Wait, Verizon actually decided it would be a good idea to make official a cellphone today? Oh yeah, that's right -- the Chocolate 3 was announced with a Sunday availability date today, but for those hoping to see the wrapper unfold a few days early, today's your lucky day. The cats over at Laptop were able to acquire the new flip and test it out ever-so-briefly, and while initial impressions seemed rather positive, we reckon it's the photos you're really after. Dig into the read link for the full gallery.

We'd heard that the latest incarnation of the Chocolate series from LG on Verizon would be launching next Monday, but we've got some great news to close out the week, fans: you'll be able to plunk down your cash a full day early. It turns out that the Chocolate 3 will actually be launching this Sunday, July 13 for the expected $129.99 after rebate, featuring a 2 megapixel cam, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an in-your-face set of external music controls, all in your choice of black or light blue. Just add an 8GB microSD card and the Rhapsody tie-in, and you've got yourself a little musical powerhouse here.

So, what do you do after announcing your intentions to spend nearly $30 billion on America's fifth largest carrier? Why, you announce a trio of new phones for the summertime, that's what. Verizon Wireless is trumpeting the launch of the Dare (pictured), Decoy and Chocolate 3, all of which are being provided by LG. As for the Dare, you'll find 3G, V CAST, VZ Navigator and a 3.2-megapixel camera, while the Decoy becomes the world's first handset with a Bluetooth headset integrated into its body. Finally, the Chocolate 3 goes all flip-phone on us and includes an FM transmitter, twin speakers, 1GB of internal storage, 2-megapixel camera and V CAST support. Unfortunately, VZW hasn't dished out official details on pricing just yet, but you can find out for sure when they go on sale later this month, June 16th and sometime in July (in order of mention).

If you thought LG had milked the Chocolate for all it was worth, you've got another thing comin'. That thing would be the HT972TR HTIB, which includes five satellite speakers, a 225-watt subwoofer, 1,000 total watts of amplification and a DVD player that handles 1080p upscaling as well as DivX. Moreover, the system boasts HDMI, DTS support, an AM / FM tuner and a USB port for loading up portable media. Not a lot of details beyond that just yet, but do yourself a favor and check out two more delicious shots waiting after the jump.

[Via Electronista, images courtesy of Le Journal du Geek]

We could hardly believe the audacity when LG first started touting its Chocolate hand held projector, but now that they've played down the cross-branding -- it's just known as the HS101 now -- and rounded out a few more of the specs, we're beginning to see the light. The teensy, 1.7 pound LED DLP projector runs at a 2000:1 contrast ratio, with 800 x 600 pixels at a standard 4:3 ratio. The LED is rated at 20,000 hours, which means an end to extravagant bulb purchases. There are of course those soft-touch keys, and a lot of black all over, but we won't begrudge LG those little Chocolate nods. Inputs include DV, D-Sub and DVI, and the projector will be available worldwide for 799 Euros ($1090 US).

We'll spare you the "even sweeter the second time around" punnage that Verizon couldn't help crack and get straight to the point here. Following up its hit VX8500 last year, Verizon has introduced a new Chocolate to its lineup, the aptly-named VX8550. The re-upped model gets very slightly trimmer by shaving a few hundredths of an inch off every dimension from its predecessor, a new keypad with touch feedback, and something LG is calling "Trace Motion" -- some sort of lighting that works in conjunction with the new nav wheel. Carried over from the original Chocolate are the 1.3 megapixel cam, microSD slot, and wealth of music-related features, though sadly, the rumored 3.5mm jack ain't here. Look for it in stores July 9 in your choice of "Black Cherry" and "Blue Mint."

Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Cellphone of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Monday, April 16th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Danger Sidekick 3, Helio Drift, LG Chocolate, LG CU500, Motorola KRZR, Samsung Sync, and Sony Ericsson K800i.

Fed up with the overcrowded iPod-rippin' game, RAmos has moved on to the other hotness of 2006: LG's Chocolate. And RAmos makes no bones about its "inspiration," as seen in the press shot above. At least Meizu has the modesty to deny it once in a while. Anyways, specs are pretty standard for the RM650 and RM550 players: 2.4-inch QVGA displays, 1GB to 4GB of flash memory (2GB max on the RM650), less than 0.45-inches thick, mic recording and decent codec support, including XviD. Prices range from $52 to $78, no word exactly when they'll be hitting shelves in China, and little hope for such imitation to make it to the States through any formal channels.

[Via The MP3 Players

Proving that a desirable feature is better delivered late than never, TiVo has finally gotten around to releasing its TiVo Mobile remote scheduling program for select Verizon phones -- over a year after we first caught wind of the Java-based app. No real surprises here: you use Get It Now to download the application, and for $1.99 a month you get access to your Series2 or Series3 box through that familiar interface, along with special recommendation lists, popular show charts, and the always-hot "premium entertainment content." Not a bad deal considering that we once thought this would cost five bones a month, but the catch is that only certain handsets are currently compatible, including the SCH-a950, VX8300, and of course, the beloved Chocolate. Sure you could do the whole dial-a-recording before with your Pocket PC phone and Orb plug-in -- and that even lets you stream the swag you've taped -- but the more people who take the TiVo-approved route, the sooner we can put the kibosh on that nasty TiVo Deathwatch.

[Thanks, Dave. Z.]

If you're even considering making a late night grocery run to stock up on post-Valentine's Day chocolate sales, hold your horses. For those who just so happened to keep the original packaging from your Wiimote and nunchuck as any true geek does, or you need a delicious excuse to run out and grab another set, you're well on your way to edible nirvana. A crafty Flickr user utilized his culinary skills along with the plastic packaging that accompanied his Wii accessories in order to make molds for Wiimote / nunchuck chocolate, which look mighty scrumptious if we may so say ourselves. While we're not experts on creating our own choco bars, it has certainly been done a time or two before, so why not indulge yourself a bit with a little calorie-packed Wiimote after a vigorous round of Wii exercise, cool?

We don't have much information yet, but as you may have noticed, LG is now on Microsoft's official list for Windows Mobile licensees. We have it on authority that they've got two devices planned, one of which being a Windows Mobile take on their KE850 Prada Phone. Being that Microsoft mandates Windows Mobile devices require a certain minimum of hard buttons to operate, LG is working on a specially tweaked WM6 Pro interface to make their device actually usable without all those cluttering buttons. The other device LG's working on, as we understand, is something a little more Chocolate-like. More, of course, as we get it.

Little is known about the KE850 from LG, but the folks over at International Forum Design must know a thing or two about it, seeing how they just hooked it up with a Product Design Award for 2007. And hey, with those hot Chocolate-esque looks -- though we have no proof this one'll actually be branded as a Chocolate -- who can blame them? The big draw here, of course, is a 400 x 240 touchscreen that takes the place of virtually every hard button you might find on a more traditional handset, save for Send, End, and a handful of keys on the sides. The posterior reveals a cam, though its specs remain a mystery. Does someone at LG (or iF) want to spill the beans for us?

[Via Slashphone]

LG's Chocolate just got a little sweeter, with the recent addition of HSDPA to that fantastic flip phone. The U830, its new designation, is loaded up with all sorts of other tasty treats, including 185MB of storage, a 2 megapixel shooter, stereo Bluetooth, three hours of talk time, 300 hours of standby time, and a music player (with 3.5mm headphones included!) -- all of this is pretty much what we'd seen rumored a few months ago. It'll first exclusively hit Hutchinson's 3 network in the UK, but we've got no further information as to when (or if) it'll be crossing the pond.

[Via AVING]

As if that white and dark LG Chocolate wasn't enough, Verizon just released red (no, not that RED) and green versions of the venerable VX8500 slider in hopes of stoking a bit of yule in our Grinchy hearts. No surprises here since we've been expecting these to drop since last month. Same specs we've seen, and yours for the usual $129.99 after on-line discount and 2-year commitment -- which should be enough time to convince everyone of their "Cherry" and "Mint" coloring.

[Thanks, Tyler A.]

Read -- Mint Chocolate
Read -- Cherry Chocolate

After a brief visit to their "testman" staging site this morning, Verizon went ahead and kicked out the LG VX8600 Chocolate flip without further ado. Still sportin' the specs leaked back in September, the VX8600 will cost you $129.99 on a two year contract after the on-line discount -- the rumored $249.99 full-retail / $229.99 one-year options don't appear on the site, yet. That buys you into a fashionable, V Cast musicphone with microSD expansion, A2DP stereo audio over Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel shooter, and what's this... an enabled speakerphone -- gasp.

[Thanks, John and everyone else who sent this in]