"From time immemorial, Verizon had the most lackluster selection of phones, but their quality of service and fast data offset their tepid handset offerings. This year, Verizon has turned things around with a selection of truly compelling phones that have been released or will be released by Q1 2006. The LG VX9800 is one of those hot new phones, and we're ecstatic it made it to our shores rather then remaining in Korea, where all the amazing but unobtainable CDMA phones live.

The VX9800 has a long laundry list of compelling features, including a color outer display, a stunning 320 x 256 pixel landscape oriented inner display, Text to speech, EVDO, excellent speakerphone, Bluetooth, stereo speakers, 1.3 megapixel camera with flash, 56 megs of available memory, miniSD card slot, MP3 player, voice recorder, Verizon Wireless Sync compatibility, extremely sturdy build and best of all a QWERTY keyboard with dedicated number row inside.

Pro: Excellent keyboard, strong built quality, clever industrial design. Candy bar ease of use is good, with a large lighted number pad, d-pad and easy access to basic menu functions, Bluetooth and the MP3 player. Speakerphone is top notch, as is voice quality and volume. Camera takes photos and videos that are worth saving. Bluetooth works reliably and is less hobbled than usual for a Verizon phone. Good phone reception, great MP3 playback quality, miniSD card slot is great for transferring photos, videos and MP3s. Good IM support with included client. Backlit keyboard eases nighttime texting. Browser can handle normal HTML web sites as well as WAP.

Con: No email client included. Though not a behemoth, the phone isn't petit or light. IM client uses text messages and Verizon's text message plans aren't a bargain.

Price: $299 with 2 year contract, $469 without contract." [Via mobiletechreview.com]