LG enV2 Cell Phone
- Screen Size (Diagonal): 2.4 inch
- Installed Memory: 63 MB
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
- Performance: Dual Band
- Design: Mobile
- Style: Clamshell
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The jury finally came back positive on this one
Pros
Excellent battery life, great as an actual phone, easiest texting I've seen, quality feel, cheap
Cons
Complex menus, no flash, no good for internet
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Buy if you want a cheap phone replacement that also makes texting easy. Avoid if you want more advanced features and are willing to, you know, spend money.
I've been through many cell phones in my life, and got my hands on this one about 10 months ago. However, unlike other phones, it's taken me probably this long to make a decision on whether or not I like this phone. The short answer to this question is yes, with a but.
Beard alert! If you have facial hair, you're going to rip it out with this phone. Let me put that one right up front.
That said, I think this phone is perfect for people who struggle with new technology. Get someone to show you how to send a text once, and you can jump right into the revolution. Even my mom can work this phone! (sorry, Mom)
Intro
When I got this phone, it just barely qualified for the free promotion through Verizon if you renew a 2 year contract. Since then, I think it's come down a few bucks, so you might be able to pick one up for half a C note if you sign a contract. More than that, it's just not worth the money.
The only reason I got this phone was because it had a real QWERTY keyboard. I'm not a fan of touch screens - they're expensive to replcae, they don't have a real button sensation, and you pay a premium for a feature that isn't really necessary. For its keyboard feature alone, I guess I'm a fan of this phone.
Other features and shortcomings of this phone - 2 megapixel camera with no flash, a microSD card that you can actually access (unlike the Motorola Razr), great battery life, built-in mp3 player, and an actual micro headphone jack that isn't proprietary. All of the other features are on just about any phone you can get these days, including Bluetooth, dual screens, flip-phone, Mobile Web capabilities, and a bunch of other garbage you don't want.
Advantages
Because this phone has the full QWERTY keyboard, it's incredibly easy to write text messages. There's a feature hidden in some menu that lets you flip open the phone and start typing, and it automatically puts it into a text. Start to finish, I can send a text in about 15 seconds. Extremely handy if you text, or are thinking about getting into it. In fact, I went ahead and bought a text package specifically because this phone makes it so easy to send messages.
Raised, alternating button row heights make it easy to dial, even with winter gloves on! I didn't appreciate this until the winter, but this phone is the easiest to dial of any that I have ever owned. I could probably dial it in my pocket, like in a hostage situation or something. Try doing THAT with a touch screen! It's not a great description, but go check it out and try dialing. The button feel is excellent, both inside and out.
Third iteration of camera resolutions finally brings the quality up to 2 megapixels. So now you can take a photo that's 1600x1200 pixels, which is by no means great, but at least passable for a small camera replacement. Of course, the last time I checked phone cameras went up to 3.2 MP, so they get a little better, but until you can get one with a zoom that hits 6-10 MP, this phone's camera is comparable to others on the market.
Mp3 player built into the phone, with limited capabilities but it still works. Again, not going to replace your Ipod, but for a free/cheap phone, it beats lugging a separate player once you get a microSD card.
For that matter, it's easy to use the MicroSD card. Takes high capacity cards, very easy to swap them out because the slot is on the side. I keep a 1 gig stick in there loaded with mp3s, and just use an SD card reader/writer to quickly transfer files.
Phone compatible with BitPim, the open-source data transfer software for your computer. Look it up on www.bitpim.org for more info, but suffice it to say that you can quickly transfer your phone book from your old phone to this one, put free ringtones on your phone, and all sorts of other jazz.
All the right buttons easy to find inside the phone - speakerphone button, silence button, all of the symbols, a dedicated mp3 button. Whenever I want to hit speakerphone mode, it's easy to figure out.
Great full duplex audio for speakerphone. I'm sure it can be used for silly things like videos, but as far as speakerphones go, the volume and clarity are excellent.
Long battery life - standby of 520 hours quoted on the website, 320 minutes of talk time. This thing is a beast, and it's actually quite small for the juice it holds. I've gone multiple weeks without a single charge, this is the longest battery life phone I've ever had, even with the huge screen inside.
Disadvantages
Number one, my facial hair gets caught in it!. Something about those raised rows tugs on my beard, and it's just excruciating. Buyer beware.
Menus are awful on this phone. There are some menus exclusive to the front panel, some exclusive to the inside screen and buttons. You can get to the same feature from 3 places, like the photos tab or messaging window. Took me 2 weeks to figure out how to change the timeout on the front panel lockout (menu only on the front, btw)! I'm not sure why the Verizon interface is so horrible, they only need one button for each feature. At least it's easy to a) dial someone, and b) send a text. If that's what you want this phone for, you're going to love it. If you want to really push this phone to its limits, try something better.
No camera flash means photos are awful at night. The placement of the lens is difficult to get your hands around, and off-angle pictures have terrible lighting. Still, 2 MP ain't bad.
Front time-out annoying. You sneeze, you blink, you pause, and the phone locks out. Of course, if you disable it, your pocket is going to call your parents by accident in the middle of some bar just for fun, and that's never a pretty sight. Plus, sometimes it still dials out with the lock still active, since you just need to hit the biggest button to unlock the front.
Internet capabilities are a mess on this phone. No pages you want to visit are made for Mobile Web 2.0, so surfing the internet results in horribly formatted webpages. You have no mouse, and it's slow to navigate no matter how fast the connection speed (which isn't good enough in the first place). I didn't bother paying for the premium plan with internet capability, although this phone can work as a GPS, instant messenger, email client, and web browser. Nifty features, but poorly implemented. For shame, LG.
Phone smudges easily. Reflective face always gets greasy. At least it never gets scratched - tough rubberized coating on the back feels great, scratch-resistant front screen has already taken some good impacts and looks like new.
No calendar for scheduling appointments. There's a horrible calendar that does practically nothing and is impossible to interface with, but nothing serious.
Overall
In the end, this phone is a great phone and texting vehicle, and it's decent at two other things - taking pictures and playing music. Nothing is optimal except phone and texting features, but like my last phone, the LG VX8300, I went with the best 'phone' I could get for free, and this one happens to add a great QWERTY keyboard to the mix. Great battery life, call clarity, speakerphone capabilities, and all other standard features for a phone are guaranteed with this phone. The text and camera capabilities were nice little bonuses, but I got a great phone that made me think really hard about why LG would bother putting in other superfluous, marginally functional features to compromise an otherwise excellent device.
June 2009 Update
I had been having a strange problem with this phone recently, where it likes to turn itself off randomly - in my pocket, while texting and open, shaking it a little, etc. Battery isn't loose or anything, just a weird glitch. Checked online and I'm not the only one. In fact, my labmate is having the exact same problem. I read that some people had luck exchanging their phone at the Verizon store, so I took mine back to have them look over. They said that it was an older version with old firmware, and promptly and effortlessly replaced my phone with an updated model. It's not the new version of the EnV2, it's just the old version with new firmware, and one which resolves the issue of random shutdowns. Since this wasn't so hard to replace, I wouldn't consider it major issue, plus the new versions should have this fixed. But it is worth noting, and perhaps you will have similar luck at the store if you face the same problem.
December 2009 Update
I fixed the problem with the phone shutting off, but it's not for the timid. The problem is with the connection to the battery, which isn't strong enough. If you take the battery out, there are 3 metal prongs on springs that contact the battery terminals. These metal posts are stuck inside of the phone case, and are fixed at one end and free to push inwards at the other end. To make the connection stronger, I tugged on each of the 3 contacts on the phone (not the battery) and yanked the free end outside of the phone frame with a toothpick, so they were exposed and bent outwards more. This way it's easier for them to contact the battery terminals. Phone hasn't randomly shut off in over a month.
Beard alert! If you have facial hair, you're going to rip it out with this phone. Let me put that one right up front.
That said, I think this phone is perfect for people who struggle with new technology. Get someone to show you how to send a text once, and you can jump right into the revolution. Even my mom can work this phone! (sorry, Mom)
Intro
When I got this phone, it just barely qualified for the free promotion through Verizon if you renew a 2 year contract. Since then, I think it's come down a few bucks, so you might be able to pick one up for half a C note if you sign a contract. More than that, it's just not worth the money.
The only reason I got this phone was because it had a real QWERTY keyboard. I'm not a fan of touch screens - they're expensive to replcae, they don't have a real button sensation, and you pay a premium for a feature that isn't really necessary. For its keyboard feature alone, I guess I'm a fan of this phone.
Other features and shortcomings of this phone - 2 megapixel camera with no flash, a microSD card that you can actually access (unlike the Motorola Razr), great battery life, built-in mp3 player, and an actual micro headphone jack that isn't proprietary. All of the other features are on just about any phone you can get these days, including Bluetooth, dual screens, flip-phone, Mobile Web capabilities, and a bunch of other garbage you don't want.
Advantages
Because this phone has the full QWERTY keyboard, it's incredibly easy to write text messages. There's a feature hidden in some menu that lets you flip open the phone and start typing, and it automatically puts it into a text. Start to finish, I can send a text in about 15 seconds. Extremely handy if you text, or are thinking about getting into it. In fact, I went ahead and bought a text package specifically because this phone makes it so easy to send messages.
Raised, alternating button row heights make it easy to dial, even with winter gloves on! I didn't appreciate this until the winter, but this phone is the easiest to dial of any that I have ever owned. I could probably dial it in my pocket, like in a hostage situation or something. Try doing THAT with a touch screen! It's not a great description, but go check it out and try dialing. The button feel is excellent, both inside and out.
Third iteration of camera resolutions finally brings the quality up to 2 megapixels. So now you can take a photo that's 1600x1200 pixels, which is by no means great, but at least passable for a small camera replacement. Of course, the last time I checked phone cameras went up to 3.2 MP, so they get a little better, but until you can get one with a zoom that hits 6-10 MP, this phone's camera is comparable to others on the market.
Mp3 player built into the phone, with limited capabilities but it still works. Again, not going to replace your Ipod, but for a free/cheap phone, it beats lugging a separate player once you get a microSD card.
For that matter, it's easy to use the MicroSD card. Takes high capacity cards, very easy to swap them out because the slot is on the side. I keep a 1 gig stick in there loaded with mp3s, and just use an SD card reader/writer to quickly transfer files.
Phone compatible with BitPim, the open-source data transfer software for your computer. Look it up on www.bitpim.org for more info, but suffice it to say that you can quickly transfer your phone book from your old phone to this one, put free ringtones on your phone, and all sorts of other jazz.
All the right buttons easy to find inside the phone - speakerphone button, silence button, all of the symbols, a dedicated mp3 button. Whenever I want to hit speakerphone mode, it's easy to figure out.
Great full duplex audio for speakerphone. I'm sure it can be used for silly things like videos, but as far as speakerphones go, the volume and clarity are excellent.
Long battery life - standby of 520 hours quoted on the website, 320 minutes of talk time. This thing is a beast, and it's actually quite small for the juice it holds. I've gone multiple weeks without a single charge, this is the longest battery life phone I've ever had, even with the huge screen inside.
Disadvantages
Number one, my facial hair gets caught in it!. Something about those raised rows tugs on my beard, and it's just excruciating. Buyer beware.
Menus are awful on this phone. There are some menus exclusive to the front panel, some exclusive to the inside screen and buttons. You can get to the same feature from 3 places, like the photos tab or messaging window. Took me 2 weeks to figure out how to change the timeout on the front panel lockout (menu only on the front, btw)! I'm not sure why the Verizon interface is so horrible, they only need one button for each feature. At least it's easy to a) dial someone, and b) send a text. If that's what you want this phone for, you're going to love it. If you want to really push this phone to its limits, try something better.
No camera flash means photos are awful at night. The placement of the lens is difficult to get your hands around, and off-angle pictures have terrible lighting. Still, 2 MP ain't bad.
Front time-out annoying. You sneeze, you blink, you pause, and the phone locks out. Of course, if you disable it, your pocket is going to call your parents by accident in the middle of some bar just for fun, and that's never a pretty sight. Plus, sometimes it still dials out with the lock still active, since you just need to hit the biggest button to unlock the front.
Internet capabilities are a mess on this phone. No pages you want to visit are made for Mobile Web 2.0, so surfing the internet results in horribly formatted webpages. You have no mouse, and it's slow to navigate no matter how fast the connection speed (which isn't good enough in the first place). I didn't bother paying for the premium plan with internet capability, although this phone can work as a GPS, instant messenger, email client, and web browser. Nifty features, but poorly implemented. For shame, LG.
Phone smudges easily. Reflective face always gets greasy. At least it never gets scratched - tough rubberized coating on the back feels great, scratch-resistant front screen has already taken some good impacts and looks like new.
No calendar for scheduling appointments. There's a horrible calendar that does practically nothing and is impossible to interface with, but nothing serious.
Overall
In the end, this phone is a great phone and texting vehicle, and it's decent at two other things - taking pictures and playing music. Nothing is optimal except phone and texting features, but like my last phone, the LG VX8300, I went with the best 'phone' I could get for free, and this one happens to add a great QWERTY keyboard to the mix. Great battery life, call clarity, speakerphone capabilities, and all other standard features for a phone are guaranteed with this phone. The text and camera capabilities were nice little bonuses, but I got a great phone that made me think really hard about why LG would bother putting in other superfluous, marginally functional features to compromise an otherwise excellent device.
June 2009 Update
I had been having a strange problem with this phone recently, where it likes to turn itself off randomly - in my pocket, while texting and open, shaking it a little, etc. Battery isn't loose or anything, just a weird glitch. Checked online and I'm not the only one. In fact, my labmate is having the exact same problem. I read that some people had luck exchanging their phone at the Verizon store, so I took mine back to have them look over. They said that it was an older version with old firmware, and promptly and effortlessly replaced my phone with an updated model. It's not the new version of the EnV2, it's just the old version with new firmware, and one which resolves the issue of random shutdowns. Since this wasn't so hard to replace, I wouldn't consider it major issue, plus the new versions should have this fixed. But it is worth noting, and perhaps you will have similar luck at the store if you face the same problem.
December 2009 Update
I fixed the problem with the phone shutting off, but it's not for the timid. The problem is with the connection to the battery, which isn't strong enough. If you take the battery out, there are 3 metal prongs on springs that contact the battery terminals. These metal posts are stuck inside of the phone case, and are fixed at one end and free to push inwards at the other end. To make the connection stronger, I tugged on each of the 3 contacts on the phone (not the battery) and yanked the free end outside of the phone frame with a toothpick, so they were exposed and bent outwards more. This way it's easier for them to contact the battery terminals. Phone hasn't randomly shut off in over a month.
