LG Vortex user reviews (black, Verizon Wireless)

4.5 stars

"Great entry-level Android phone" on November 28, 2010 by Mommy_Ishtar

Pros: Android Froyo, Swype, Little-to-no lag, nice size, decent camera, 5 or 7 customizable home screens

Cons: No physical keyboard, can't uninstalled factory apps, no physical camera button, no camera flash, only a 3.2 camera, too many factory-installed apps constantly running in background, lock button on top of phone

Summary: This is my first smart phone and so far I'm loving it. I've only had it for 2 days now, but I've spent countless hours on it. I've yet to have it crash once - my husband's has a couple of times, but that was due to the apps he was using that he downloaded from the market. I was used to a physical keyboard, so using the on-screen one took some real getting used to, as did the Swype technology. At first the keys seemed way too small (and I don't have large hands) and I was always hitting the wrong letter. But once I started using the Swype technology and got used to it, I found it to be very accurate. I did have to adjust my settings to be a little more forgiving, and therefore not quite as fast, but I still find it to be more than fast enough. Also, as I've gotten more used to the keyboard, even individual key entries are more accurate now - I just had to get used to it. Same with the touch screen in general. I was used to the way my old Samsung Reality worked, and at first I didn't like how the Vortex responded, or didn't, to touch. But again, now that I am used to it, it responds just fine. Battery life could certainly be better, but this is the case with all smart phones, and I don't think this one is any worse than the average smart phone. Bluetooth syncing was a breeze. Signal strength seems to be about what my Reality was - pretty good, but not exceptional. The screen is nice and bright and you can adjust the brightness to suit your surroundings. I really miss having a physical camera button. You only have an on-screen button, and it makes taking self-portraits a little tricky. Furthermore, I'd expect a smart phone to have a better camera. This one is acceptable, just not what I would have expected. Volume seems to be good all the way around. Vibration is strong enough for me to notice it when in my pocket. I don't like that you cannot uninstall the factory bundled apps, and really don't like that there is no way to stop many of them from running in the background. I downloaded a task killer, but these apps just start right back up every time. This is aggravating - especially since there are several of them that I will never use - they're just eating up my battery. On my old Reality, the screen lock button was on the side of the phone and was very convenient to push whenever I needed to. On the Vortex, the screen lock button is on top of the phone and is quite awkward to press one-handed, but this seems to be a common Android phone feature. I like that it has 5 or 7, dependent on what you choose, home screens. It won't be long before I am using all 7 due to the endless apps. All-in-all I am very pleased with my first Android phone. There are some things I would change about it, but most of that is just because of what I am used to from my old phone. Besides - my husband and I got these for *free* at Verizon on black Friday. We went in there an hour or two before they closed and they still had the phones in stock and we didn't have to wait one minute because all of the crowds were gone. My advise to anyone who is thinking about getting this phone is to try it out in the store first. See what you like and don't like about it and decide from there. And to those who do get this phone - give yourself at least a few days to get used to how it works. As you get more used to it, you'll probably like it more and more.