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LG VX8610 swings by FCC on the way to Verizon
Hold up, LG, get your butt back here for just a second; you know what you've got to do. That rumored Chocolate replacement of yours, the trackball-equipped VX8610 slider, has to rock the FCC like it's never been rocked before in order to grace Verizon's shelves, now doesn't it? Unfortunately for us, you're particularly sneaky in your FCC applications by showing a comically bad, generic drawing in place of where the actual phone back should be, so we can't make out what's going on -- but at least we know there's a real VX8610 now.
D3 Publisher's not-so-simple Valentine
D3 Publisher expressed their love for GameSetWatch with this beautiful box of Valentine's chocolates. We love D3 as well, but we will have to be content with pictures of the other site's gift. It truly is one of the fanciest Valentines we've seen, especially considering that it was given not to a paramour but to a business contact. The box comes printed with Ben 10, Naruto, Dark Sector, and Puzzle Quest characters, and all of the candies feature the sharp-looking D3 logo. That character-emblazoned box? Also chocolate.If we were to receive one of these, we'd never eat it, choosing to preserve it forever as a collectible. Then in a few years we'd realize that we were keeping old food and we'd throw it out in a panic.
A message for your sweetheart: Eat Mii!
Stumped when it comes to that super-special, unique Valentine's Day gift? Give your sweetheart tiny chocolate people! It's sweet, it's geeky and cute, and you can make Soylent Green jokes and get away with 'em. Paul Pape Designs is offering up little chocolate Miis for Valentine's Day. Each couple (available in milk or white chocolate, and any mix of genders) comes tucked in a little box that looks like a Wii and have little cinnamon hearts bursting from their chests. [Via Addicted Geek; thanks, Simon!]
LG moves 15 million bars of Chocolate
Nah, LG's latest sales triumph can't hold a candle to the ones held by Motorola and Nokia, but still, moving 15 million of anything is something to be celebrated. Reportedly, the firm broke the aforementioned barrier this month, and it's said to be the first Korean-based handset maker to sell that many units globally. Granted, the Chocolate's allure has been slowly fading with the introduction of newer, flashier and potentially more delicious offerings, but there ain't no shame in partying down for hitting such a milestone.[Via Chosun]
Verizon adds "Blue Ice" to Chocolate's palette
Pretty much everyone under Verizon's huge, red umbrella has been staring longingly at the LG Voyager as of late, but if you remember, LG's got an established big seller in Verizon's stable that it's gotta worry about, too. The VX8550 Chocolate slider has added another color (or flavor, if you buy into Verizon's marketing scheme) in time to pick up a holiday sale or two: "Blue Ice." It's currently on sale at Circuit City with direct sales following on next Friday, December 7 for $80 after a $50 rebate.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Chocolate NES carts are back to ruin your NES
Just in time for multiple gift-giving occasions, the NES chocolates are back. We first reported on these pieces of milk chocolate molded in the likeness of NES cartridges and controllers back in January, and it would appear that the same artisan is back in his magical candy lab making more.At least, we hope that is what is happening. We're already wary enough about buying food from eBay, even -- especially -- food in an amusing shape. We don't want to think that these things have been sitting in someone's house for 10 months. But it's not like we would eat this anyway -- these are total display pieces. And not to be stuffed in your NES cartridge slot, either. Even Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu is a better game than Cleaning Melty Goop Out of the Connector.
LG Venus unboxing
We've been keeping our parcel carrier busy the past few days and today will be no different -- the LG Venus for Verizon just arrived at our door! LG has incorporated touchscreen navigation along with a solid music player into the latest incarnation (in spirit, if not in name) of the successful Chocolate series. From first glance, the device's slide mechanism is flawless and weighted perfectly, though there seems to be some sluggishness using the on-screen controls. But enough of the chit chat already, go check out the gallery and be on the lookout for the review!%Gallery-10656%
Sony's newest PS3 model: PS3 Chocolate
It seems as if Sony has yet another low-budget PS3 model in the works - only this time it's made completely of chocolate. Sony unveiled a stack of 150 PS3s along with a giant Sixaxis controller during Eurochocolate in Perugia, Italy recently. Eurochocolate is an annual nine-day event for chocolate connoisseurs the world over, and features food tasting, competitions and all sorts of other stuff people like to do with chocolate.However, the revelry quickly turned to shock when, after the unveiling, several people, who we assume were riotous Xbox 360 fanboys, rushed the stage and trampled Sony's hard work. Due to this diabolical act of terrorism, attendees were treated with free chocolate PS3s. Reports from people on scene claim the PS3 Chocolate disappointingly lacked the internals to support backwards compatibility like Sony's other new system.
LG unveils HT972TR HTIB, favors Chocolate
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]
Verizon talks up Chocolate sales figures, compare favorably to iPhone
Sure, a million iPhones in a quarter ain't bad, but Verizon announced this week that the LG Chocolate has racked up 3.4 million phones sold -- an average of 850,000 phones each quarter during the year -- in the last twelve months. Of course, what makes the announcement so intriguing is that a simple music slider from LG has come within earshot of matching the iPhone's numbers, all with a tiny fraction of the fanfare. Don't get us wrong, we're confident that Apple's making its numbers even after factoring in the expense of an Apple-style launch and marketing campaign, but hey -- nice work, LG. Oh, and you too, Verizon.
LG's HS101 portable LED Chocolate-inspired projector arrives
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).
Up close and personal with the LG VX8550
Now that the successor to LG's Chocolate line has been available to Verizon Wireless customers, we thought it would only be fitting to put the latest addition through the paces and see if the VX8550 is a worthy successor. From a quick glimpse, both the LG VX8500 and the VX8550 both share the slide up form factor both sporting a hidden keypad. LG has kept the camera on the back of the slide on the VX8550. This allows for safe storage of the camera when not being used while also decreasing the amount of fingerprints, smudges, and scratches on the lens.
Motorola W385, new LG Chocolates live on Verizon
Thinking back to when we first caught wind of it, the turnaround on the ambiguously named VX8550 Chocolate from LG wasn't that bad -- but the same can't be said of Verizon's other retail introduction today, the midrange Motorola W385. This thing's been kicking around as a rumored Big Red device since April at the latest -- and yes, we'll admit that our sense of time is a bit skewed, but that's, like, forever. Anyhoo, pick up the VGA-cam'd, 160 x 128 screen'd W385 for $70 after all the contracts and discounts have been applied; meanwhile, the VX8500 successor can be yours for a nice, round hundie.Read - LG Chocolate (Blue Mint)Read - LG Chocolate (Black Cherry)Read - LG Chocolate (Black)Read - Motorola W385
LG's Chocolate L704i snapped in the wild
In case LG's L704i managed to slip under your radar in the midst of all those other NTT DoCoMo handsets, here's a few pictures of it in its prime. 'Course, we wouldn't stare too long if you're stuck in the US of A, as all the wishing in the world isn't likely to get this piece of Chocolate to the States. Nevertheless, it does manage to look awfully sexy when grasped, so be sure to click through for some more hands-on excitement.[Via JustAMP]
LG's VX8550 gets inspected, reviewed
You know the newest member of the Chocolate lineup that just launched moments ago? Well, the sly folks over at PhoneArena were somehow able to scrounge up a VX8550 for themselves and give it a good once over for the rest of us doing without. The crew was able to inspect the minutiae that we're all intrigued by, including the chrome scroll wheel, rearranged keypad, microSD slot that handles cards up to 4GB in size, and all the application critiquing you could ever want. Review wise, they seemed quite pleased with the overall call quality, noting that it was "better than the previous model" and featured "noticeably less noise and distortion when the volume was raised to the highest setting." It was realized, however, that the quoted battery life was about an hour overstated, and although the new navigational pad presented a few quirks, the overall vibe was definitely positive.
Verizon, LG intro new Chocolate
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."
LG offers bargain Chocolate: the KG280
It'd surely be nice if we could all find ourselves with the disposable income necessary to snag the KE800, but even LG realizes that not everyone can afford that 80-percent cocoa. Thankfully, the firm looks to be readying a cheaper less expensive version of its Platinum offering, and it shall be dubbed the KG280. Reportedly, the styling will be dumbed down a bit, the external screen will be smaller, and it'll only boast about three hours of talk time, but you can still chat it up with the tri-band connectivity and sync with your devices via USB / Bluetooth. Nothing official with regard to price just yet, but coming in about half as pricey as its flagship sibling wouldn't be too tough to swallow.[Via Slashphone]
New Chocolate: LG's VX8550 for Verizon comes into view
Sorry, Shine hopefuls, the VX8700 will have to hold you over for at least a bit longer. After some buzz had suggested that the FCC-outed VX8550 would be a true Shine slider for Verizon, we now have word from sources that it'll actually be a facelift to the year-old VX8500 Chocolate. For what it's worth, the changes are definitely for the better -- we'd dare say LG's been listening to the VX8500's critics -- with properly placed Send / End buttons, Lock switch on the side, and what appears to be a true 3.5mm headphone jack (still an all-too-rare feature on handsets). Some are reporting that the d-pad is considerably easier to use and possibly "used differently" than its predecessor, though what that means remains to be seen. Documents suggest that it'll hit in black, red, and blue, though if the original is any gauge, we can expect a full rainbow of hues hitting over several months. No word on a release date or price, but with press shots in the pipe, we figure it might show up in time to commemorate the VX8500's one-year anniversary.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-3572%
Best Buy offers last second Nano + Chocolate gift set for Mom
Face it. It's nearly Mother's day. If you're desperate for a present that says "I love you Mom" and you've got lots of money to spend, consider this Best Buy exclusive. For only $205, you get a 4GB iPod Nano with a gift box and chocolate. It's an in-store item only, so you'll have to actually go over to a Best Buy retail brick & mortar store to track this down. I recommend that you call in advance to make sure they've actually got the gift set in stock before visiting. And while you're there, check out their crash & dent table. My girls picked up several Game Boy Advanced cartridges recently for between $2 and $4 each. They were also burning off iPod accessory inventory, primarily ugly iPod cases and disposable battery boosters at that same table. Selection will, obviously, vary by store.
LG prepping Chocolate successor for Verizon?
Goodness, has it really been nearly a year since Verizon's VX8500 Chocolate from LG hit streets? Indeed it has, and by cellphone standards, we reckon that's an eternity; Verizon has managed to keep the line fresh by injecting color after color after color, but sooner or later, you've gotta drop new hardware. That appears to be what we're looking at here, at least in false-colored, rendered form: meet the LG VX8550, a phone whose model name we can only take to mean that a successor to the aforementioned VX8500 is in the works. Details are few and far between -- LG really has this FCC filing locked down -- but we can make out that it'll be a CDMA / EV-DO piece with Bluetooth, and the rendering seems to suggest that it could be a slider, or perhaps a pudgy candybar. We're clueless on a release date for this one, but if Verizon wanted to celebrate the VX8500's anniversary with the VX8550's launch, they'd be looking at late July or early August.[Thanks, Brian]
