The all digital VX4600 from LG is a stylish companion with powerful calling, messaging and mobile Internet features. It's the perfect complement to Verizon Wireless phone service.
Design
The phone features a traditional clamshell design with a large 120 x 160 TFT color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary OEL (Organic Electro-Luminescent) 96 x 38 display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's blue backlit control pad. Meanwhile, the top right side of the unit houses an antenna while the USB-capable data and charging port is housed on the unit's bottom edge. There's a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets on the left side of the handset.
Calling Features
The VX4600's built-in address book can store up to 499 contacts for quick and easy management of phone numbers and email addresses. The phone comes with 36 built-in polyphonic ringtones plus a vibrating alert. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. The speed dialing feature allows you to dial up to 99 numbers virtually instantaneously. A built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear and the VX4600's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The VX4600 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging. Support is built in for sending and receiving text and graphics via messages. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
Getting on the Internet anywhere is easy with the VX4600, as well. Verizon's optional Mobile Web package allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. You can check your e-mail, trade stocks online, compare prices while shopping, access flight information, get movie listings and find directions to the theater.
Verizon's Get It Now wireless download service is also fully compatible with the VX4600. This pay-per-download service features application downloads, games and productivity tools. You can also personalize your handset with ringtone downloads and digital photo-sharing tools using the Get It Now service.
The VX4600 ships with a calendar and scheduler, a voice memo application with up to 4 minutes of record time, and a notepad. An alarm clock, calculator and world clock are also included, as is the very handy restaurant tip calculator. Never dine without it!
Imaging and Entertainment
The VX4600 is BREW enabled, meaning it supports games written on the BREW platform. Games are available via the Get It Now service. The phone also features customizable theme colors, 14 built-in screen backgrounds and fonts so you can make your phone reflect your personality.
Vital Statistics
The LG VX4600 weighs 3.38 ounces and measures 3.43 x 1.81 x 0.98 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 200 minutes of digital talk time, and up to 165 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800 frequency. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
LG VX4600 cell phone, desktop charger with adapter, standard lithium-ion battery, holster, user's manual, welcome CD, quick reference guide.
1 Nice solid basic phone, but with some little drawbacks
One of the most solid phone I have seen, nice touch, but the exterior is too smooth, i have drop it several times because I don't have a good grip of it, and I miss the grip I can get from Motorola V300. The screen is very dim, even it's at max bright ness. I think LG intentionaly make the low end phone screen this dark, so I will like the more expensive one. If all u need is making calls, this is fine. If you have a polorized sun glasses, don't get this phone. The screen look completely dark under polorized sun glasses. Ring tone is so loud, even the lowest setting will scared me when it rings. No single ring tone does not scare me from this phone. No speaker phone, oh, i miss speaker phone. Lucky I switch to VX6100, which has a very good speaker phone. Battery don't last that long, but I never run out of it. I like the dock charger, even it's large, but I will always like to put my phone on the charger, that's why i never run out of battery. the external sub screen is probably the biggest attration of hte phone, but it don't seem the visible under sun light.
2 very good phone with only minor drawback
pro: solid, cool looking, much better than VX4500, nice material and workmanship, cool external display, loud speaker and microphone , people say they hear me better than T-mobile Motorola V300, very loud ring tone (good and bad), strong vibration(good and bad). Desktop charger make charging handy. Real Aluminum front cover looks very cool.
cons: screen is dim for today's phone, screen look like a cheap phone, can not compare to V300. not many good ring tone, no game, ring can be too loud and often scare me when it rings. Vibration is so strong, when place on table it make very horrible noise. Very common for today's phone, the clip exposed the phone for scretch. I prefer the pouch belt clip like the one come with Motorola V300. If you want this phone, better buy a leather cover or a aftermarket pouch that fits. Pouch from V300 is too big for this phone. After 2 week of use, I already scretch the cool looking front cover. phone get warm after 15 minutes of use. You can only get this phone online, such as amazon.com. I bet this phone cost more to manufacture than the Vx4500, and look so much better than Vx4500, so they don't offer it in the store. They want people see the bland Vx4500 to buy more expensive phone.
3 Phone is good. Activation was a nightmare.
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.
4 Lacks simple functions, but works well
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.
5 A solid phone
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!
6 Awesome phone
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.
7 does what it does, brilliantly
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.
