary reason I got this phone was for the camera, and it works beautifully. While you can't expect the world of a 1.3mp camera, it does an admirable job at taking photos with decent sharpness, color detail, and clarity (see my "customer image"). I'd recommend shooting at the highest resolution and then resizing by 50% in a photo editor for optimal quality. You can also turn off the shutter sound, as well as take photos while the phone is still closed. Another great feature is the GPS navigation option. While the extra $10/month or $3/day seems pricey at first, it's well worth it. It's extremely handy when you're trying to find an address (especially in a city with hard to see street names). It'll also automatically recalculate your route on the fly if you miss a turn. Battery life is great, and you'll get several days of regular use out of it (talking, web surfing, etc) without having to recharge. On the downside, Verizon doesn't support much in the way of open standards- so you don't get any java programs/games, and can't run the full featured mobile gmail program or the opera web browser. That's by no means a dealbreaker though! I highly recommend this phone.

If you're looking for a top-notch piece of equipment that is first and foremost a good phone, but doesn't sacrifice some fun features, this is the way to go. I spent quite a bit of time comparing this with the Motorola RAZR V3m, and decided on the LG for some very key reasons: 1. Better battery life 2. Brighter screen (though smaller than RAZR) 3. Camera WITH flash (not great, but it's there) 4. More comfortable key pad 5. Externally accessible MicroSD slot The above elements combined with the fact that, hey, the RAZR isn't that "cool" anymore since everyone's grandmother now has one, led me to go LG. After also owning a Motorola V330 GSM phone that I did like, I am so far more impressed with LG's quality. The VX8300 is a little large compared with some phones these days, but it feels a bit more durable than phones like the RAZR and KRZR. The gun-metal gray is also a very stylish color. I have not found any cons to this phone yet, though many people complain about Verizon's propriety operating system and locking out some basic features of the phone. These things don't matter to me, as pictures and videos can easily be PIX messaged off the phone or saved to the MicroSD card (which you will have to purchase separately). Now, if you're all into ring tones, wallpapers, etc., this phone or Verizon in general, may frustrate you. However, if you want a good product with good features and excellent reception and sound quality as well as ring volume, I strongly recommend this phone. And buying from Amazon is the way to go, particularly if you want a one-year contract without getting penalized on the price of the phone. Also, my encounters with Verizon customer service have so far been excellent, and I have not waited on hold for long when I've called. Note: Be prepared for a large first-time bill if you do buy a Verizon phone from here. They will charge you for a partial period starting the day the transaction goes through, then a full month in advance in addition to your activation fee, if it isn't waived.