The Chocolate 2: A Blast from the Past

In 2007, we had the opportunity to review one of the most iconic phones of its time - the Verizon Chocolate 2. We described it as "simply stunning" and praised its features, including an address book capable of storing up to 500 contacts. However, we couldn't help but notice that the phone's limit on contact storage was a bit restrictive, especially considering how many people our readers likely had in their lives.

The Chocolate 2 also featured a unique music player, which allowed users to purchase songs from the Verizon V Cast Music Store for $1.99 each. This was a novel feature at the time, and it's interesting to look back on how music consumption worked in those days. Many of our readers will remember ring tones, which were songs that people would hear when they received calls instead of just the standard tone. The phone came with a default classical ring tone, but users could also purchase specific songs, including some more obscure tracks.

One of the phone's most notable features was its camera, which popped up from the top of the device like a cute little button. It had a 1.3 megapixel resolution and included controls such as night mode. We were able to take photos with the phone, using it to capture some... interesting moments in our past. There were photos of Donald and Daisy Duck Valentine's Day cards, our brother-in-law asleep (and giving the finger), and even some ice cream cakes from Ben & Jerry's. The camera was surprisingly functional, and we were able to use it without needing a cell signal.

As time went on, we realized that we didn't actually need the phone for its intended purpose - making calls. Instead, we used our iPods as our music players of choice. However, we did buy some ring tones, which added to the phone's charm. Looking back, it's clear that the Chocolate 2 was ahead of its time in terms of music consumption and predictive text technology.

T9 Word: A Nostalgic Memory

For many of us, T9 word is a nostalgic memory of our mobile past. The predictive text technology allowed users to type out messages one-handed, without having to physically press each key. It was a game-changer at the time, making it possible to send quick texts while on-the-go. We're pleased to report that we still remember how to use T9 word (sort of), and we even tried to demonstrate its functionality during our review.

Tapping out messages with T9 word is an exercise in nostalgia, taking us back to a simpler time when mobile phones were smaller and more compact. The feeling of clicking through the number pad, watching as the phone predicted words based on our input, was satisfying - if a bit old-fashioned. We can't help but feel a pang of disappointment that we won't be using this phone for an extended period of time, just to keep it around and experience its nostalgic charm.

A Comparative Analysis

As we took out our current iPhone 11 Pro camera to compare with the Chocolate 2's ancient technology, we couldn't help but laugh at how far mobile cameras have come. The difference is stark - one produces crisp, clear photos, while the other... well, let's just say it's a different story.

We still managed to take some photos using the Chocolate 2, including some trippy Terminator 2 video effects and selfies taken with the phone's little mirror-like feature (which was more useful for flossing than taking proper selfies). While we were able to capture our raw reactions and share them with you all, it's clear that this is a technology from another era.

The Elephant in the Room: T9 Word

It's no secret that many of us miss some of our old phones. For us, one phone that stands out as particularly missed is the T9 word-enabled mobile device. We can't help but reminisce about the satisfaction of using this feature - sliding through the number pad with ease, watching as the phone predicted words based on our input.

We're curious to know if you guys miss any old phones from your past. Was it a flip phone? A BlackBerry? Something else entirely? Let us know what you used in the good ol' days, and we might just hear some nostalgic stories of our own.

A Final Word

As we wrap up this review of the Verizon Chocolate 2, it's clear that this was one unique device. From its quirky music player to its iconic predictive text technology, there's no denying that this phone has left a lasting impression on us. We're grateful for the chance to revisit some of our past memories and experiences, even if they are a little fuzzy around the edges.

Thanks for watching - and we hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane with us!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enpolaroids old camera iphone game boy my old chocolate too give me the keyboard with t9 word so i was going through some boxes and i actually stumbled upon my old phone from around 2009 or so this is the lg vx855 better known as the chocolate 2. and what do you know it turns on all the buttons work it even has my old contacts and photos and the right date and time for 2021 even though it's been in a box for about 10 years now my original idea was i wanted to switch back from my iphone and actually use this as my primary phone for a week but apparently verizon and a lot of the other carriers are swapping out their old coverage for newer technologies which makes sense so this actually won't work as a proper phone anymore but i still thought it'd be fun to revisit this old relic kind of see how far phones have come in the last 12 years or so and whether or not i kind of miss having a dumb phone talk to me so yeah the first thing you just can't stop doing this do this all the time just slide up and down up and down also has this sweet wheel for scrolling and these sort of haptic feedback buttons and you can see by this sheet of ice that looks like it's about to fall off an ice cap and by these marks on the bottom that one of my favorite features of this phone was a bottle opener and yeah still works though you can still feel the buzz when you press the buttons and you can see i had a real keen eye for design by the amount of price tags from the deli i used to work out in san francisco just slapped on the back but let's get into some actual specs the chocolate 2 has a 2.2 inch display with a resolution of 240 by 320 pixels and in cnet's original review of it in 2007 we said it was quote simply stunning it boasts an address book capable of storing 500 contacts funny that they can put a cap on the amount of contacts you can add but if you have more than 500 people in your contact list you gotta trim that down and focus on the people you love most it's got this kind of funky music button a lock switch and even a micro sd card slot but yeah the reason it has the expandable storage is because this was really marketed as an mp3 player as well as a phone you could buy songs from the verizon v cast music store for 1.99 a pop and did i ever do that unfortunately i did not because i had an ipod like a lot of other people did and that's what i used as my music player but i did buy ring back tones you guys remember ring back tones ring back tones were songs that people would hear when they called you instead of just the tone ringing and there was this default classical one that a lot of people had sorry if that was a little triggering to some of you but you could also buy specific songs and i remember there actually being a pretty decent selection i remember i had canned heat and this really obscure slow leonard skynyrd song for a long time and a lot of people were just really upset by it after a while and i'm sure you're curious about the camera so it pops up all cute like that right there and it's got this weird mirror thing that i'm guessing is so you can take better selfies it definitely doesn't really help you when you're flossing your teeth no it's a 1.3 megapixel camera and it does have some nice controls including a night mode and a lot of my old photos including the san francisco backdrop are still on here and i have not gone through them yet because i wanted to capture my raw reaction and share it with you guys so come on back here let's do it so just pop it back open again hit this real nifty camera button down there see the viewfinder seems a little foggy click pictures and jump into my past life apparently i thought i needed to take a photo of a donald and daisy duck valentine's day card my brother-in-law asleep flipping off my cat monk if you love jesus i used to work at ben and jerry's there's some ice cream cakes i made probably can't see it but that's a pretty cool skate photo capture it on a flip phone there we go we'll end on one where my hair was much shorter times were much simpler and the selfie was taken in a little dirty mirror but i just realized we don't really need service to use the camera so why don't we get out of here go on a little photo walk and compare it to say the iphone 11 pro all right it's a little cold out here for a very lopsided camera comparison but we must do it for science so yeah here's how far phone cameras have come from the chocolate 2 to the iphone 11 pro there's not much to say other than that except for just looking at the photos from the chocolate 2 still makes me feel nostalgic even though i just took them today and i also managed to take a selfie on the little dirty mirror thing there's this trippy terminator 2 video effects and video in general has just come a long long way since the days of the chocolate 2. it wasn't so long ago that videos on your phone looked and sounded like this alright well let's address the elephant in the room and that's t9 word and it's kind of embarrassing how much i think about t9 word and how much i miss it for those of you who don't know t9 word was a predictive text technology where you just bounce around on the number pad and it would predict the words you were writing you could do it one-handed you could do it in class without the teacher scene it was great let's see if i still remember how to do it message new message text message nine uh oh you press zero to switch through scroll today give me the keyboard with t9 word i want a big wheel so i can scroll i wanna text today still got it all right i gotta be honest i'm a little disappointed that i'm not actually gonna use this phone for a week because i miss it it's just so satisfying sliding up and down so small i miss having it in my pocket what about you guys do you miss some of your old phones let me know what they were maybe some of you still use a phone like this that's totally cool anyways be excellent to each other and as always thanks for watching all right well the video shot so let's do what we came here to do holy toledo and she still works oh talk to me youpolaroids old camera iphone game boy my old chocolate too give me the keyboard with t9 word so i was going through some boxes and i actually stumbled upon my old phone from around 2009 or so this is the lg vx855 better known as the chocolate 2. and what do you know it turns on all the buttons work it even has my old contacts and photos and the right date and time for 2021 even though it's been in a box for about 10 years now my original idea was i wanted to switch back from my iphone and actually use this as my primary phone for a week but apparently verizon and a lot of the other carriers are swapping out their old coverage for newer technologies which makes sense so this actually won't work as a proper phone anymore but i still thought it'd be fun to revisit this old relic kind of see how far phones have come in the last 12 years or so and whether or not i kind of miss having a dumb phone talk to me so yeah the first thing you just can't stop doing this do this all the time just slide up and down up and down also has this sweet wheel for scrolling and these sort of haptic feedback buttons and you can see by this sheet of ice that looks like it's about to fall off an ice cap and by these marks on the bottom that one of my favorite features of this phone was a bottle opener and yeah still works though you can still feel the buzz when you press the buttons and you can see i had a real keen eye for design by the amount of price tags from the deli i used to work out in san francisco just slapped on the back but let's get into some actual specs the chocolate 2 has a 2.2 inch display with a resolution of 240 by 320 pixels and in cnet's original review of it in 2007 we said it was quote simply stunning it boasts an address book capable of storing 500 contacts funny that they can put a cap on the amount of contacts you can add but if you have more than 500 people in your contact list you gotta trim that down and focus on the people you love most it's got this kind of funky music button a lock switch and even a micro sd card slot but yeah the reason it has the expandable storage is because this was really marketed as an mp3 player as well as a phone you could buy songs from the verizon v cast music store for 1.99 a pop and did i ever do that unfortunately i did not because i had an ipod like a lot of other people did and that's what i used as my music player but i did buy ring back tones you guys remember ring back tones ring back tones were songs that people would hear when they called you instead of just the tone ringing and there was this default classical one that a lot of people had sorry if that was a little triggering to some of you but you could also buy specific songs and i remember there actually being a pretty decent selection i remember i had canned heat and this really obscure slow leonard skynyrd song for a long time and a lot of people were just really upset by it after a while and i'm sure you're curious about the camera so it pops up all cute like that right there and it's got this weird mirror thing that i'm guessing is so you can take better selfies it definitely doesn't really help you when you're flossing your teeth no it's a 1.3 megapixel camera and it does have some nice controls including a night mode and a lot of my old photos including the san francisco backdrop are still on here and i have not gone through them yet because i wanted to capture my raw reaction and share it with you guys so come on back here let's do it so just pop it back open again hit this real nifty camera button down there see the viewfinder seems a little foggy click pictures and jump into my past life apparently i thought i needed to take a photo of a donald and daisy duck valentine's day card my brother-in-law asleep flipping off my cat monk if you love jesus i used to work at ben and jerry's there's some ice cream cakes i made probably can't see it but that's a pretty cool skate photo capture it on a flip phone there we go we'll end on one where my hair was much shorter times were much simpler and the selfie was taken in a little dirty mirror but i just realized we don't really need service to use the camera so why don't we get out of here go on a little photo walk and compare it to say the iphone 11 pro all right it's a little cold out here for a very lopsided camera comparison but we must do it for science so yeah here's how far phone cameras have come from the chocolate 2 to the iphone 11 pro there's not much to say other than that except for just looking at the photos from the chocolate 2 still makes me feel nostalgic even though i just took them today and i also managed to take a selfie on the little dirty mirror thing there's this trippy terminator 2 video effects and video in general has just come a long long way since the days of the chocolate 2. it wasn't so long ago that videos on your phone looked and sounded like this alright well let's address the elephant in the room and that's t9 word and it's kind of embarrassing how much i think about t9 word and how much i miss it for those of you who don't know t9 word was a predictive text technology where you just bounce around on the number pad and it would predict the words you were writing you could do it one-handed you could do it in class without the teacher scene it was great let's see if i still remember how to do it message new message text message nine uh oh you press zero to switch through scroll today give me the keyboard with t9 word i want a big wheel so i can scroll i wanna text today still got it all right i gotta be honest i'm a little disappointed that i'm not actually gonna use this phone for a week because i miss it it's just so satisfying sliding up and down so small i miss having it in my pocket what about you guys do you miss some of your old phones let me know what they were maybe some of you still use a phone like this that's totally cool anyways be excellent to each other and as always thanks for watching all right well the video shot so let's do what we came here to do holy toledo and she still works oh talk to me you\n"