LG Chocolate KG800 - black (Unlocked)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A. Part number: KG800
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The LG KG800 Chocolate is indeed pretty, but its feature set and performance don't back up its trendy design.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace | | In stock | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
LG Chocolate KG800 - black (Unlocked) price range: $94.41 - $121.19
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 11/02/2006
The good: The LG KG800 Chocolate has decent call quality and offers Bluetooth, world phone support, and a gorgeous display.
The bad: The LG KG800 Chocolate has tricky controls, and it lacks a speakerphone, an external memory card slot, and voice dialing.
The bottom line: The LG KG800 Chocolate is indeed pretty, but its feature set and performance don't back up its trendy design.
Like the VX8500, the KG800 Chocolate has a rectangular shape that's vaguely reminiscent of a chocolate bar. The sleek form factor and straight lines are familiar as is the basic black color scheme (an all-white model is available as well). The KG800's dimensions (3.7x1.9x0.6 inches) are only slightly different from its cousin's, and it's a tad lighter but still has a comfortable and solid feel in the hand. Just keep in mind that as with other slider designs, the KG800 doesn't cradle your head when held against the ear. The slider mechanism slips up and down easily but firmly; we needed only one finger to make it work.
Though the KG800's display has a slightly lower resolution than the VX8500's, it's still a treat to view. With support for 256,000 colors, the two-inch (176x220 pixels) display shows off everything beautifully, from photos to graphics to its simple, user-friendly menus. The screen is more difficult to see in direct light and disappears completely when the backlighting is off. You can change the backlighting time, the font color, and the brightness.
For menu navigation, the KG800 Chocolate uses the quirky touch-sensitive controls found on the VX8500. But instead of arranging the controls in a wheel, the KG800 puts them in a square. Though we like this version a tad better for aesthetic reasons, the new design doesn't improve usability. The controls still take a lot of acclimation--we didn't know quite where to put our finger at first--and are too sensitive even at the lowest setting. Overall, these flaws caused a lot of misdials. Also, the controls disappear completely when the backlighting is off. The other navigation controls are carried over from the Verizon Chocolate. There are two soft keys, a talk button, and a clear key. They're touch sensitive as well, so you don't get the tactile feel of pressing down on a button.
We've griped about it before and we'll gripe about it again: we can't imagine what LG was thinking when it moved the Chocolate's end/power button to the left spine--we kept forgetting where the control was. A covered headset jack and a dedicated control for launching the camera and the MP3 player sit on the right spine, while a sole volume rocker is on the left spine. The camera lens, flash, and self-portrait mirror are on the rear face of the slider, so you must have it open to take pictures.
While somewhat slippery, the keypad buttons are easy to use and have a slightly better design than on the VX8500. We liked the alternating black and gray color scheme that resulted in a checkered effect. Also it's great that the backlit keys are tactile and have a clear separation between them.
The KG800 Chocolate's phone book holds 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for four numbers and an e-mail address (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save contacts to groups, pair them with a photo, or assign them one of 44 polyphonic ring tones. Other basics include a vibrate mode, a voice recorder, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calculator, a unit converter, a world clock, a calendar, and a memo pad. As for high-end features, there's Bluetooth, e-mail, and USB data storage and transfer capability, and you can use the phone as a modem. Unfortunately, there's no speakerphone or voice dialing. The omission of the former is especially puzzling on such a trendy phone. Verizon released a firmware upgrade to add a speakerphone into its Chocolate; we only hope the same will happen with the KG800.
The KG800's music player is serviceable but nothing fancy. You can play music in MP3 and AAC formats. Features aren't plentiful--you can't make playlists--but it does offer rudimentary equalizer controls and basic visualizations for when your music is playing. The included stereo headset is top quality, but be warned: it uses a proprietary plug. We loaded music on the phone with the included USB cable without any problems.
The 1.3-megapixel camera takes pictures in five resolutions (1,280x960, 640x480, 320x240, 220x176, and 72x72) and three quality settings (normal, fine, and superfine). Additional camera options include a self-timer, brightness and white balance controls, a multishot mode and three color effects. In an improvement over the VX8500 Chocolate, there's also a flash, a self-portrait mirror, and a 4X zoom for use at the lower resolutions. The camcorder takes clips with sound in two resolutions (176x144 and 128x96); editing options are similar to the still camera. You can limit clips to a minute or record for as long as the phone's memory permits. With 128MB onboard, the GSM Chocolate does have more integrated memory than the VX8500, but there's no external memory card slot. Photo quality was quite good in our tests, with sharp colors and distinct object outlines. In bright conditions, the lighting was a bit washed out. Videos were decent but nothing special as they tended to be grainy and pixelated.
You can personalize the KG800 Chocolate with a variety of wallpapers, alert sounds, and menu colors. If you want more options or more ring tones, polyphonic or MP3, you can download them via the WAP 2.0 wireless browser. The phone includes one game (ZooZooClub) but the integrated Java (J2ME) support ensures you can get more. Be advised that gameplay through the touch pad is a bit difficult.
We tested the triband (GSM 900/1800/1900) KG800 Chocolate world phone with Cingular Wireless service in San Francisco. Call quality was decent but not quite as sharp as on Verizon's Chocolate. Voice quality had a slight echo effect, and volume was a tad low, so at times it sounded as if callers were talking through a screen. On the other hand, reception was great, and we encountered no interference from other devices. Music quality was fine but a bit tinny, so it's nothing we'd want to listen to for long. On the data end, the KG800 maxes out at GPRS speeds and does not support 3G networks.
The LG KG800 Chocolate has a rated talk-time battery life of 6 hours and a standby time of 8.3 days. Our tests resulted in a talk time of 5 hours and 45 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the KG800 has a digital SAR rating of 0.14 watt per kilogram.
User reviews
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THE WORST PIECE OF CHOCOLATE!
by Duran42 on December 9, 2006
Pros: EYE CANDY.
Cons: MP3 DOESN'T WORK, AND IT SHUTS OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A CALL OR TEXT.
Summary: I bought this phone on Ebay (BIG MISTAKE!) from a company called United World of Wireless. From day one i couldn't download ringtones, send or receive picture messages.
The ...Summary: I bought this phone on Ebay (BIG MISTAKE!) from a company called United World of Wireless. From day one i couldn't download ringtones, send or receive picture messages.
The most horrible phone and customer service from LG!3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The worst phone I ever bought
by cowboyjosh on December 4, 2006
Pros: Sleek Look, Sharp Display
Cons: Touch Controls, Small Buttons, Side Buttons (Camera, Power, End, etc)
Summary: I put up with this phone for a couple of months now, what a waste of a phone. Like and idiot I bought this phone because it looked good. I ...
Summary: I put up with this phone for a couple of months now, what a waste of a phone. Like and idiot I bought this phone because it looked good. I got rid of a Motorola for this phone when I was eligible to upgrade. I wish I would have bought a RAZR or a KRZR, but no, I bought this mess. The menus are confusing, the slide is annoying, and the buttons are too small for my fingers, and the battery doesn't seem to charge. I recently decided enough was enough, and bought the KRZR. This phone was a let down.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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ok, i guess....
by qgirl233 on August 18, 2006
Pros: Very sleek and small, camera is really good, Like that you can change they menues and you aren't stuck with the boring verizon menues, phone quality seems really good, VERY HIGH quality screen
Cons: Shiney black gets little scratches easily, don't know how long they shineyness will last, do not like the touch sencor 'buttons', small number pad, no speaker phone
Summary: I have had the phone a week and my touch sensor buttons have locked up already.
I use my phone for text messaging a LOT and it doesn't seem '...Summary: I have had the phone a week and my touch sensor buttons have locked up already.
I use my phone for text messaging a LOT and it doesn't seem 'text friendly' the numbers are to small to really 'type' on, i always push wrong buttons, i don't think it would be very game friendly.4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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very disappointing
by jessiiccaa on July 10, 2007
Pros: nice looking
Cons: very faulty
Summary: my friends and i were all mesmerized be the chocolate obviously, it is a nice looking and cool phone. However, almost every chocolate owner I know is on their second ...
Summary: my friends and i were all mesmerized be the chocolate obviously, it is a nice looking and cool phone. However, almost every chocolate owner I know is on their second or even third chocolate. They are very, very faulty. Most of my friends have frozen. Mine, however, just started freaking out and calling people on its own. it also would not let me check my text messages, but instead would scroll through all of them without opening them. overall, it is a frustrating and disappointing phone.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love the CDMA (Bell Mobility) Version of this Phone!!
by Michblack88 on April 30, 2007
Pros: stunning design, easy to use, heat activitated buttons are cool, good features
Cons: only that it fingerprints like crazy...gets a little annoying
Summary: I read tons of bad reviews about this phone and it made me a little nervous to buy it, i've always had good experiences with lg phones though so ...
Summary: I read tons of bad reviews about this phone and it made me a little nervous to buy it, i've always had good experiences with lg phones though so i went for it.
First off, I'm not sure if its something that bell changed with this phone, but when i'm calling someone its pretty much impossible to mute them or do other things by accident because as soon as i accept a call the heat activated buttons turn off and i have to touch the camera button to turn them back on...also i can't hang up on anyone either because the end button is on the side and an actual button. Sometimes i have a problem when i get a call and ill slide the phone up and it wont go up fully and i will hang up on the person by accident though.
The actual phone seems great so far...i know people keep saying after a couple weeks it just dies, so i guess i'll have to wait and see, as i've only had it for a few days.
The batterly life is good...most people complain about how terrible it is, but this phone lasted me the last 3 days of me constantly playing with it and hasn't died yet. Coming from a razr (which had horrible battery life) i'm pretty happy with it.
Not sure what else to say...the camera is pretty good...about the same as my last razr v3c and i love the large screen, its very easy to see and had great resolution
On an end note, i'm not sure if bell did change the phone when they created the CDMA version, they did change the model number from the kg800 to 800, so theres a good chance that they changed some features too, but i love the bell version and would recommend it to anyone!!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I paid $5 second-hand - and still feel ripped-off!
by noirsinge on June 29, 2009
Pros: Slide action is better than some, piano black finish looks pretty good
Cons: Extremely poorly designed interface and ridiculously hard-to-use and often buggy touch-sensitive D-pad. Keypad isn't the best either.
Summary: This phone might look sleek, but is rendered close to unusable by its flaws.
Summary: This phone might look sleek, but is rendered close to unusable by its flaws.
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Worst Phone I have EVER used
by sseell on April 14, 2009
Pros: Looked cool for the whole two days it wasnt scratched - camera was decent for its time
Cons: Terrible Reception
Terrible Battery Life
Drops out when in the middle of a call
Touchpad terrible - buttons press themselves
Messages fail to send
Scratches easily
Finger Prints
No loud speaker yet the music player is able to... work that out.Summary: Worst phone I have ever had, while that is limited to about 6 phones now it was easily the worst phone. It CONSTANTLY dropped out of reception even though you ...
Summary: Worst phone I have ever had, while that is limited to about 6 phones now it was easily the worst phone. It CONSTANTLY dropped out of reception even though you would be outside in eyesight of a phone tower and while the phone at the start of the call had full reception a minute or two through the call it would drop out. The touchpad buttons had a mind of their own a lot of the time pressing themselves and navigating you through menus you didnt even know existed. The battery lasted perhaps 2 days with a mear hour of calls. The thing also scratches more than sand paper across skin. You cant see the screen at all in daylight the backlight isnt bright enough to illuminate it. Overall every aspect of this phone was poorly designed I mean even messaging you cant add words to the dictionary! What drew me to this phone in the first place was its design looked cool and sleek and i loved the red touchpad lights and such. But be warned! Stear clear! ANY Nokia would be better actually my first 3310 was a hell of a lot better in terms of reliability, battery life and features. Anyways ill wrap this up.. if you buy this phone your an idiot your wasting your money better off spend the money in a public phone booth - it would last longer and your calls wouldnt drop out.
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Pretty Good!
by sam7yellow on March 22, 2009
Pros: Durable, amazingly!
Good Camera
AttractiveCons: Doesn't receive picture messages or send them
Summary: Great product, and I got it at first. At first, it was just an attractive phone, but then after I dropped it a couple of times, and it going through ...
Summary: Great product, and I got it at first. At first, it was just an attractive phone, but then after I dropped it a couple of times, and it going through the washing machine, I was amazed at the wear and tear it took. Has an exceptional camera. My only complaint was that it doesn't receive or send multimedia messages. Great phone overall!
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Cute phone, but gets boring.
by maryjane0699 on March 21, 2009
Pros: Nice design, good size
Cons: Ultra sensitive and small touchpad, bad sound, confusing at first try, the camera produces badly tinted pictures.
Summary: Originally, I wanted to get a Blackberry, but they were sold out at the time I got to the store. I should've waited a few more days to get ...
Summary: Originally, I wanted to get a Blackberry, but they were sold out at the time I got to the store. I should've waited a few more days to get one. I decided to get a chocolate since I thought it looked like a decent cell phone. Of course with purchasing any new product, it still excites me for a few weeks but after a couple of months, I grew tired of it. The camera made everything look yellowish and awful, and as for the sound quality, everyone I called complained my voice kept breaking up constantly while we talked. The touchpad was way too sensitive; lightly tapping the send button by mistake resulted in numerous wasted, blank text messages I didn?t mean to send, but because this piece of crap has such a sensitive iPod looking scrolly thing, I suffered for a whole year before cancelling my sell phone line. I feel relieved to be able to pick out a brand new phone, FINALLY!
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Had to send this phone back twice. Faulty screen..
by justyouraverageconsumer on January 14, 2009
Pros: I have yet to see one.
Cons: This phone's screen is garbage.
Summary: Don't buy it if you don't want the hassle.
Summary: Don't buy it if you don't want the hassle.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Part number: KG800
- Description: Unique, Articulate, Exquisite - these are just a few words that will enter your mind when you first take a glance at the KG800's luxurious look and feel. The KG800 is a mysterious thing concealing a screen and a heat sensitive touch pad that glows red to show you exactly where to gently press. Not only that but if you slide the phone open it will reveal even more: a keypad and 1.3 megapixel camera with flash! Let the KG800 arouse your senses.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider Unlocked
- Width 1.9 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 3.7 in
- Weight 2.9 oz
- Available Body Colors Black, pink, white, wine
Cellular
- Technology GSM
- Band GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band)
- Phone Design Slider
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features Intelligent typing (T9)
Communicator Features
- User Memory 128 MB
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Messaging Services Yes
- Mobile Email Yes
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- WAP Protocol Supported WAP 2.0
- JAVA applications Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multimedia messages (MMS)
Ring Tones
- Polyphonic Ring Tone Voice Qty 64
Multimedia Features
- Downloadable Content Games
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 1.3 megapixels
- Still Image Resolutions 1280 x 960
- Digital Zoom 4
- Camera Light Source Flash
- Digital Video Formats 3gp
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 176 x 220 pixels
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
- Multi-language Menu Yes
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, MP3, WMA
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Headphones, Wrist strap, Carrying case
- Cables Included USB cable
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Talk Time Up to 360 min
- Standby Time Up to 200 h
Product series
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LG Chocolate VX8500 - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: Verizon Wireless, CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, Up to 210 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.5 oz
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LG Chocolate KG800 - black (Unlocked)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band), Up to 360 min, With digital camera / digital player, 2.9 oz
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LG Chocolate VX8500 - white (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, Up to 210 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.5 oz
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LG Chocolate KG800 - white (Unlocked)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900, Up to 360 min, With digital camera / digital player, 2.9 oz
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LG Chocolate KG800 - pink (Unlocked)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900, Up to 360 min, With digital camera / digital player, 2.9 oz
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LG Chocolate VX8500 - mint (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs:
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LG Chocolate VX8500 - cherry (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs:
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LG Chocolate VX8500 - strawberry (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, Up to 210 min, With digital camera / digital player, 3.5 oz
Accessories
- LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset (33439213)29.99 - 49.99
- LG HBM-310 Bluetooth headset (33504146)27.74 - 44.99
- LG Bluetooth Stereo Headset HBS-200 (32559289)20.00 - 24.99
- Jabra BT8010 Stereo/Mono Bluetooth Headset (32327768)18.99
- Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones (red) (32363768)38.99 - 45.99
Manufacturer info
- LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse LG Electronics U.S.A. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://us.lge.com/
- Address:
1000 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
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