Well in a couple of months my 2 year plan expires, and Ill get the $100 voucher for a new phone of my choice. Im having issues deciding on whether or not I want the LG6100, LG8000, or the Moto V710. They all have what I want for the most part, color screen, downloadable ring tones, and speakerphone (I could care less about the camera portion), and style. Ive been reading up on the reviews, and a lot of people are saying that the V710 isnt worth the plastic its made with, mainly because Verizon crippled its Bluetooth tech. and others are saying that the 8000 ends up having a lot of dropped calls, and some annoyances with sounds and other issues with the speakerphone and whatnot. I havent really heard too many bad things about the 6100, but wouldnt mind getting a newer phone with a lot more options so I wont have that itch to upgrade sooner than my plan ends. Granted I do want more or less the basic operations with a speakerphone, I do like to have the extras, just to have them if I wanted to use them (like the camera for picture ID and just taking pictures if I dont happen to have mine on me) but also want something thats reliable now, and not after the new firmware has been flashed onto it a couple of times. I would really like to get the V710 because of the bluetooth option, so I can either use my tungsten t2 in the car without unclipping it from my belt, and the wireless headsets available. But the problem is, Verizon seems to have crippled the bluetooth tech, and I dont want to spend the $100+ on a phone with an option that ends up being pretty much useless other than the wireless headset functionality. Its still a close call between the 710 and the 8000, with the 6100 coming into play as the most reliable of the 3, but lacking a few of the fancier bells and whistles than the other 2. Ultimately, is the v710 crippled that badly with verizons bluetooth restrictions? Is the 8000 really as bad as everyones been saying? Should I just get the 6100 because of its reliability?
My roomate left Cingular blue to Verizon in December with the LG-6100. He says it was the best decision he has ever made. Most have liked the LG-8000. I have not heard of that many, that are unhappy with it. So if you don't need EV-DO then you might go with the 6100.
There's a lot of negative criticism about the V710 related to the Bluetooth issue, but that doesn't change the fact that the V710 is currently one of the best PHONES that VZW offers. The RF is excellent, the interior display is frickin' huge (not to mention bright and sharp), and the speakerphone works really well. As for the ringtone issue, there's always GIN, or you can grab the SuperDaveX flash (see Howardforums if you don't know what I'm talking about) to reenable transfer of ringtones via the Transflash card. I have had my V710 since August and have had no issues whatsoever with the phone. As for the Bluetooth thing...well, obviously the headset profile is there...I believe VZW left the DUN profile in the new version of the firmware, so you should be able to use your T|T2 to "dial in" to VZW's network, or to another service provider. One last thing - if you're looking at the LG VX8000 but don't need EVDO or want something slightly smaller, take a look at the VX7000 - it's been pretty well received.
Don't forget that the vx8000 has mp3 playback controls on the front. If you get either the vx6100 or vx8000, you can buy a data cable and download BitPim to transfer the phonebook, wallpapers/pictures, ringtones, and calendar. If they aren't supported yet, it won't be much longer. The v710 should have enough BT for headsets and using it for Internet connection. Basically, VZW wants you to buy their software and cable for use their system to updown/download data. What phone are you currently using?