Screen

Activating the color screen, the "hidden" display is illuminated to reveal a brilliant 262K-color LCD.

Ideal for video streaming, the 2.0-inch (240 x 320 px resolution) screen is built from TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology. While providing more intense luminosity and faster refresh rates, unfortunately TFT compromising power for brightness and clarity; drawing more power over other LCD technologies (such as STN or OLED).

But wonderfully vivid and vibrant, the Chocolate includes one of the largest and most color canvases ideal for watching streaming videos. Considering most devices ship with 176 x 220 px displays, the Chocolate offers superior clarity and color; appearing crisper and more detailed over existing devices.

Audio

The Chocolate's Music Player is integrated with Verizon Wireless' VCAST Music Store. Letting customers view, download, and play high-quality digital music directly on the phone, users can purchase music to listen to on the road.

Customers receive two copies the song - one for the phone and one for a Windows XP PC. Tracks cost $1.99 when purchased from the Chocolate, and at $0.99 when bought from a PC. However music bought from a PC will need to be converted to WMA files and transferred via USB cable (sold separately).

VCAST Music lets customers access songs from well-known artists at major music labels such as Warner Music Group, EMI Music, Universal, and Sony/BMG, as well as indie provider The Orchard. Giving consumers access to music on their wireless phones, more than one million songs are available for purchase in the VCAST Music Store.

Music is stored on removable microSD memory cards; ensuring travelers have plenty of space for long road trips. A 2.5 mm adaptor is included to let consumers use their own headphones for private listening.

As carriers begin integrating music services, the added convenience allows non-tech savvy users experience the versatility of mobile music. However, the added convenience does come at a price. Buying music from the Chocolate can add up quickly, so investing in a data cable is recommended for music-hungry consumers. Purchasing a memory card is also suggested because the internal memory is rather limited for music storage.

< Prev Next >

This article is Copyright 2002-2009 Mobiledia Corp. and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from Mobiledia. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact us.