Last week we told you that the upcoming LG Chocolate 3 was going to be available July 14th: Verizon have just come up with the news that it'll be available a day earlier, July 13. They're pretty proud of the candybar phone's Verizon Rhapsody interlink, and the "all-in-one" nature of the gizmo as a PMP, cellphone, GPS navigator, camera and car-stereo FM source. It'll be available in black or light blue, for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate at Verizon Communications Stores (including Circuit City branches.) Press release below.

V CAST MUSIC WITH RHAPSODY GETS EVEN SWEETER WITH LG CHOCOLATE 3 FROM VERIZON WIRELESS

New Flip Form Factor Turns up the Summer Heat with Enhanced Music Subscription Capabilities, Built-in FM transmitter, 2.0 Megapixel Camera and Camcorder

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SAN DIEGO – The latest eye candy from Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) will make its debut on the nation’s most reliable wireless network on Sunday, July 13. The new flip style LG Chocolate™ 3, the third-generation of the iconic Chocolate music phones, supports all of the latest features in mobile music technology including Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music with Rhapsody subscription music service. The LG Chocolate 3 will be available in black or light blue beginning Sunday in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, including those in Circuit City, and through the company’s online store at www.verizonwireless.com.

The marquee music phone for the new V CAST Music with Rhapsody service, LG Chocolate 3 allows Verizon Wireless customers to access more than 5 million songs, create playlists and load hundreds of songs on their phones to take with them wherever they go. Designed to be a powerhouse music player, the LG Chocolate 3 sports a built-in FM transmitter so customers can play music through a car or other stereo system, dual speakers, Bluetooth® headset for wireless stereo sound, and multitasking capabilities while listening to music. An easy-to-use external front navigation wheel and center select key makes music navigation easy, and the phone will satisfy music appetites with its optional expandable memory using a large 8 GB microSD™ card.

“We are proud of the success and popularity of the Chocolate series of handsets, and are excited about the upgrades made with this new edition,” said Mr. Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Mobile Phones. “The LG Chocolate 3 helps Verizon Wireless customers minimize the number of electronic devices they need to carry at one time, allowing for a large capacity of music storage and connection to a car stereo without any wires.”

Entertainment doesn’t end with music on the LG Chocolate 3; this feature rich flip phone also packs a 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder and supports V CAST Video and ESPN MVP, giving customers an on-demand link to news, scores and more. The LG Chocolate 3 can be charged via a computer with its micro USB charging port.

The LG Chocolate 3 is the first Verizon Wireless phone to feature Dashboard, a graphically rich portal powered by Adobe Flash® Cast™ technology, which delivers personalized multimedia information and entertainment services directly to the phone. Dashboard features 13 channels – Mobile Web, VZW Showcase, Get Channels and Search, as well nine more to customize the wireless experience. Verizon Wireless customers can select from News, Community, Comedy Central, MTV News, IGN.COM, FOX Sport, Tones & Extras, Sports, ESPN, Music, Entertainment, Weather, Business, and Games channels to appear on their phones.

Additional features and capabilities of the LG Chocolate 3 include:
Additional Music Features
Music player that supports .mp3, .wma, unprotected .aac and unprotected .aac+ files
Dedicated music key and preset sound effect equalizer
Create and manage playlists
Music library – organized by artist, genre, album
Music only mode (RF off except Bluetooth) – supports up to 24 hours of music playback
2.0 Megapixel Camera/Camcorder Features
Camera resolutions: 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 pixels
Zoom: up to 2x
Image editor – zoom, rotate and crop images
Video resolutions: 320 x 240, 176 x 144 pixels
Video recording time – 30 seconds (for sending) or up to 1 hour (for saving) depending on available memory
Video player for WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats
Customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, night, photometry
Self-timer: off, three, five or 10 seconds
Color effects: normal, negative, aqua, sepia, black and white
Self portrait/video recording capability with flip closed
Mobile Web-capable – customizable, enhanced wireless access to the latest in news, sports, weather and more
Mobile Email – access MSN® Hotmail®, America Online® and Yahoo!® accounts to exchange e-mail
VZ NavigatorSM-capable – get visual and audible directions to thousands of destinations, locate businesses and other points of interest, get maps of a location and share directions with others
Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more
Mobile IM capabilities
Chaperone® Child-capable – allows the LG Chocolate 3 to have its location shared with family members via the Chaperone Web site, the Chaperone® Parent application or Child Zone® SMS alerts
Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Save up to 20 Bluetooth pairings
Supported profiles: headset, hands-free, dial-up networking, advanced audio distribution (stereo), phone book access, basic printing, object push for vCard and vCalendar, file transfer and basic imaging
Send all contacts and calendar events via Bluetooth
Print and send user generated pictures (JPEG) via Bluetooth
One-touch speakerphone
Speaker-independent voice commands
Voice-activated dialing up to 1,000 entries
Voice recording – 1 minute or 1 hour (standby) up to 1,500 memos
.mp3 music ringer support (clips from hit songs)
27 unique ringtones as well as vibrate and silent modes
Text, picture, video and voice messaging
Phone book with 1,000 contacts – each entry stores five numbers, two e-mail addresses and a Picture ID
Speed dial – 999 entries; one voicemail default
Calendar, calculator, EZ tip calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch, world clock and notepad
Flash® user-interface for clear images, text and fun animations
Simultaneous GPS for enhanced location accuracy
Standalone mode (RF off)
TTY/TDD support
Hearing aid compatible = M3
Headset jack: 3.5 mm
Technology: CDMA
Frequency: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (Digital Dual-Band)
Data transmission: EV-DO
SAR: head 1.26 W/kg; body 0.367 W/kg
Dimensions: 3.87” (h) x 1.94” (w) x 0.64” (d)
Weight: 3.36 ounces
Display:
Internal LCD: 260K Color TFT, 320 x 240 pixels, 2.2”
External LCD: 260K Color TFT, 176 x 220 pixels, 1.76”
Standard battery: 800 mAh
Usage time: up to 270 minutes
Standby time: up to 350 hours

The LG Chocolate 3 will be available for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers can get the most out of their LG Chocolate 3 with Verizon Wireless’ Nationwide Premium calling plan. Starting at $79.99 monthly access, the Nationwide Premium calling plan includes unlimited messaging, VZ Navigator, Mobile Email and V CAST VPak, plus unlimited megabytes for Mobile Web and Media Center.

LG Chocolate 3 customers who want to manage or buy music from their phones can download V CAST Music with Rhapsody software for free at www.verizonwireless.com/music. Customers interested in a monthly subscription at $14.99 monthly access, may sign up online or by visiting a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, including those in Circuit City, or by calling Customer Service at 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

Contact information for this author is not available.