Dialing in to the G3 network
Do we really need to watch video clips on our cellphones? Verizon Wireless thinks so.
Earlier this month, the company rolled out V Cast, a muscular wireless network tailored for the delivery of video content to G3-enabled mobile phones.
G3, or third-generation networks, have gained some traction in other parts of the globe, but they're just starting to appear in mobile phones here.
And having a major player like Verizon throwing its weight behind the scheme should give it a solid beachhead from which to prosper. The company estimates that its high-speed EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) 3G network, now in 30 major metropolitan areas, covers 75 million people. The company expects its wireless broadband offerings -- BroadbandAccess and V Cast -- to cover 150 million by the end of the year.
A trio of G3 phones offered by Verizon can tap into its wireless broadband network: the Samsung SCH-a890, UTStarcom (formerly Audiovox) CDM8940, and the LG VX8000.
At $199.99 (with purchase of a service plan and a rebate), the LG VX8000 is a good buy, compared to the $249.99 Samsung and $229.99 UTStarcom models. Moreover, the LG phone can hold its own in the feature department with Verizon's more expensive G3 offerings.
It can access the mobile web, Verizon's Get It Now Service for items such as ring tones, and streaming video through V Cast, as well as do image, video, and text messaging. And unlike the Samsung and UTStarcom units, it does instant messaging with AOL, MSN, and Yahoo.
Video content through V Cast includes news, sports, and entertainment clips. Content vendors in the Verizon fold include NBC News, Fox Sports, and Comedy Central.
Clips for V Cast appear tailored for the small displays found on mobile phones. I found the content eminently watchable. The length of the clips was generally short (under two minutes), and the streaming images looked like real video, not like a choppy series of still shots. Certainly, Jon Stewart was as funny on the LG VX8000's 2.3-inch screen as he is on my 32-inch tube.
Verizon's V Cast costs $15 a month. There are no airtime charges to download, stream, or watch V Cast content.
In addition to the LG VX8000's main display, there's a generous 1.8-inch color subdisplay on the clamshell's cover. You can quickly check the date and time there, as well as information about incoming calls.
A 1.3-megapixel camera is built into the unit. It will shoot video and has a more powerful digital zoom than its rivals -- 10x, compared to 5x for Samsung and 2x for UTStarcom. Snapshots can be taken by the camera in five sizes, from 160-by-120 pixels to 1,280-by-960 pixels, and it has a flash for capturing images in low lighting conditions.
You can shoot stills and video with the unit's cover closed by pressing, for about two seconds, a button on the right side of the camera and framing your subject in the subdisplay. And with the mobile's built-in microphone you can record custom ring tones and issue voice dialing commands.
The LG VX8000 is a sleek silver unit that measures 3.76-by-1.97-by-0.93 inches and weighs a scant 3.88 ounces. Its keypad has good-size keys, about 0.5 inches wide, and the ''1" key is conveniently marked and preprogrammed to dial voice mail.
Navigation through the mobile's menu structure is done with a rocker dial with a blue OK key at its center. Flanking the dial are two rocker buttons. Each does double duty. One, CLR, allows you to delete characters on the screen and navigate backward through menus, as well as turn on the unit's speakerphone. The other activates the phone's still and video camera features.
The rocker buttons are small and it takes some time to get the feel of them. Although the CLR and camera keys work with a single press, the speakerphone key must be held down for a second or two before it activates its function. Above the rocker buttons are two ''soft" keys. Their actions are pegged to changing options that appear on the unit's display.
One the left side of the phone is a rocker button for controlling the headset's volume and a button to activate voice dialing.
Maybe streaming video isn't your thing, but if bells and whistles are, the LG VX8000 will be a captivating temptation.
John P. Mello Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at jpmello@cox.net.
