Entertainment

With the right subscriptions to networks from Verizon Wireless, the VX8600 can offer a multimedia-rich experience for users. Services to choose from include VCAST music and video, Mobile Web 2.0 and Get It Now.

Like the Chocolate and other high-end Verizon phones, the VX8600 supports downloads from VCAST music and video services. With VCAST Music, songs downloaded to a personal computer are actually cheaper to buy at 99 cents compared to songs downloaded directly to the device, which are $1.99 each. With an additional $30 Verizon Music Essentials kit, playlists from Windows Media Player can be transferred to the phone's music player, which handles both WMA and MP3 files. As a portable music player, the VX8600 can create playlists and play songs in shuffle mode. Its music library automatically arranges songs by artist, album and genre.

With VCAST Video, a multitude of on-demand video clips can be viewed both for free and for paid download from outlets including Comedy Central, VH1, ABC News, MSNBC and the Weather Channel. For a $15 monthly access fee, subscribers can receive unlimited access to more than 300 video clips daily. Users also have the ability to receive daily feeds from certain channels and receive text alerts when new content arrives.

With VZ Navigator support, the VX8600 can also be used as a GPS navigation device. The service is $9.99 per month or $2.99 per day.

The VX8600 also provides a good number of personalization options. For instance, if users aren't happy with the wallpaper graphics and ringtones that come with the phone, they can be purchase more from Verizon's Get It Now service. The handheld can use music files as ringtones, so long as they have been purchased through VCAST Music.

Get It Now is a useful tool for not only news on the go, but also stock quotes, weather, sports scores and locations for nearby restaurants and ATMs. Mobile Web 2.0 allows users to tailor their mobile Internet experience with a choice of Web sites like CNN.com, Fox Sports and ABC News. Users can also access Web-based email services through Yahoo!, MSN and AOL.

Internet

Verizon's EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) network provides the VX8600 with high-speed data connectivity (around 300 to 500 kbps) for downloading the latest music and video clips from the Verizon VCAST network.

Storage

With about 24.0 MB of internal memory, the VX8600 can store up to 386 voice, text and picture messages. Storage capacity here seems sparse in comparison to the 53.0 MB of Samsung's SPH-M500 or 128 MB of the Chocolate, but on the plus side, the phone does have an external card slot for removable microSD memory cards.

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