To begin, this is my third mobile and my second for the U.S. (My others have been the Audiovox CDM-8900 and Motorola ROKR 1, both with direct and attractive menus, plus excellent sound features on the ROKR.) Regardless, it shouldn't be that hard to tell the difference between a good and even a decent cell phone, and I can confidently say that the VX8700 is in a class of its own, ESPECIALLY for Verizon. From the top...BODY: The outside is solid brushed aluminum, covering a silvery plastic interior. Despite relative thinness, the phone is heavier than other mobiles when compared in each hand, but by a largely unnoticed amount when used day-to-day. The exterior LCD is little more than a rectangular strip that, when idle, all but vanishes to reveal a slick mirrored surface. This is a flip-style phone, which is important to me since my Moto (with an open keypad) needed to be locked and unlocked against random dialing in my pocket. So the VX8700's exterior really offer the best of old school practicality plus sharp yet understated style--no blinking lights, just class all the way. As it's aluminum, mine scratched before I bought it a clear protective case (which also gives it an extra shine). In summary, a gentleman's (pimp) phone, made nicer for its simplicity. Would be remiss to mention volume control, mic (voice command) button, and camera features, all pretty much what you'd expect in being there, functional and unobtrusive.MENUS: For anyone on the Verizon network that's been disgusted by its ugly and boring standard menus replete with kiddified gradients and Verizon logos, the VX8700 offers a true customized interface with brushed metal look (horizontal lines) that complements the phone's exterior. As there is more than one way to navigate (either through the OK button's menu or by programmable shortcuts to specific areas), controlling the VX8700 seemed daunting at first. But once I got the hang of it (by getting by as simply as needed and making use of the programmable shortcuts), the phone has been quite easy to get around.KEYPAD: The glaring weakness. The keypad appears to be made of attractively laid, small pieces of plastic. Each piece holds three numbers, sort of like this:,_,,,,_[1],,[3],,,[5]Press one and the others resist, so adjusting to comfortable use takes time and patience. Regardless of how comfortable you get, there are times where the keypad is downright frustrating, especially when I dare to play games. It shouldn't be a deal breaker if you love everything else about this phone, as I generally don't mind the keypad now.AUDIO / RINGTONES: I've never dealt with LG, and realize this isn't an "audio" phone like my Motorola ROKR, but... Default ringtones are crisp, useful and even pleasant. None are too awkward sounding for public use, and plenty make good alarms for reminders or makeshift wake up calls. Strangely, the ring volume seems to reduce by around half when the phone's flip top is opened. Speaker generally sounds clear and even has its own button. While use of speaker makes this phone a bit warmer to handle, it doesn't seem to use much battery. I put half my calls on speaker now, without any problems. V CAST songs are expensive, but VX8700 plays them clearly and loudly enough to use it (limitedly) as a digital music player.OVERALL: I haven't used many mobiles, but know what I like. This phone drew me in and kept me. It has initial strangeness in menus and lingering keypad issues, AND ceased in-store distribution for poor sales... but don't be fooled. The VX8700 is still an amazing phone, for which no pictures can do true justice.