New Cell Phone

My two year contract with Verizon Wireless was up recently and since I am generally satisfied with their service, I opted to renew. That means I can take advantage of their New Every Two promotion, meaning a new cell phone every two years (up to a $100 credit). I looked around and the choice came down to two phones: the Motorola Razr V3M and the LG VX8300. I ultimately chose the LG because I have had good experience with LG phones in general and the credit for the LG was a full $100 compared to only $70 for the Razr.

It's an awesome phone so far. It's lighter and thinner than my old phone, and I especially like the integrated MP3 player. I also like the microSD expansion slot, which can accept capacities up to 2GB. The phone also has a 1.3 MP camera, meaning print-quality pictures and video. It also has Bluetooth capabilities.

The best part is that the phone's file structure is easily accessible using BitPim. BitPim is a program that you use to browse and edit the file structure of the phone, meaning that I can add custom ringtones, wallpapers, videos, and pictures - for free. I would never have to buy anything from Verizon's V-Cast store. Right now I can access the phone using Bluetooth from my PC.

I've already customized the wallpaper and added 200 songs to my new 512MB microSD card. The integrated MP3 player is great, in my opinion equal in tonal quality to our iPod (of course, I'm no audiophile).

All in all it's a great phone. I wouldn't mind using this phone for two more years since I got the latest technology for a great price. In addition to the microSD card, I ordered an neoprene armband case (for the gym) and a wired stereo headset for answering calls and listening to the music. Total cost including phone and accessories comes out to less than $70.