LG 800G Prepaid Phone With Triple Minutes (Tracfone)

This is an excellent step-up from the flip-phones that those of us who rarely use a cell phone were stuck with if we wanted to pay low amounts for a cell phone and usage. There's also a similar Motorola model at Tracfone but it doesn't list under my zip code so I haven't compared the two phones.

I'll upgrade this report after I've become familiar with all the bells and whistles: for example, the specs call for a max. 8 GB micro SDHC card but supposedly the software will only handle 4 GB. The software has been upgraded (see "1" below) and I'm going to test the limits. Meanwhile, here are five key things you may not know about:

1) Software Version:

When you get your phone, make sure you have the improved software version (V10e as of this writing) and not the older, buggy one (V10d) that might be sitting on a seller's shelf for some months:

A) From the main screen press the square with 4 dots at the lower right.

B) On the next screen, press the "Settings" icon in the lower right.

C) On the next screen, press "Phone".

D) On the next screen, scroll down with your finger on the red bar to the very bottom, then press "Information".

E) On the next screen, press "Device Information".

F) At the very bottom, under "S/W Version" it should say "V10e" (or later). It must NOT say "V10d" V10d is the buggy version.

2) Screen Size: The 2.8" (diagonally measured) screen on the LG-800G is 2 5/16" vertically and 1 3/4" horizontally, held in the standard "portrait" position. For comparison, the view screen on my 2"x2"x4" camcorder is a typical 2 1/8" x 1 1/2", only 79% as much screen as the LG-800G.

3) Needed accessories not included with the phone or Tracfone's Universal Accessories Kit:

A) Micro SDHC card to provide extra memory: the specs say 8 GB max, users say 4 GB max: I'll update this after some testing with the latest software version (V10e). It's needed if you want to store a lot of apps, vids of your kids playing music, soccer, presenting their science project, etc. A 4 GB card is only $4+ with free shipping on Amazon as I write this. The "internal memory" built into the phone is 20.4 MB (0.0204 GB) of which 18.8 MB is free when the phone arrives. That is fine for some pics, messages, a couple of apps, etc. but not a lot more.

B) Cable for phone to computer USB connection ($2.34 with free shipping on Amazon as I write this): Since you can treat the phone's memory like a hard drive from the computer, you can use the internet service on a computer to download apps, etc. instead of using up cell phone minutes. You can also transfer photos, videos, etc. to and from the computer.

C) many recommend a screen protector: a thin transparent film that statically sticks to the screen. They're anywhere from $1-$6.

4) Comparison Shopping:

If you buy directly from Tracfone and pay the full price, you get an additional "Universal Accessory Kit." But there's not a lot of info as to what it contains so here it is:

It contains a car cigarette-lighter-receptacle charger (the AC charger comes with the phone itself), an earbud with mike for hands free use and adapters for any LG phone, and a clunky, cheap, but shirt pocket wearable pouch with a permanent belt loop attached to it -but whose weak closing strength I'd never trust on a belt loop: it does offer good protection of the display screen, though, in case something would rub against it or it fell our of a shirt pocket.

5) For Existing Tracfone Customers Transferring Phone No. & Minutes:

A) When you transfer phone number and minutes: your expiration date is transferred and 60 days added to it and your all your minutes, no matter if they come from the most recent minutes you bought or from rollovers, are transferred and 10 minutes added to them.

B) It may take an hour or more for the transfers to take place, so don't activate/deactivate the phones if you'll need your cell phone in the following couple of hours. They have a temporary number assignment workaround if you have to do it that way, but there's a charge. All that said, it only took about 10 minutes or so for my new phone to become activated after the old one was deactivated.

C) For those Tracfone customers who upgraded and say they didn't get their minutes transferred:

That INITIALLY happened to me: the phone number was transferred but not the minutes. A call to Tracfone several hours later required about 10 minutes time for them to verify I had had minutes left on my old (now inactive) Tracfone and transfer them. An excellent sales rep who corrected the problem for me said their system is buggy and sometimes cuts off the minutes when the phone number is transferred.

My husband and I have owned Tracfone's for 8 years. He's not a big cell phone guy therefore I haven't been able to talk him into phones like and Antroid Touch or an iphone, which I'd love. So I have to settle for what Tracfone has to offer. After losing my newest phone (LG 500g) I deceided to go with what I really wanted and that was a touch screen phone. This model has not disappointed me. I call it the "poor mans touch screen phone" because the size obviously doesn't compare to iphones or Androids but if your looking for a phone like that with extras such as web browsing, games (with game download capability), camera, video, and a few other things like an alarm setting ect. then this just might fill that need. The thing I like about it compared to a phone like the LG 500g is that it's a full screen and not a keyboard taking up half the available screen space. I downloaded the Facebook app and it's actually worth using the web browser to check Facebook & email. Texting it easy. Not any more difficult then trying to hit the right keys on the small LG 500g keyboard. I'm finding the screen very responsive to touch as well. I ordered a memory card as well because I needed to get some video of my son's piano sent to me from an iphone but my LG5 500g said there wasn't enough room to receive them AFTER it deducted my units for them:( Had problems with accidently hitting the browser button with my LG 500g and I lost a lot of units that way. Shouldn't be a problem with this phone. That was the deciding factor when choosing between this phone and the Samsung 404g. I hope this review helps. I would also recommend a phone cover because these phones are quite slippery, which is how I lost my last phone.

Buy LG 800G Prepaid Phone With Triple Minutes (Tracfone) Now

I recently got this LG800g Tracfone to replace an older LG225 flip phone, primarily because I wanted a cookie type phone that could also serve as an mp3 player. I purchased a data cable, 4 gb micro disk (the max for this particular phone), and silicone gel case from Amazon, so for under $70 I have everything I need to make this phone function for all my needs. When connected to a docking station, the sound is awesome--and welcome--since our local radio station decided Central California residents are no longer interested in classical music. Transferring my number and minutes over to the new phone was easy with Tracfone's customer service.

As for transferring music onto your Tracfone, just be sure you connect to "Mass Storage" so the device icon shows up in "My Computer". Then it's a snap to cut and paste or copy/paste from one drive to another.

If you are new to the LG800g, Google tutorials for an impressive list of tasks. I did this to create playlists for my phone so I can separate the classics from the Celtic and so forth.

With the triple minutes for life option, I will never run out of minutes. Neat!

Read Best Reviews of LG 800G Prepaid Phone With Triple Minutes (Tracfone) Here

For the last year I've been cell-less, one because I could no longer justify a $30/month bill for something I used maybe 30-40 minutes a month on, and two when I did purchase a prepaid phone it felt cheap and the sound quality wasn't that good. This is the prepaid phone of my dreams. I love the touch screen display, it's big enough for me to see what I'm doing and it looks and works like every other contract feature phone I've used. The sound quality is great it reminds me of a land line, no one can even tell I'm using a cellphone it's so clear.

I've never used a tracfone before but I'm overly impressed. This phone gives you triple minutes for life and if you're a person who doesn't talk much a 400 minute card tripled to 1200 minutes can last you a year for $100. I love I can use those minutes how ever I want whether on texting, internet browsing or calls. I forgot to mention that the same 400 minute card gives you 2400 minutes of web browsing or a whopping 3600 text, I was even able to use the phone to text my votes on american idol last week. It charges .30 minute to send and .30 minute to receive a confirmation of your vote. That's still less than calling and wasting a whole minute.

I live in an area that's prone to rolling blackouts during the summertime and now I'll be able to browse the web to find where the nearest cool zone will be without spending a arm & leg in data charges. That's something I can't do once the electricity is out and my wifi no longer works, plus this phone doubles as a well organized mp3 player. I'm set. I purchased this phone from HSN with 1500 minutes, a case and car charger for $100. Every now and then you can catch it as a TSV for that price. I also purchased a screen protector and 4 gb micro sdhc card to go with it. I literally feel like I won some kind of jackpot with this phone.

BTW this phone does not have a flashing light to tell you when you have missed a message. I just realized if you go into settings, then profiles, and select normal, outdoor, silent, etc, there is a secret menu where you can set a audible message reminder of once, or every 1-10 minutes. Make sure you get a good ringtone from the tracfone website and your set. I really love this phone!!!

Want LG 800G Prepaid Phone With Triple Minutes (Tracfone) Discount?

If you buy this phone for other reasons than using it as a communication device then you should buy the 4gb Micro SD memory card and the LG Micro USB Data Cable. If you want to be able to upload your music or download your videos and pictures you must set up your External Memory. Here are some steps I went through:

1. Install the 4gb Micro SD card,

2. Connect the USB data cable,

3. The screen should say Connect to Mass Storage,

4. Choose yes.

5. I then made the choice to exit.

Something else you may have to do is:

1. Click the MENU icon.

2. Then select the Settings icon.

3. Then select the Phone icon.

4. Then select the Memory Info icon.

5. Then select the Primary Storage Settings icon.

6. If a check mark does not appear next to the External Memory icon,

click on the box to have it selected.

Now when you connect the cable to your computer and say Connect to Mass Storage, you should press Start and select My Computer. Now You should see a Removable Storage Icon. Click on this and your music, video, documents etc. folders should be there.

For a while I thought LG stood for Looking Grim but life's good when you can get things working your way.

Good Luck.

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