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VX8500 Wallpaper and Video FAQ

If you think you need to join Verizon's VCAST to get quality wallpapers or flix, think again! You can do it yourself for free. Read on.

Wallpapers

Wallpapers should be 240x275 JPG or GIF files. The VX8550 resolution is one pixel shorter: 240x274. Just crop the images one pixel. There are lossless JPEG cropping and rotation tools available on the Internet.

Animated GIFs are supported, but do not display well. They've also been known to cause the phone to become unstable. They are not recommended. This applies to VX8550, too.

Wallpapers should be transferred directly to the phone's memory using a data cable or via Bluetooth. You should not store wallpapers on a MicroSD card since it will drain your phone's battery much faster.

There's a free program called BitPim that allows you to view and manipulate data on many CDMA phones from LG, Samsung, Sanyo and other manufacturers. This includes the PhoneBook, Calendar, WallPapers, RingTones (functionality varies by phone) and the Filesystem for most Qualcomm CDMA chipset based phones. I recommend you use this program instead of Verizon's.

Videos (Flix)

Videos should be 240x192 3g2 files with a maximum frame rate of 12-15 fps and bitrate of 192 kbps. The phone does seem to support a few different video encoding formats (e.g., XVID) and containers (e.g., MP4), but offer no advantages over the more common 3g2 format. You should use a separate MicroSD (or SD using the adapter supplied with your MicroSD card) to transfer videos from your PC to the card. Do not use the data cable or Bluetooth; it's too slow.

If you would like to donate new media, please contact us.

Headphones

The Chocolate Music Essentials Kit comes with a data cable and stereo headset specially designed for the VX8500. I didn't care for the headset since my Sony earbuds were far superior to the generic ones used by Verizon. Fortunately, Verizon sells an adapter for $14.99 that turns any pair of headphones or earbuds with a 3.5mm jack into a true cell phone headset, including a "Call Answer/End Button." This may be overkill for those who do not intend to answer or make calls while wearing their earbuds. A much simpler adapter can be purchased online for $2.40. You cannot purchase these adapters from RadioShack. The ones they sell do not have the correct number of conductors on the 2.5mm end.

Manner Mode

The phone can be put into "Manner Mode" (a.k.a. "Vibrate Mode") by holding down the "*" key.  Hold down the same key to return to "Normal Mode."

Data Cable / Bluetooth

If your computer does not come with Bluetooth capability, you can purchase an inexpensive USB adapter to allow connectivity. Remember, Verizon phones cannot perform OBEX file transfers. Therefore, your transmission speeds will be much slower than they would with comparable phones from other carriers that do not disable this feature. I've had excellent results with this inexpensive Bluetooth adapter from Kaidomain.com. Windows XP SP2 comes with all of the drivers and support necessary to install the adapter. Do not bother with the supplied driver disc.

The phone needs to be paired with the computer before you can use BitPim. To do this, go to "Settings & Tools," "Bluetooth," "Settings," "Discovery Mode," then turn Bluetooth "On" and set the Discovery Mode to "Visable." This will allow your phone to be seen by your computer for up to one minute. Go to your computer's Control Panel, "Bluetooth Devices," and click "Add..." Check the "My device is set up and ready to be found" checkbox and click "Next." Hopefully, your computer will find your phone. Choose the option to send your phone a passkey. Your phone will alert you that your computer wants to pair with it. Enter the passkey on your phone and configure the phone to always accept the connection. You can now go into BitPim and search for your phone.

The phone sometimes won't respond to BitPim using Bluetooth when hibernating. You may need to "wake up" your phone and try again from time to time.

It is not recommended to perform firmware upgrades/downgrades using Bluetooth! Purchase a data cable and use the charger as an external power source for this kind of critical operation.