Phone Scoop now says that the LG VX6000 will be out in June (from Verizon). I know that we all don't believe the dates that we hear about Verizon phones, but I don't think LG has been delayed like the Samsung phones. I am glad I waited because I think this might be a better choice for me - I know that the Samsung A610 camera phone is coming out too, but seeing the delay with the A530 makes me think that the A610 will not be out anytime soon. I especially like two things about the 6000, the placement of the OK key (I cannot understand how Samsung placed the GIN key in the middle - man, who made that decision) and the USB 2.0 port, which makes the downloading of the pictures to computer much faster and easier. I think it also supports MMS messaging. At first I thought a camera phone would not be very useful but I would like to try it, I suspect I might find some use for it . MIF
I am thinking about this myself.... the A-610 is on my mind too. I am currently in my 15day trial period for the A530.... Man i just wish i knew if it would be worth it to wait. The A-530 is a good phone and I don't know if i really need a camera. So i am just trying to decide what it is I want, and if i want to go back to my T720 in the meantime.
I have the same reservations, when and why would I want to take pictures with my phone? Here are some reasons, since I carry my phone with me at all times: I have a car accident - I take a picture of the damage to my car and the other person involved, I meet someone, I not only take their phone number but a picture to remember them by, just 2 possibilities off the top of my head. Also that USB 2.0 connection has it's own possibilites with easily downloading things into the phone. MIF
the Phone number /picture combo definately has some potential there. But some people would find it weird to have their pic taken at a club or bar just so you remember who they are. ( of course they don't have to know you are taking it! hehehe) But the car point is a good one too. I am ust wondering if i will get bored after a month and never use it again for pics. ( A few of my friends who live in japan complain that they no longer use the video/camera features on their phones anymore) But I do have more to think about now. Thanks for the input.
No doubt we will use it less and less, but for those few times I think it is worthwhile. In any case, we really just need to look at these phones as phones!! I personally will never use them to play games (I have a playstation 2 for that) and really don't care about the different "wallpapers", although I do like to be able to change my ringer, but that too, once I pick one I like, I will not use again. What I look for is, good overall reception, good sound, ease and speed of use (how easy is it to look up a number? - the old startacs were wonderful at this - I have having to type in the first few letters of the name, with the startacs you could press a key for the beginning of the last name and then just scroll down, I like that - especially when driving-I also have a hard time identifying the home,work,mobile number on my samsung - the H looks just like the M.) and connectivity to hands-free kits and computer. I think the phones today are getting more complicated to use because of all the additional features that we really do not need. I just basically want to make and recieve calls with my cell phone. MIF
you've made a great point in your post and one that i think many people are starting to forget. cell phones are to make phone calls. sure, the games are cute but a gameboy advance sp or a playstation 2 is MUCH better. i had the camera phones with sprint. it's not what it's cracked up to be. a camera is a camera and a cell phone is for making and receiving calls. hopefully you'll not have to be in a position of having a car accident to use your phone to take a picture. the insurance companies do that very well with a sony mavica trust me i just had a fender bender last week in a parking lot and they do take pictures of the damage so you don't have to. i bought the a530 and returned it within two days and went back to my lg4400. in my opinion, it's a much better phone.
Well I just spoke to a VZW rep at one of the Chicago suburban stores who had the chance to play around with the LG vx6000 and he really like it. It's slated to come out the middle of June. I personally would like to have a camera phone to capture those "kodak moments" ...lol. Right, I don't think this is something I'll be using to take pics on a weekly basis but once in a blue moon. Haven't you been to a party before where you put makeup on a buddy or yours that passed out drunk? ... that's a kodak moment. But you're right -- if you want the camera solely bcz it's a nice to have gadget and a neat idea then the novelty can easily wear off quickly. If you treat the camera like a nice to have and useful feature like an Alarm clock or Calendar feature, then the camera can be a handy feature. Also, the cliche -- a picture says a thousand words is so true. Last summer I was off work early and took a nice dip in the apt residential outdoor pool. It has hot out. Damn, a couple of nice blondes there in bikinis had my libido revved up! One was lying down with her bikini top down to sunbathe. Man I was on the phone talking to a couple of my buddies to cut off work early and head on over! Trust me, a quick pic in an email msg and these guys would've raced over so damn fast. A camera phone can also be valuable for me in the workplace, whereby a quick pic can document the work I do to cover my as$ and can be used to document crappy work done by others. Phonefan, you are right about the pics taken by the insurance company but you should take your own pics immediately after the incident to document the scene in case you have to go to court.
Plus how about someone who gets out of the car is walking around fine and then suddenly the next day they have crutches or another "injury" that was obviously not there after the accident (just a thought). I also would like to take pictures around the pool of some of the women I see, but this brings up an issue that has not been discussed too much (at least I haven't seen it). It is the issue of privacy. What happens when we start taking pictures in locker rooms, or bathrooms, or other places where we have our pants down (pun intended) and someone takes a picture and immediately posts it on a web page? I don't think I would appreciate it (and with these cameras, the other person would have no idea the picture was taken). MIF
I personally feel like having a phone that can take pictures so you can document your car accident is a little morbid and odd. Does anyone here have a lot of car accidents? (Knock on wood.) Also, I have a PS2, but the games on the phone serve an entirely different purpose. They are for when you are sitting around waiting for someone and you need to kill 10 mins. By PS2, sitting in my living room at those times, is not so helpful. Even the Gameboy, unless you brought it with, is not too useful there. The phone is with you already, to me, therefore, it ought to do things I might like on the go. If it can act as a datebook, well that is useful. No need to carry a Palm or calendar just to remember where I am supposed to be (and I can be a bit forgetful). If it can have 2-3 OK games to kill time with, great. I'll play them now and again, they won't be as much as Grand Theft Auto, but they'll kill time in a pinch. Web? Cool for a score now and then or a stock quote -- not much else to me. Camera? Well, I guess I'm not sure when I'd take a low-res picture of something that I am not photographing today due to lack of camera. I just got the Pentax that fits inside an Altoids tin (and is high resolution), so maybe I'll carry it around a few weeks religiously just to see what it's like to have a camera all the time. If it's fun and it turns out the pix are just for play, then I'd be a lot more interesting in a camera phone. As things currently stand, I'm fairly confused why everyone is not building MP3 phones instead of camera phones. MP3 players are selling like hotcakes and your phone could easily have a good one built in. Low res digital cameras are not, by contrast, selling like hotcakes... Anyway, just some random thoughts. It'd be cool to hear from camera-phone users about what do use the camera for.
This may be a little off the subject but oh well- Does the 530 have the remind feature that is missing on the 4400? i.e. when you miss a call/get a new VM/get a new text msg, it will make a sound every X minutes to let you know. Thanks
The whole idea of "a phone is to make calls" has probably been outdated for years. You think cellular manufacturers are scrambling to make phones with cameras and hundreds of thousands of colors in the screen simply because people only use a phone to make calls? It is a new day, and many people want their phones to do multiple things. Grant it, they may grow tired of features such as a camera phone, but once the phone is sold it really doesn't matter to a wireless service. They got you to buy the phone, so they have accomplished their goal. A GameBoy Advance and a PS2 is very lovely except when you're in a spot where you must maintain some type of professionalism. Not many adults will whip out their GameBoy while being bored, waiting in a doctor's office or standing in line for something. But if it's on your cell phone, that just makes it look better. Nobody is saying use those GIN games to replace your PS2 on your 30 inch TV, because it certainly cannot do that (at least not for me) but if you can have it on there, then what's the problem? Phones are only going to get smaller with more features. See what's up next? Phones with streaming video. Phones that can act as camcorders and record 30 minutes of footage. If anybody wants a boring phone that can just make calls, I still have my old LG-TM510 for sale like new in its box. Now.. I myself think these are the two phones to choose from. Fortunately I won't be making a buy until the end of July, so by then, everything new that's out for Verizon over the summer can be thoroughly researched and I will be able to make a decision. If I somehow was forced to choose now, however, I'd definitely wait for the VX-6000.
Yeah I agree. The games on these phone are for use when convenient like when I'm waiting in the doctor's or dentist office, or when I'm waiting for my flight at the airport. I'm not a 17 yr kid whose gonna be carrying a gameboy in my backpack -- but some cool color games on a cell just might serve its purpose to kill time at the most opportune time. Can people stop saying -- oh why would I need a low-rez camera on my phone when I've got my super 2meg pixel camera phone? It's called convenience...it's like trying to compare the convenience of a PDA versus a laptop. Why do you need a PDA when your mobile laptop can do everything your PDA can? It's called convenience and they both serve their purposes but in different ways. Moreover, many people have no need for a PDA -- they can live without it and can use a pen and paper when needed. But once you get to know how to use a PDA and the useful purpose it can serve for you to stay organized electronically then you'll love it -- again this applies to some people. "Oh but why do I need a PDA when I have my powerful 1.9Ghz, 40GB, 256 RAM notebook computer?" Likewise, you have to distinguish between what a cellphone camera offers and utilized versus a full-blown 2+Meg pixel digi camera. So for some it's just an electronic gimmick they'll barely use and for some it'll be a useful tool that can be fun at the same time. The reason why cameras are being offered on cellphones because it's an extended offering for multi-media messaging. I can maybe take a quick pic of my wife and use that pic as her photo caller ID. Again, cameras allow people to capture pics and to share them -- which is part of the MMS deal, which helps to entice MMS usage and drive up the carrier's ARPU. MP3 in a phone might be big battery drain issue. Even though MP3's may be hot, carriers don't see it as an extensible offering to the whole multi-media messaging scheme of things in mobile phones.
Hopefully 1+meg pixel camera phones will come shortly (as they have in Japan) but here we need to wait until we can take advantage of it when we've upgraded our network to support MMS at higher speeds.
I have to say I guess I am a bit of a throw back. When I am bored and I have extra time I would rather read then play a game on my cell phone. It seems that in this day and age, people are not reading anymore. There are so many gadgets around that are taking us away from reading and making us dummer. I always take a book with me (usually paperback) to read when I have those times where I am waiting - I would rather see books on phones then games, although it would not be easy reading on current cell phone screens. Besides the info we get I think these boards are also good, because they make us write - another skill that is being used less and less, although many of the posts are very sloppy (the IM disease) we are still communicating through the written word. I am a teacher in both high school and college and it worries me to see how little my students read and write, but boy can they tell me about every stupid TV show, every game on the PS2 and PC, and how they spend the wee hours of the morning IM'ing their friends. MIF
Hey, Yes, the a530 will remind you every 2 mins until you either check your message or hit the side buttons. but I also have a questions... with the size of the LG VX6000 compaired to the LG VX4400 or the a530? Thanks Op
It may be handy to have a camera at your fingertips once in awhile but be careful. There was an article on TV the other night about people that take pictures of others without permission. It's an issue of invasion of privacy. Like everything on the internet, there are privacy issues. You take a risk if you get caught taking someone's picture without their permission. It might be worthwhile to find out what the consequences are of violating someone's privacy.
Thanks Ope Everyone is too sue happy today. I couldn't care less if someone wants to take my picture. Have at it! I also walk in front of the window in the bare, if you don't like it don't look!! (I don't know what that has to do with anything, but there it is)
I must say MIF that you were correct in everything you said. But it's just the generation we're currently living in. I myself enjoy reading, but to be honest I would never be able to do it in a situation of standing in an airport. The noise simply drives me crazy and I like to set aside time everyday in a silent environment for reading. I just can't remain focused with all the nonsense going on around me.. not to mention that this city isn't exactly the best place to live and I like to keep an eye on my surroundings when in public. With a quick game on my cellular I don't have to be 100% engrossed. In fact it takes little-to-no effort at all. It's just a matter of variety, like Kenster has been saying. I am also no college professor. I am still just young enough to be apart of Generation X rather than the Baby Boomers, so of course our attention spans are far off.
yeah, sometimes a little game on the phone can be a decent time killer.... Although I usually use my GBA for games. And as for the picture taking, It could be a problem I suppose if things got too out of hand..... I mean I just saw a commercial for a camera phone the other day where some girl was using it to catch her friend's bf doing something he shouldn't. was kinda funny. ( So i guess there are unexpected uses for the VX-6000!! hehe) Hey Ope, you can check out the expected dimensions of those phones on www.phonescoop.com They seem close enough in size, though the 530 is the smallest.
