My cell phone service plan was up, so I got an LG VX8300 about a month ago since I had an upgrade discount to take advantage of. I did a little digging and discovered that it’s possible to play videos and music on the phone. First step is to head over to Newegg.com and pick up a microSD card. I got a 1 gig card for $14 shipped. At that point all you have to do is copy MP3’s or WMA’s into the proper folder on the card and the phone will play them. The video is more restrictive; you have to use the 3gp video format. I found an article on how to convert your videos to that format at http://vx8300.blogspot.com/2006/08/tv-movies-and-videos-on-your-cell.html.
I watched about 20 minutes of “Waterboy” as a test, and even though the screen is small, it’s actually pretty watchable. Given the opportunity, I’d choose a TV or iPod first, but in a pinch, the phone works fine. I’ve actually used it in the garage a number of times to play music while I worked on a project. The little speakers sound rather tinny, but it’s better than nothing. When I get a chance, I’ll have to try it with a decent set of headphones.