There are two hot new cell phones on the market. The first is the Verizon Wireless Chocolate by LG. The main feature of this phone is that it combines MP3 technology with a wireless phone.

“What makes the chocolate phone really nice is it’s like having your iPod and cell phone all in one,” a Verizon Wireless representative said.

The Chocolate’s sliding number pad conceals itself behind a sleek touch sensitive keypad complete with viewing screen. The phone acts just like an iPod because you can plug it into your computer and download music onto it; however, the Chocolate comes equipped with V-cast music and video technology as well. This makes it easier for customers to get the music they want when they want it.

“Let’s say you’re driving down the road and you hear a song you really want. You can use the V-cast music feature to download the song right then and there. You don’t have to wait till you get home to plug it into your computer. One copy will save to your Chocolate and the other will be sent to your computer in case you want to burn it onto a CD or something later,” the representative said.

V-cast allows you to download from over a million songs and the Chocolate has enough memory to store 1,000 songs at a time, all of which can be listened to through the phone’s wireless Bluetooth system.

The phone’s V-cast video feature allows a consumer to view previews of movies and then use his or her Chocolate to look up show times at local theaters.

The Chocolate is also a camera and video phone with 1.3 megapixel capabilities and digital zoom.

“I have the Chocolate and it’s a good cell phone. I haven’t had any dropped calls and our customers have been really happy with it,” the representative said.

The Chocolate comes with all of its necessary software and is currently running for $199.99 with an instant online rebate.

The other new phone is the Cingular Wireless Pantech C300. This phone is being called the “smallest camera flip phone available,” according to www.cingular.com. It has a built-in flash and is no bigger than a credit card.

The phone’s multimedia capabilities allow its user to send pictures, text and sound.

“It has all the features of any other phone and gets really good reception. Plus it can fit anywhere,” a Cingular Wireless representative said.

Another interesting factor of the phone is its capability to download MP3s and use them as ringtones. The Pantech C300 also gives its owner the power of instant messaging with several different messenger services. The phone itself weighs only 2.5 ounces and its contact book holds up to 800 numbers.

“The only problem I’ve noticed with it is that the overall volume of the phone is not very loud, so if you can’t hear very well I wouldn’t recommend this phone, but that is the only complaint customers have had,” the representative said.

The Pantech 300 is priced at $69.00 when customers sign up for a two-year plan with Cingular.

Bridget Jones can be reached at [email protected]