LG Optimus S (purple, Sprint)

Pros: - Small Compact Size
- Durability
- Swype (sort of)
- Voice to Text

Cons: - Freezes up During Calls & Text Messaging
- Doesn't Send the Text Message Unless I Return to the Text Messages Main Menu Window and Says "Refreshing"
- "Force Quit" Far Too Often
- TouchScreen Keyboard Too Crammed
- ID Packs are Useless

Summary: I have had this phone for a little over 3 months now and in my getting used to it, I have found very little that I like besides the color. So let's start with the good.

Size:
One of the main reasons for my choosing this phone was because of it's small compact size. I have small hands and while I tried to go with the EVO, I found that I needed something smaller and more nimble. Plus I love the fact that I can throw my phone in my back pocket and not worry about it being partially exposed. Most of the smartphones these days are far too big.

Structure/Strength:
So far I have been continually impressed by the durability of the small phone. I do have a cover on it and a screen protector, so that has added some additional durability to it. However, before I had any of those extras on my phone, the LG took quite the beating and just kept right on going. When dropped from waist-height, the phone didn't fall apart, the screen didn't get scratched, and the battery cover remained intact. If you are someone who drops their phone often, like myself, this is a must-have!

Swype:
Due to the fact that the touchscreen keyboard is so very very compact, i found it impossible to use the regular texting method. I did find, however, that the swype method works very well. The accuracy is spot on AS LONG AS YOU USE A FINGER. I find that the thumb is too big of a digit to use for swype. The result when doing so is jumbled non-sense. So hopefully you will have the time and ability to hold the phone in one hand and swype with the other

Voice-Texting
Another very useful option I found is using the voice-to-text method for texting and emailing. It tends to be the most accurate of all of the methods but does require added punctuation and capitalization.


NOW, for the bad.

Freezing Issues:
I have found that more often than not, my phone will completely freeze-up while making calls and sending texts. During calls, the person on the other line will not be able to hear me (and no I didn't accidentally hit mute), pushing any of the home buttons does nothing, and I have to physically remove the battery to end the call. As a cell PHONE, the number one priority should be excellent call quality and handling of a phone. I don't appreciate my phone freezing up on my family and friends which ultimately causes a hang-up. Unacceptable if you ask me.

Similarly, I find that when sending text messages, my phone screen will freeze up for about a minutes before it regains functioning power again. If I should so choose to disconnect the battery as I do so during frozen calls, then all of the text info is erased. So instead I have to sit there and wait for my phone to stop spazing out.

Force Quit:
Due to the frequent freezing issues, "Force Quit" is a frequently used selection on my phone. I generally lose information or my place in whatever it was I was doing, but such is the price of having this phone.

TouchScreen Keyboard
With the keys being too close together, I was having a terrible time trying to type anything and have it come out as anything close to accurate. I had to switch from my super fast qwerty text-entering method using both thumbs to the swype method using one finger. The claim is that the swype is faster if you type the whole message and then go back and proof-read. However the problem is then that the text window i only good for three lines, so if you text a long message you will have a lot of scrolling to do and your place gets lost as well. Additionally, THE WORST part of the keyboard as a whole is that the :-) button is located right below the backspace. So more often than not, instead of deleting a letter, I end up adding 3 more characters to the message that I have to then delete. This is if I catch it early enough.

ID Packs:
Although I crated a few different ID packs on the phone. I have never once switched from my main one. I find that the notion is pretty pointless because you have to completely customize all of them to have the same layout, otherwise you would confuse yourself in the process of finding apps.

Thus far there have no updates or patches to fix any of these software-based issues