Cool and good don't always come in the same package. There are too many times when a company makes a product cool, but forgets the functionality.

LG Electronics has done a pretty good job of combining both in its Chocolate cell phone. Verizon pushes the cool aspects in its TV commercials; but the real benefit of the product is that it combines a cell phone, portable music player, camera and navigation system in one tiny (good looking) package.

		David Radin is a freelance writer for the Post-Gazette and business consultant. You can contact him at www.megabyteminute.com.

Like any other ultraportable device, it has a few problems ergonomically. The touch-sensitive (and again cool) navigation keys get in the way if you hold the Chocolate as you would a standard cell phone -- you have to learn to hold it without touching the front. And the tiny chicklet phone pad buttons are too small to consistently touch only the one you want. But those are issues that you can probably learn to live with -- especially if you're young and easily adapt to new devices.

As a cell phone, the Chocolate performs admirably, with a 500 contact phone book that can store five telephone numbers, two e-mail addresses and a photo with each contact, 98 speed-dials and the Verizon Wireless network. (Can you see the crowd of technicians standing behind you?)

As a music player, the sound is excellent -- if you connect a good Bluetooth enabled set of headphones instead of the tiny built-in speaker. It supports MP3 ring tones, and can record voice memos. You can download your own tunes from your computer -- with an optional music essentials kit -- and you can purchase and download songs to supplement your music collection. You also can send messages and browse the Web while you listen to music -- a handy feature if you like to whistle while you work.

The Chocolate supports Verizon's V-Cast service, allowing you to find and download video clips.

The optional VZ-Navigator is a competent way to find your way around town. It shows your current position on the color screen while it uses a computer generated voice to give you driving directions. The outstanding question is what would happen on long trips, given the limited battery life of most cell phones. You had better have that car power adapter handy!

All in all, if you're tired of carrying around a cell phone and MP3 player, the Chocolate could be for you. It's small. It's a single device instead of two. It has a lot of functions not found in other cell phones. And it's cool.

But if you don't listen to MP3 music and don't care about the cool-factor, you're better served by a fully functional cell phone without the music player.