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"Homerun for LG ~ Great entry into Andriod market" on by then69
Pros: Smaller and compact, yet still larger screen (3.2")
Solid feel, and good grip (unlike Zio and Intercept)
Quicker response screen (not as fast as Epic, yet better than most)
GREAT working home row keys (actual detent keys, not touch sensor ones)Cons: Being brand new on market, obvious lack of some accessories
Charcol only available color for Sprint customersSummary: After going through 3 Samsung Intecept phones in the last 3 weeks, I could not believe the numerous problems I was having with this phone (NEVER could get to return to home screen, froze constantly, had to remove battery everytime internet connection dropped in order to retrieve, wouldn't let me answer calls......). The other choice I had available was the Sanyo Zio. Luckily, I did some online research and forums browsing, along with Sprint's own Customer Reviews, to find out that this model was the ONLY Android phone rated lower! So, explaining this to my local Sprint customer rep, he showed me a new LG Optimus that was to be release in several days. After my last debacle with "new" phones, I said let me research and I'll get back to you. Since the Optimus technically had been released, there was limited info, but overseas the phone has been out for awhile and has great reviews. I took the chance and got hte new Optimus, and I am , for the first tim being with Sprint, totally satisfied with my phone. You can look up stats on this but here's a few that really helped turn my experience around.
- Android 2.2 (Not 2.1- be warned~ most customer rep think 2.1 phones can be upgraded and this is Not true!)
- Although processor is 600MHz instead of the 670 or 800 in other mid-level Andriod phones, this unit is faster!
- Actual depress keyes are used for home, settings, search, and back functions (great positive feel and response)
- Phone feels solid, and very much like the HTC Incredible size-wise
- Screen will auto-rotate in BOTH horizontal positions
Overall, while this phone is a great mid-level phone capable of doing most all tasks, it is certainly not an EVO or Iphone. Yet, I feel the majority of people will find this phone able to do what they need, and do it well, without the problems of many other similarly priced phones on market. -
"One of the Best Android phone I've used on Sprint" on by fark_c
Pros: Android 2.2! Snappy (despite lower processor), easy to use, size, and it feels very solid, multi touch screen.
Cons: Missing flash for the camera, would love to have seen a physical qwerty keyboard or a swype keyboard, Sprint ID.
Summary: This is by far my favorite Android phone that sprint has to offer! I don't see the point to having a 4" screen, or paying an $10 for a service that is not in my area (yet). Plus I don't think that I will be using 4G all the time. I would have loved to have a physical QWERTY keyboard, or Swype on the device, I'm still getting used to thew whole touchscreen keyboard. Also flash for the camera would have been awesome! As for Sprint ID, I like where Sprint is going with this, but it would be a neat option to turn off Sprint ID. I am a season vet when it comes to Android, and I don't need to be told what apps I need for my lifestyle. It would be cool to opt out from having that Sprint ID's tab on the home screen, and be able to replace it with like a browser tab or with whatever I would like. Other than that the phone is pretty amazing! I believe the Optimus S has a slower processor than the Samsung Moment, and Transform and it blows those phones out of the water on how snappy and responsive it is.
I just wanted to add that I'm coming form the Samsung Moment to the Optimus S. The Moment would have been a cool phone... IF IT WORKED! I had to pull the battery on that phone almost daily because the data would freeze up! Plus the battery life was pretty bad. So far the Optimus S has not disappointed me. It's pretty much a good solid phone!
This is a great phone for new Android users, and for experienced users like myself that don't need a huge phone or who doesn't want to cough up the dough for 4G (come on sprint it should be free!)
I haven't used the phone as a mobile hotspot yet, there is a network error message that pops up every time I try to access it.
Updated on Nov 7, 2010 -
"Greater Mid-range Android Phone" on by vaidyabala
Pros: - Cheap (Got phone free with 100$ MIR)
- Android 2.2
- All the basic features you need in a phone
- Compact size
- Great starter phone for kid, spouse who do not want to be overwhelmed by the device
- Browser, Bluetooth, GPS, Hotspot , WifiCons: - Basic camera
- Touch screen response slower
- Slower Processor speed
- 3g onlySummary: Recently signed for a family plan. Got myself HTC EVO 4g and 2 LG Optimus S (both free) for the wife and kid. The both love their phones. I think this phone maintains right balance of features vs complexity. It has all the features one would need without seriously overwhelming you. Downloaded lots of free games from the market and all of the play fine. Supports up to 32GB SDHC which allows you to load tons of music, video, pictures etc. Available in Purple and Grey color.
Sprint ID is a good idea, but did not care for it. I installed CLEAN sprint ID and installed the applications I wanted and customized the screens as I needed.
This phone supports Swype keyboard. You have to enable this under Settings->Keyboard.
Call quality could be slightly better. Screen size may not be suitable for any serious browsing. No Flash support. The camera is not the strong point of this phone, however that is not a deal breaker for me. Sometimes, scrolling up and down using the touch screens seem to lag a little bit. Battery life could have been better. Probably need to turn of unwanted stuff to extend battery life.
Very good value and features for the money.
It is no HTC EVO 4G, but you know that going in. -
"A great phone and a deal at that!" on by KYREDBOY
Pros: I was hesitant to leave the flip phone world but decided to get the Optimus S because of the Apps. I found this one easy to use, was quickly able to do everything I could do on my flip phone. Touch keyboard works well with my fat fingers.
Cons: I had all my contacts copied from my old phone at the Sprint store. These however disappeared when I linked to a gmail account with very few contacts. They may be somewhere but I have not found them.
Summary: The best phone value I could find on the Android platform. Being new to Android it is taking some time to figure out how to get the most out of it. That said, it took little time for me to figure out how to text, make calls, use the GPS , take and send a picture, etc. So all in all it is a quick learn.
My wife purchased the Samsung Epic at the same time and while it has a beautiful screen, it is not noticeably faster than my Optimus. So at $200 more in cost and $240 more in monthly fees, I am sure I got the better value. -
"Love this phone!" on by sooragameela87
Pros: Screen
Size
Price
User-friendly
High SpeedCons: Virtual keyboard may take some getting used to
Summary: I've been in the market for an android phone for a while now, and I popped in yesterday and found the LG Optimus S. I was originally debating between the HTC Evo and the Samsung Epic, which are both 4g phones, but would cost me an extra $10 a month to have. At first, I thought that being able to use the phone as a hot spot would justify me spending an extra $120/year, but then I learned that I'd have to pay an extra $30/month on top of the extra $10 to be able to use hot spot. The Optimus, although not equipped with quite as many features, definitely gives you plenty of bang for your buck. It was supposed to be introduced as a low-end android, but the sales associates at 2 different stores I went into said that it was comparable (even a bit better) than the mid-range android phones. The only thing that I'm having difficulty with is the on screen virtual keyboard, but then again I'm coming from having a Blackberry Curve for 2 years and I'm not used to the touch screen. The size is also incredibly more convenient than the Evo or Epic because I don't feel like I need to carry a special briefcase in order to keep this phone with me. Overall, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the market for an android phone. It has 2.2 (froyo) on it so it's very fast and can use it for tethering without lag.
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