Customer Rating:  
Summary: Good constructed phone, has held up far better than most over 14 months, and good bluetooth (with caveats)
Comment: I guess I am tough on cell phones -- all I have had before start to feel a little ratty after a few months, the flip hinges tend to feel flimsy, etc. But the LG 8700 still feels as solid and new as the day I got it 14 months ago, and I have no reason to doubt it will make it to the 2-year mark unscathed.
The bluetooth on the phone works well, with caveats. I am a heavy bluetooth user with three bluetooth devices: a headset which I mainly use in the office, an integrated system in my car, and a "Cell Fusion" GE cordless phone setup at home. (The Cell Fusion is also a neat and useful product by the way -- I'll post a review of that soon).
The LG hooks up with all of them them flawlessly, day in and day out, and prompts me if one bluetooth device inquires when my cell is already hooked to another. When I start my car at home, the phone asks if I want to disconnect from my Cell Fusion device and connect to my car -- and if I ignore this and just drive away, the phone automatically connects to my car when I drive out of range of my home Cell Fusion system. By the time I am half of a block away, the phone has already connected to my car.
I have noticed, however, that Bluetooth performance suffers if I let the battery drain past a certain point. Pairing becomes unreliable (I think LG prioritizes cell reception/transmission over Bluetooth when power is low). As long as I charge the LG8700 every night (and I am a HEAVY user of the cell phone every day), I never have a problem, and it has enough juice to last with clear bluetooth all through the day and evening with no problems whatsoever.
The only issue I have is with the power port -- I prefer the "drop-in" kind of charger cradle, but this phone awkwardly places the power port on the side, preventing the design of a charging cradle and making the charging cord something you must manually plug in. The charging port is covered with a rubber piece, the only flimsy feeling part of the phone, but it is apparently not so flimsy as it shows no signs of wear after nightly charges for 14 months.
The keyboard is flat and Motorola Razor like, but larger and easier for me to control, and my fat fingers have no issues with it as they did with the Razor.
Sound quality has been consistently good on both ends, and it transmits and receives well in the challenging reception area where I live -- better than the two other Verizon phones I auditioned from my house when I decided on the LG 8700.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good solid phone
Comment: I've owned this phone for a couple of months now and here are my thoughts on it:
The Good
-------------
- Feels pretty solid in construction
- Excellent battery life
- Great sound quality for calls
- Has a MicroSD card slot to store pictures and other things on
- Good signal reception
- Decent camera for impromptu needs
- Works with BitPim 1.0.5
The Bad
-------------
- Side buttons are easy to press by mistake
- Can't access MicroSD card slot without removing the battery
- Charge/Data slot cover feels like it could break off very easily
- USB drivers for data cable can be difficult to track down
- Screen is all but impossible to see in direct sunlight
I basically only use my phone as a phone, not some "the kitchen sink is in here somewhere" type of device, and the VX8700 has served me quite well. There are probably better choices if you want a "do everything" phone, but if you're looking primarily for a good solid phone this would be a good choice.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bluetooth Feature Died After 3 Months
Comment: I bought this phone for two reasons, 1) it easily fits in my pockets and 2) it pairs with my car's integrated Bluetooth hands-free system. After about 3 months (May to August), the Bluetooth feature no longer works. It doesn't connect to my car's system, and it doesn't connect to my wife's brand new Motorola T305 hands-free system. My wife's phone (a 2 year old LG Chocolate) still connects to all of our Bluetooth systems, so I'm certain it's my VX8700 that's not working.
I really like the look and feel of this phone, so I'm going to see if Verizon has a solution for the Bluetooth problem. If they do, I'll update this review.
At least it still fits in my pockets!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bluetooth Dies
Comment: After having my phone for about 3 months the bluetooth has stopped working properly. It now connects to a headset and disconnects with 2 minutes. When I bought the phone this never happened, in fact I thought it was my headset so I bought a new one. I have now tried 4 different headsets and have come to the conclusion it is the phone. If you do not wish to use a bluetooth headset then this phone is good but I recommend a different phone for bluetooth use.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawed but Excellent.
Comment: To begin, this is my third mobile and my second for the U.S. (My others have been the Audiovox CDM-8900 and Motorola ROKR 1, both with direct and attractive menus, plus excellent sound features on the ROKR.) Regardless, it shouldn't be that hard to tell the difference between a good and even a decent cell phone, and I can confidently say that the VX8700 is in a class of its own, ESPECIALLY for Verizon. From the top...
BODY: The outside is solid brushed aluminum, covering a silvery plastic interior. Despite relative thinness, the phone is heavier than other mobiles when compared in each hand, but by a largely unnoticed amount when used day-to-day. The exterior LCD is little more than a rectangular strip that, when idle, all but vanishes to reveal a slick mirrored surface. This is a flip-style phone, which is important to me since my Moto (with an open keypad) needed to be locked and unlocked against random dialing in my pocket. So the VX8700's exterior really offer the best of old school practicality plus sharp yet understated style--no blinking lights, just class all the way. As it's aluminum, mine scratched before I bought it a clear protective case (which also gives it an extra shine). In summary, a gentleman's (pimp) phone, made nicer for its simplicity. Would be remiss to mention volume control, mic (voice command) button, and camera features, all pretty much what you'd expect in being there, functional and unobtrusive.
MENUS: For anyone on the Verizon network that's been disgusted by its ugly and boring standard menus replete with kiddified gradients and Verizon logos, the VX8700 offers a true customized interface with brushed metal look (horizontal lines) that complements the phone's exterior. As there is more than one way to navigate (either through the OK button's menu or by programmable shortcuts to specific areas), controlling the VX8700 seemed daunting at first. But once I got the hang of it (by getting by as simply as needed and making use of the programmable shortcuts), the phone has been quite easy to get around.
KEYPAD: The glaring weakness. The keypad appears to be made of attractively laid, small pieces of plastic. Each piece holds three numbers, sort of like this:
,_,,,,_
[1],,[3]
,,,[5]
Press one and the others resist, so adjusting to comfortable use takes time and patience. Regardless of how comfortable you get, there are times where the keypad is downright frustrating, especially when I dare to play games. It shouldn't be a deal breaker if you love everything else about this phone, as I generally don't mind the keypad now.
AUDIO / RINGTONES: I've never dealt with LG, and realize this isn't an "audio" phone like my Motorola ROKR, but... Default ringtones are crisp, useful and even pleasant. None are too awkward sounding for public use, and plenty make good alarms for reminders or makeshift wake up calls. Strangely, the ring volume seems to reduce by around half when the phone's flip top is opened. Speaker generally sounds clear and even has its own button. While use of speaker makes this phone a bit warmer to handle, it doesn't seem to use much battery. I put half my calls on speaker now, without any problems. V CAST songs are expensive, but VX8700 plays them clearly and loudly enough to use it (limitedly) as a digital music player.
OVERALL: I haven't used many mobiles, but know what I like. This phone drew me in and kept me. It has initial strangeness in menus and lingering keypad issues, AND ceased in-store distribution for poor sales... but don't be fooled. The VX8700 is still an amazing phone, for which no pictures can do true justice.
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