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"blackberry? voyager? iphone? venus? glyde? why i'm so glad i went with the enV(2)" on by calculust
Pros: great size/weight, QWERTY keyboard, reception, sturdy, multimedia capabilities, battery life, pic/video capacity
Cons: vibration could stand to be a little stronger
Summary: like a few of the reviews on here, my two year contract was up, so it was time for me to choose a new phone (and possibly a new service).
I HAVE, IN FACT, TRIED EACH OF THESE PHONES WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS. TO BE SURE, IPHONE'S BATTERY LIFE IS STILL ITS WEAKNESS; VOYAGER IS A BRICK COMPARED TO THE ENV2--AND NO, ITS TOUCHSCREEN PALES IN COMPARISON TO IPHONE; GLYDE IS STILL A TRICKY PHONE AROUND THE EDGES; BLACKBERRY PEARL'S SURE-TYPE KEYBOARD REMAINS CLUMSY AT BEST; AND VENUS IS STILL A GIMMICK OF A PHONE.
iPhone- friends who have it complained the battery life is terrible, and more importantly, AT&T is a terrible network. sometimes i travel all over the place, and the last thing i need is loss of service. so i was definitely going to stay with verizon. that said...
blackberry- i can't understand the "QWERTY" keyboard on the pearl 8130 to save my life. it's awkward and the trackball is very limited because it only moves up and down. also, the user interface leaves a lot to be desired. for a messaging phone, it's not especially easy to use.
voyager- it's terribly bulky, and the touchscreen isn't accurate. that's a very big deal considering the touchscreen is supposed to be the phone's selling point.
venus- has a touchscreen that seems to be used only as a gimick. should have just made it a slider without a touchscreen, because it's basically useless. and the lack of QWERTY keyboard made this no better than a razr (with worse reception).
glyde- pretty cool look, not unlike a streamlined voyager. however, the buttons on the touchscreen are even less responsive than voyager, and the slideout QWERTY keyboard doesn't have numbers. the worst is that it takes about three keystrokes to the touchscreen (when the touchscreen responds) before you can even dial a phone number. very frustrating phone, but it sure is pretty.
enV(2)- it looked a little thick to me until i realized everything it does. the reviews were glowing, and it worked well and felt good at the verizon store. no touchscreen turned out to be a huge advantage. i've pretty much concluded that unless the touchscreen has apple's technology, it's kind of ineffective. yahoo and other email services are available, so that was a winning feature for me. as time goes on (and it's been about four days), i keep finding more reasons to love this phone. i've charged the battery only once in the past four days, and at that, it had only lost two bars, and believe me when i say i use my phone quite a bit. i'll assume it actually lasts much longer. both screens have great resolution. the speakers have an alarmingly clear sound, no matter how loud i turn up the volume, and the volume goes pretty high). 2mp camera, where have you been all my life? pics are sharp. video records for up to an hour. most importantly, aside from how easy it is to send/receive email on this phone, the reception is fantastic. i am floored by the call quality of this phone.
i put a lot of thought into which phone i should purchase because my phone is my lifeline. i absolutely made the best choice.
Updated on Dec 29, 2008
I'VE SINCE TRIED LG DARE, AND FOUND THAT THE LANDSCAPE KEYBOARD IS WAY TOO SENSITIVE.
I NEEDED A TEXTING PHONE; I FOUND A GREAT ONE IN ENV2. STILL LOVE IT. -
"Surprising Features, Amazing Phone" on by Med001
Pros: keyboard, speakers, battery life, customizations (endless shortcuts that you can choose from), storage capacity, durability, reception
Cons: camera is in a somewhat awkward location because my finger seems to always rest on the lens
Summary: purchased this phone with a 2-yr renewal, and have had it for a little under a week now. sound quality and reception is amazing. even on speakerphone, i'm told it sounds like a land line. the full QWERTY keyboard is handy and feels very natural; i've been texting a lot more because this is so much faster than T9 predictive text. although the camera is great, it's in a spot that happens to sit right beneath my fingers when i have the phone open.. so, a little tricky in that regard, but that's really grasping at straws obviously. ringtones are loud and clearly audible. the front screen could stand to be a tad bigger, but it's still highly functional and has fantastic resolution. i purchsed the mobile email for $5 a month, so it's like a blackberry, but far more user-friendly. a useful little feature of this phone is a service verizon offers for free called vcast songID. it's song recognition software that's free. i even set it as a shortcut so that i can identify a song with the touch of a single key.
as a stand-alone phone, it's stellar. between the ever-lasting battery life, sound quality, and reception, it's worth every penny. factor in the size and comfort of it in your hands, and it's the best phone around; not to mention the operating system is easy to use and makes sense.
make no mistake... this is so much more than a phone. it's a multimedia/emailing/messaging machine that will keep you in contact with everyone you know, and amuse you all the while. -
"This is a compact and sleek phone with internal Qwerty keypad, loaded with improvements." on by pyromate
Pros: Smaller,lighter and new large external keypad.
Cons: Slightly difficult to open the cover.
Summary: I recieved my new enV(2) today. After set-up and testing...so far...I Love It !!
The new enV is much more compact than my old "green brick". It feels really good in the hand and it just so happens maroon is my favorite color. The new enV(2) is thinner, lighter and smaller than the old enV. Sound quality is great on calls and quite good on the built in stereo speakers.
Music player sound is excellent with the Altec Lansing headset and through the 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter cord into car reciever or home stereo. I like the CD art on the external display.
The new directional key on the Qwerty keypad inside, has been redesigned into a larger single rocker panel. You don't have to use a thumnbnail to hit the arrow keys and....no more accidentally sending an unfinished message. The raised Qwerty keys make it easier for me to slam out text and the backlighting is perfect. The upper soft keys are easier to activate under the larger internal screen.
The camera captures very good images without a flash. Lay the new enV flat and no more rock and roll. The lens is recessed with no lens cover to fumble with.
The larger external keys are a major improvement. The dedicated music key is welcome and the one touch easy voice dialing/menu access key is very handy. The smaller front screen is actually an improvement over the larger, cluttered screen on the old enV.
Overall....LG enV(2) is exactly what I have been looking for. This new version of the enV truly lives up to it's name. Without any doubt it is a major upgrade over the antiquated original enV. Once you hold the new enV...you won't ever want to see that old beast again! -
"An Honest Opinion" on by CPD2001
Pros: Compact, Beveled keyboard, software to read notes and txt msgs, option to automatically start typing to a text message just by tuching the keyboard, Better battery life
Cons: External keyset lock, Sensitive speakers, No option to automatically lock the phone (you have to go to securities to lock the phone)
Summary: External Display
----------------
The Good:
You have a large array of keys for easy texting on the go. The one touch MUSIC key is great if you are a music fan. You can power on and off with the END key.
The Bad:
The keypad lock is a bit annoying. There is a key lock button that locks that keypad (not the phone) but if you push this button - it resets the counter to 7 seconds instead keeping your preferred setting.
Internal Display
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The Good:
The bigger cleaner display (high resolution colors). The beveled keys make for easy typing. The backlight of the keys is perfect for dark lit rooms. The funimations display (if enabled)
The Bad:
Just like the voyager, the SHIFT key and SYMBOL should be switched. The internal speakers are sensitive - you hear crackles from people talking through the speakerphone.
Overall
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The Good:
The slim sleek compact design is way more comfortable in your hands than the original enV. The bigger keys on the external display are incredibly easy to use. The available options for the phone surpass most phones on the Verizon Wireless line. The ability to set up multiple shortcuts with different keys is fantastic. The ability for automatically type to text function rocks. You can actually charge the phone using a USB connection from your computer to your phone helps out for those who have to work at a desk. And FINALLY - this is the only phone that can use a 8mb micro sd card.
The Bad:
The external keypad lock is just purely annoying. LG should have used the "LOCK" but to actually lock the entire phone. The keypad lock function can get irritating (so keep the setting to 30 seconds and don't change it - for your own sanity). Both external and internal speakers get some distortion when people are talking to you on the other line. The fact that you can't actually lock the phone unless you go through the security settings just wastes time and is redundant. It takes some time getting used to - but the camera is placed right where you hand goes so you have to finagle your hand to take your fingers out of the picture.
The phone is actually a great phone - I think it is the best upgrade you can get (right now) for any Querty keyboard out. For all you TEXTERS - this is the phone you want. Minus the irritants, you get used to the phone quickly and adjust to the new size.
I hope this helps out and enjoy the phone! -
"BEST PHONE EVER" on by vzinfl
Pros: camera, qwerty, size, clarity, reception, battery life
Cons: i didn't get it sooner
Summary: i've had almost every phone, but i'm averse to the touchscreens bc it's a cool feature but not very durable/reliable. i've been researching phones for a few weeks now--read and watched every review out there. most people i know have a blackberry, and i was leaning toward the pearl 8130... until i tried it out. the learning curve for the pearl version of a qwerty keyboard (known as sure-type) was simply too steep, and the trackball worked nothing like a mouse in that it would only move the cursor up/down and left/right--diagonal, which feels more natural, was entirely unsupported.
the env2 did not initially catch my eye, but the reviews were astoundingly favorable. i went to my local verizon store and gave it a test drive. not just good, but great. the texting was fast and easy; the camera was far better than the reviews let on. so i ordered it, and have had it for a week now.
incredible. best phone ever. not enough superlatives to describe it. first of all, the reception is unsurpassed. i've never had problems with my razr, but the call quality is clear as a bell on this phone. the volume can go very high (if needed)--no more missed calls when i'm in a noisy environment. texting has been a breeze. 30-second videos i've sent to family members do not seem like a camera phone at all. haven't really used the music feature, but room for 8 gigs of memory, are you kidding me?! fantastic all-around phone. can't say enough for it. graphics are vivid, crisp. the front screen allows for more function than most front screens, and the opened phone does everything short of making breakfast. very customizable (shortcuts, layout, make use of that bluetooth feature!). oh, and it just FEELS good in my hand. nice weight, nice size. solid phone--durable! i'm terrible with my phones. i drop them all the time, it's awful. this thing is indestructible, and i get compliments on it all the time.
absolutely perfect.
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