The Price: $130 with 2-year Verizon Wireless contract, $300 retail.

The Verdict: For a phone that will be in millions of people's hands no matter what I say, I think the Chocolate 3 has decent specs but isn't worth the money. The browser sucks and it doesn't have nearly as many features as other phones just outside its price range. It's good for making calls, taking pictures and playing music, but not much else.

Still, it's noticeably better than the last version, and supports 8GB microSDHC cards so you can get a decent amount of music on it. The new front screen is very useful and gives access to the bare essentials like music, camera, and text messages when the phone is closed. The control-wheel is responsive, and not as twitchy as old Chocos. It also takes good pictures, and calls and music sound clear.

Since they got rid of the haptic feedback and turned the slider into a clamshell, I don't see how they can still call it a Chocolate, but this isn't a bad phone. It's just not worth the price tag. [Verizon Wireless]

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.

five million songs in your pocket – every one is yours to DISCOVER, play and enjoy

Verizon Wireless Teams Up with Rhapsody to Enhance the Leading Mobile Music Service with Unlimited Subscription Music for $15 a Month and the Simplicity of Digital Rights Management-Free Songs

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SEATTLE – Mobile music enters a new era today as Verizon Wireless and Rhapsody®, the digital music service from RealNetworks® (Nasdaq:RNWK) and MTV Networks, launch V CAST Music with Rhapsody. Combining Verizon Wireless’ world-class, over-the-air mobile music service with Rhapsody’s leading desktop solution, V CAST Music with Rhapsody delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and web browsers, for less than the cost of a single CD. In addition, customers who purchase music over-the-air are able to download the master copy of the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played.

With V CAST Music with Rhapsody, Verizon Wireless customers are still able to purchase songs over-the-air for $1.99 and get two copies of the song: the first for their phones, the second for their PCs in the DRM-free MP3 format. When customers download the V CAST Music with Rhapsody Software to their PCs and sign up for the monthly subscription, they have the ultimate music management service, including:

o Unlimited subscription syncing with access to more than five million songs







o Creating and accessing playlists, viewing playlists of other users, including celebrities







o Burning, importing and converting CDs to play anywhere







o Managing an existing digital music collection for free and syncing it to their mobile phones







o Buying non-protected MP3s of songs on the PC for 99 cents per song







o Buying songs on the phone, over-the-air – get two copies of the song for just $1.99 (one is over-the-air, the second master copy is the MP3 file customers download onto their PCs)

By subscribing to V CAST Music with Rhapsody, customers can discover new music from millions of songs, without breaking the bank. Whether a hard core music fan or a casual listener, customers of all music appetites will love the flexibility that 5 million songs give them to discover new music, listen to old favorites and find just the right song to suit their mood.

While Verizon Wireless customers continue to have the ability to get their favorite music while on-the-go via full song over-the-air downloads, ringtones and ringback tones, V CAST Music with Rhapsody also provides them with an award-winning desktop music application, allowing them to sync their favorite music quickly and easily, directly to their mobile phones. Now music lovers will be able to manage their collections with the most comprehensive music management tool and take their music with them anywhere.

John Harrobin, senior vice president of digital media and marketing for Verizon, said, “V CAST Music with Rhapsody fulfills Verizon’s promise to deliver the best mobile experience to our customers. Now, music fans can not only get the benefit of immediate access to music over-the-air, but also – in partnership with Rhapsody – customers can seamlessly integrate the leading mobile music service, available on a choice of devices they carry with them everyday, with the ultimate desktop experience.”

Rob Williams, senior vice president of music products for RealNetworks, noted, “Working with Verizon Wireless, we are able to extend the reach of the award-winning Rhapsody service to millions of mobile phones. V CAST Music with Rhapsody gives mobile phone users the best experience of any music service on the market while also giving them access to unlimited music, whether at home or on-the-go.”

Verizon Wireless customers who simply want to manage or buy music can download the V CAST Music with Rhapsody software for free at www.verizonwireless.com/music. Customers interested in a subscription may sign up for $14.99 monthly subscription 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.

V CAST Music with Rhapsody will be available on the marquee V CAST Music with Rhapsody device, the Chocolate 3 by LG, when the phone becomes available in July; the service is also available today on select phones, including the LG Decoy™ and LG Dare; MOTO™ W755; Samsung SCH-u550, Samsung Glyde™ and Samsung Juke. Customers using the MOTORIZR Z6tv, MOTORAZR² V9m or LG VX8700 may bring their phones into a Verizon Wireless Communications Store to receive a free software upgrade on their phones to access the service.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT WITH HOT NEW LG PHONES FROM VERIZON WIRELESS

Touch-screens, Music and More Offer Customers an Array of Mobile Options

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – For the hottest looks and coolest features in wireless phones this summer, Verizon Wireless is expanding its LG line-up with three devices that offer unique features with loads of possibilities. The LG Dare™, LG Decoy™ and the new LG Chocolate™ 3 are scheduled for their debut on the nation’s most reliable wireless network through July.

“These summer phones join our other popular LG phones – the enV2™, the Voyager™ and the Venus™ – to offer our customers an array of applications, downloadable games, music and other content that is unparalleled in its variety and ability to enhance customers’ lifestyles,” said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “By unveiling these devices now, we are giving our customers the opportunity to choose the device that’s right for them, backed by the most reliable wireless network in the nation.”

LG Dare
From the sleek, slim appearance, to the all touch-screen operation, the LG Dare will be the talk of the season. Loaded with multimedia functionality, this 3G V CAST-capable phone has VZ NavigatorSM, V CAST Music, and a 3.2 megapixel still and video camera that automatically adapts to low or unevenly distributed light for better quality pictures. The photo editing tool lets customers turn their photos into personal masterpieces with features that include borders, landscape and a fun doodle feature right on the screen. Customized photos can be uploaded to a social networking site directly from the phone. The intuitive and graphical contact list allows customers to find the right number with the flick of a finger for speedy texting, e-mailing and phoning. Favorite contacts can be reached with a drag and drop photo interface. Additional information on the LG Dare will be available later this month.

LG Decoy
A dream for the multi-tasking consumer, the glossy front and satin back LG Decoy is the world’s first phone to have a Bluetooth® hands-free headset integrated into the design. The headset slips into the back of the device for easy transport and charging. The slider phone also sports a five-way directional joystick for easy navigating through all of Verizon Wireless’ multimedia features such as V CAST Music and V CAST Video. Customers planning to hit the road this summer can download VZ Navigator on the Decoy to 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. The Decoy will be in stores on June 16.

LG Chocolate 3
Chocolate gets even sweeter this summer, and the latest iteration of this iconic mobile music phone is even more stylish and functional than its predecessors. The new LG Chocolate 3 trades in its slider form factor for a slim flip style that brings with it the quintessential music player complete with control wheel on the outside and an FM transmitter to play music through a car stereo. The new Chocolate is the perfect MP3 player for listening and accessing more than 3 million songs from Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music library. It has dual speakers and Bluetooth for wireless stereo sound, and inside is a Gigabyte* of memory to store the latest tunes. Add in the option of expandable memory with an 8 GB microSD™ card, and customers can pack thousands of songs onto this new version of a rock solid winner. The new Chocolate has a 2.0 megapixel camera, so customers can capture the best of summer fun to share with friends. The phone also supports V CAST Video and ESPN MVP, making this marquee mobile music device more than just another phone. The LG Chocolate 3 will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and available online in July.

[Make]

Cranking out 1000 watts, just as most other HTIB systems of this ilk do, it's pumping 155 of those watts to the front right and left speakers, the two rear surrounds and the center channel speaker, with the sub getting the remaining 255 watts. And like many others, the control unit has an HDMI port, handles file types such as JPEG images and DiVx video, and can upscale DVDs to imitation-1080p video rez, impressive if you're one who is fooled by such things.

It's not LG's first foray into Chocolate territory for its home theater products, but this setup is most faithful to the original LG Chocolate phone's dark and shiny style. It'll debut in South Korea, and there's no word about whether it'll ever see U.S. shores. By the way, as is often the case with LG, it seems that we like the model more than the product. [Coolest Gadgets]

The Venus is LG's answer to that slender hot-selling mobile device, the iPhone Nintendo DS. Yep, it's got a straight-up LCD on top and a smaller touchscreen below, and buttons change constantly to keep with the context.

It's a hyperserious feature phone, with Bluetooth stereo, support for non-DRM MP3, WMA and AAC, and a microSDHC slot that can take up to 8GB cards (if you can find them).

Forget music though: it's best attribute is its 2-megapixel camera. When you turn the closed phone on its side and tap the camera button, you get an active preview plus a touch-sensitive set of options. Tap "Take" and the menu shifts to saving and sharing, and even zooming (though it wouldn't let me crop after zooming).

Though the camera makes good use of the "DS" concept, the main navigation is irritating. Too often I found myself wanting to touch the inactive part of the screen, and the part that was touch sensitive was not always easy to control. In the main menu, the arrow looks scrollable, but if you touch anywhere but the tips of the arrows, it won't behave.

Of all of the Verizon phones today, the Venus was the one that I had the most mixed feelings about. Maybe it was because of my experience with that damned Chocolate. And maybe it was because the Voyager seemed to shoot past it in good qualities and high performance, without being a whole lot bigger. On top of all of that, it's ostensibly a "fashion" phone, but I can't imagine the girls getting into this one.

I could be wrong, maybe we'll give it another spin when it ships in mid November. Though unconfirmed, it will probably sell in the $200 range.

From the fact sheet:

The Venus™ by LG from Verizon Wireless
Fashion-forward customers will love The Venus by LG, exclusively available from Verizon Wireless. This fashion statement has dual front screens - the lower screen features touch sensitive navigation. The slim, stylish slider comes in both black and pink and features a dedicated music key for easy access to music. The player supports .mp3, .wma and unprotected .aac file playback, plus Bluetooth stereo so customers won't need to clutter their cutting-edge look with headset or stereo wires.

In addition to the sharp dual screens, The Venus by LG also features:
Expandable memory with microSDTM cards, currently up to 8 GB
2.0 megapixel camera with landscape rendering and zoom/review adjustments

[Ideashow via Nerd Approved]

This 800x600 pocket presenter uses LEDs for its lighting instead of a conventional bulb, and LG says they'll last 20,000 hours—hey, that's 10 times longer than conventional halogen bulbs, and they'll probably run cooler and use less energy, too. The company wasn't saying where the projector would be shipping, but quoted a price of €799 ($1096), implying that Europe might be first on the list. [LG Germany (in German), pictures courtesy AVing]

Press Release:

CHOCOLATE GETS EVEN SWEETER THE SECOND TIME AROUND, EXCLUSIVELY AT VERIZON WIRELESS

Slimmer and Lighter Than Ever, the Mouth-Watering Chocolate by LG Comes with New Features and Hot New Colors

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SAN DIEGO - The Chocolate by LG is back and sweeter than ever. Decked out in traditional Black, the Chocolate will also sport two new colors, Black Cherry and Blue Mint, when it hits Verizon Wireless stores July 9. The leading wireless company with the most reliable wireless voice and data network and LG, the global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications, today announced a new feature-rich successor to its popular music-centric best seller.

Slimmer and sleeker, the new Chocolate has a rich assortment of features, including a vibrating touch keypad and a new Navigation Wheel with Trace Motion light. The wheel allows for easy navigation through phone functions, as well as quick and simple functionality while browsing music and videos.

Perfect for V CAST Music customers who crave a fully-functional mobile music device, Chocolate by LG offers advanced multimedia features such as a microSD™ memory slot that supports up to a 4GB card, a music player, a powerful speaker for music and dedicated keys for easy access to stored music. Chocolate by LG is also V CAST-capable and perfect for use with Get It Now® applications, such as VZ NavigatorSM, the location-based service from Verizon Wireless that provides turn-by-turn directions to more than 14 million destinations and points of interest throughout the U.S.

The Chocolate by LG from Verizon Wireless offers the following features and capabilities:

• Music player for MP3 and WMA songs

• Powerful speaker for music

• Dedicated key for easy access to the music player

• Background music - music plays in the background while sending messages, browsing the web, etc.

• My Music - songs are automatically organized by artist, genre and album

• Music only mode (RF off except Bluetooth®)

• MicroSD memory port to store pictures, videos, music and sounds, compatible with microSD cards up to 4GB

• 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder

• Camera resolution: 1280 x 960, 640 x 480 (default), 320 x 240 pixels

• V CAST Video - stream and download video clips

• Video recording time: 30 seconds for sending

• Video player for MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats

• Set videos (under 5MB) as wallpaper

• Video resolution: 176 x 144 pixels

• Video format: 3G2

• Zoom: up to 2x

• Self-timer: three, five or ten seconds

• Image editor - zoom, rotate, crop

• Mirror for self-portrait capability

• Supported Bluetooth Profiles: headset, hands-free, dial-up networking, advanced audio distribution (stereo), phone book access, basic print (print and send user-generated pictures to a printer via Bluetooth), object push for vCard and vCalendar, file transfer and basic imaging

• Speaker-independent voice commands: call, send message to, go to, check, lookup, play, My Account

• TTY/TDD support

• Hearing aid compatible (M4-rating)

• Text, picture/video messaging

• Mobile Web 2.0SM

• Web-based email, instant messaging and chat

• Flash user interface for clear images, text and fun animations

• Phone book with 1,000 contacts - each stores five numbers, two e-mail addresses and a picture ID

• Emergency contacts - enter three contacts and personal information, in case of emergency

• Frequency 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (digital dual-band)

• Data transmission high-speed EV-DO

• Dimensions: 3.85" (h) x 1.87" (w) x 0.67" (d)

• Weight: 3.24 oz.

• LCD 262K color TFT, 240 x 320 pixels, 11 lines

• Standard battery: 800 mAh Li-Polymer

• Up to 250 minutes of usage time or up to 350 hours of standby time

The Chocolate by LG will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores from coast to coast for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new 2-year agreement. V CAST Music songs are 99 cents if purchased from the PC or $1.99 for two copies if purchased and downloaded over-the-air onto a V CAST Music phone. The second copy is sent to the customer's PC account.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com.

Not much other stuff in the way of details now, but keep an eye out if you're still into the Chocolate's design but hate the fact that you can't use it very well. – Jason Chen

New Chocolate: LG's VX8550 for Verizon comes into view [Engadget Mobile via Crave]

The Choc-U-Lator does have the "sweet smell" of chocolate, according to the Japanese product page. But aside from the looks and the smell, there's nothing chocolate about it. To top it off, it only performs extremely basic functions.

So let's recap: Not real chocolate. Not exactly an upgrade for a TI-89. Verdict: not worth $4. You're better off buying a real candy bar and stealing a cheap-o calculator from the bank. – Matt Buchanan

Product Page [via Pop Gadget]

Product Page [via CrunchGear]

Marketing 101: How to Sell Crappy Players - Put it in Chocolate [Dapreview]

The Alltell versions are the same as the one on Verizon, featuring the same lousy electrostatic keys on the outside. On the whole, we're not big fans of keys like these because they just don't work very well, but they do look nice. But you know what they say, Alltell customers, beggers (we're talking about you) can't be choosers. – Jason Chen

Alltel launches glossy colorful LG AX8600 [Phonearena via Mobile Mag]

Unfortunately, it's only got USB and not an Ethernet connection, which means there's no simple way of getting your files on board. But hey, despite its limited functionality, it looks pretty nice. Which is a recurring theme we've seen for all the Chocolate-branded LG gear – Jason Chen

Product Page [Pixmania via Coolest Gadgets via Uber Gizmo]

Thanks Quan!

The 3G Chocolate has a 2-megapixel camera, a secondary VGA camera for video calls, UMTS, Bluetooh 1.2, and a microSD slot. Not that much has been changed, but it's enough to make real Chocolate lovers drool. It's bad the phone doesn't support EV-DO and the unsubsidized price is $638, but there may be hope for Verizon customers yet. – Jason Chen

LG KU800 Chocolate 3G launched in Asia [Unwired View]

If it didn't take such a supreme effort, this could be a good prank to pull on that guy who thinks his "V-Dub" is so frickin' cool. – Charlie White

Chocolate Covered Car [Spluch]

If you're in the area, a spa resort near Tokyo is offering a chocolate bath for Valentine's Day, but it's not 100% chocolate—water is mixed with a cacao and bath powders, and then chocolate syrup is poured all over those lucky bathers. Reminds us of a high school hazing incident, but some might find the idea romantic.

For some reason, chocolate is associated with sin, so let's get to transgressing. More weird chocolate bathing ideas for Valentine's Day (NSFW):

This woman has just finished indulging in her own chocolate bath ritual, and it looks to us like she's having a pretty good time. Here's how you can join in the fun:

Fill up your bathtub with chocolate. Considering the average bathtub could hold about 36 gallons of chocolate syrup, that would cost you $515 if you bought 288 16-ounce cans of Hershey's chocolate syrup for about $1.79 per can. But wait. Buy a no-name brand in bulk for around $40 for a case of ten 96-ounce cans—you'd need 48 of those—so about five cases would do the trick. That would cost you $200. Hint: Warm up the chocolate before hopping in.

Here's another, even fancier approach, Frothy Hot Cocoa Bath Syrup from Marguerita Bloom. This is a body wash that purports to get you "squeaky clean and smelling deliciously chocolate yummy!" You might not be able to fill up a whole bathtub using these 8-ounce containers that cost $17 each, but it's your choice: buy about a hundred of these for $1700, or settle for a single 8-ounce container and apply it liberally.

If you can't fill up an entire bathtub with chocolate, how about these fizzing chocolate bath balls? Drop one in that tub and it sizzles like an Alka-Seltzer, working like epsom salts to sooth that itchy, sore skin. It's also infused with a bit of hemp oil, too, so maybe it'll let you catch a little buzz while you're at it.

After that bath, you might want to dry off with a chocolate towel, but these aren't actually edible—they're just chocolate-colored so all that chocolate you've been wallowing in won't leave a gigantic stain. These towels are also really good camouflage for those who tend to leave skid marks, and you know who you are.

After you're done toweling off, next you might want to slather on some Sinful Chocolate Body Toffee. Its made of lots of chocolate, cocoa butter, sunflower oil and some beeswax, and if you're not crazy about chocolate you can also get it in vanilla, coconut or raspberry.

If you're just not into taking baths at all, you might just skip all that and get her a chocolate thong. – Charlie White

You can scope out the phones on Verizon's Testman site. – Jason Chen

Testman [Verizon]

Verizon to launch KRZR Fire Chocolate Strawberry Soon [Phonearena via uber phones]

Going directly through a Verizon retailer, this phone will set you back $100 to $150, even with a contract. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Dealhack]

There's no release date yet for the KE850, so expect more, you know, news once LG gets its act together. Hopefully the touchscreen works a little better than some of LG's other touch-sensitive products. – Nicholas Deleon

LG KE850 a Slim Touch Screen Phone [SlashPhone.com]

LG Chocolate Bar MP3 Player [Everything USB]

The festive colors of the Chocolate hit stores today for $99... after $50 mail-in rebate and two-year contract with Verizon Wireless. Spread some Christmas cheer and give the gift of a wildly over-hyped cellphone. – Nicholas Deleon

Cherry [Verizon Wireless]

Mint [Verizon Wireless via SlashPhone.com]

Keep reading for more glamor shots of the phone and some final thoughts.

Feature-wise, it's essentially a carbon copy of the Chocolate all the kids have now, but in a trendy-three-years-ago flip version. So if flipping is your thing, it's a pretty nice looking cellphone. Atrocious battery life is a Chocolate hallmark, so the 220 minutes of usage time (398 on standby) is not surprising at all. Better keep near a charger since you'll need sooner rather than later. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Verizon Wireless via SlashPhone.org]

The XV8600 will have a 1.3-megapixel camera, a microSD/TransFlash slot, EV-DO for data, Bluetooth A2DP, a talk time of 3.66 hours and a 176x220 pixel screen. The phone will be launched on November 15 and start with a price of $229 with one-year contract and $179 with two-year contract. – Jason Chen

Another piece of Chocolate for Verizon - LG VX8600 [Phone Arena]

Product Page [via mobildia]