Verizon Launches iPod-Like Phone

Verizon made major changes to its VCAST Music service on Monday, including the elimination of the $15 monthly fee to use the service and the addition of MP3 file support. The changes come in support of the new iPod-like "Chocolate" phone from LG.

The Chocolate appears much like the iPod, complete with a click wheel that is very similar to that on the iconic device from Apple. The phone will be available for $199.99 USD, with a $50 mail in rebate through Verizon stores, and $149.99 USD through the company's Web site. Both promotional prices would require a two-year agreement.

The phone includes a speaker and dedicated music keys in a "slider" design. In addition to the Chocolate handset, Verizon said it would offer a line of accessories, including a 2GB Micro SD card that would retail for $99.99 USD.

Songs through VCAST can be downloaded to the phone over-the-air for $1.99 USD, or copied from a Windows XP PC for as little as 99 cents. Purchases from the phone include two song versions, one for the phone and another for the PC. With the new MP3 functionality, users would also be able to transfer their own compatible music collection at no charge.

"With the new V CAST Music pay-as-you-go pricing structure, Verizon Wireless' millions of customers with V CAST Music-enabled phones can now call their music whenever the urge strikes, giving them easy access to mobile music," Verizon digital media and marketing vice president John Harrobin said in the announcement.

Verizon has leveraged its size to market itself to musical artists as a new distribution platform for their music. The Fugees, Shakira, Green Day, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Sean Paul and Nelly Furtado have all used the service to offer exclusive content to a large audience. Verizon claims this audience is more "engaged" than that of television or radio.

"V CAST Music lets artists get their music in the palms of their fans' hands quickly -- while driving traditional music sales rather than cannibalizing them -- and lets their fans choose the ways they want to personalize their music experience," Harrobin continued.

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