Dell Desktop DealsLG Venus VX8800 - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A. Part number: VX8800BLKVZW
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- Bottom Line:
- The LG Venus is a beautiful slider phone with a great feature set, but we would recommend taking the time to get used to the unusual touch-screen controls.
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CNET editors' review
LG Venus VX8800 - black (Verizon Wireless)
price range: $149.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 11/20/2007
The good: The LG Venus has a unique dual-screen design with onscreen navigation controls that change layout depending on the application, plus it has vibrating feedback when touched. It also comes with a wealth of multimedia features, EV-DO support, plus great performance.
The bad: The LG Venus' touch screen is a bit gimmicky and takes some getting used to, and there aren't any touch-sensitivity settings for it. The camera has no flash and no self-portrait mirror.
The bottom line: The LG Venus is a beautiful slider phone with a great feature set, but we would recommend taking the time to get used to the unusual touch-screen controls.
LG has really impressed us this year with a number of innovative handsets that offer rich feature sets and beautiful designs--the LG VX8550 Chocolate and the LG Voyager VX10000 are just two that have especially garnered our affections. Now LG has come out with the LG Venus, a stunningly beautiful phone with a unique dual-screen design that features onscreen touch-sensitive controls. Its features aren't too shabby either, with a 2-megapixel camera, a music player, 3G support, V Cast support, and more. It's also not terribly expensive at $199.99 after a $50 discount and a two-year contract with
Design
At first glance, the LG Venus looks a little like the LG Prada with what appears to be a full 3-inch display. A closer look, however, reveals that there are actually two screens--the one on top is a regular QVGA display, while the one underneath is a touch screen that shows onscreen navigation controls. Measuring 4 inches by 2 inches by 0.62 inch, the Venus has quite a sleek, slender figure with curved corners and faux-leather covering on the back. This gives it a nice and luxurious feel in the hand and a comfortable grip.
As we mentioned above, there are two displays on the front; the upper screen is the primary display, while the lower acts as a touch navigation array. The upper screen measures 2 inches diagonally and is simply beautiful to behold. It supports a luscious 262,000 colors, and graphics and animation look fantastic. We are also fans of the Venus' menu interface theme with its simple and minimalist design--quite the improvement over the classic Verizon theme. You can adjust the display's backlight, the font size, and the clock format, but not the brightness or contrast.
The really special thing about the Venus, however, is its unique navigation interface. Measuring about 1.5 inches diagonally, the lower screen displays touch-sensitive navigation controls with different layouts depending on the application. For example, on the default standby page, the touch-screen layout has the Menu button in the middle with shortcuts to messaging, contacts, a shortcuts folder, and recent calls arranged around it. The shortcuts folder contains up to four user-defined shortcuts to different applications. On the menu interface page however, the onscreen layout changes to an OK button in the middle and up and down arrows positioned above and below it. Similarly, when the music player is activated, you will see music player controls on the display, and when the camera is activated, you will see camera controls instead.
We were very skeptical with the usability of the onscreen controls. For one thing, we had to constantly hit the unlock button when the phone went to sleep. Also, the lack of tactile buttons does mean that you have to pay more attention so you can avoid accidental presses. We were also disappointed that you couldn't alter the touch-sensitivity of the controls. That said, the controls require a light yet firm touch, so accidental presses didn't happen that often. Also, the touch-screen interface does feature haptic controls, and you can adjust the vibration levels depending on how much feedback you want. So on the whole, we think the touch-screen navigation works really well, though it's still a little too gimmicky.
Slide open the phone and you'll find a very spacious and tactile number keypad with the Send, Clear, and End/Power keys on the top row. The slider mechanism felt quite sturdy when opening and closing the phone as well. All keys are very well-spaced apart with a lovely raised curved texture that makes it quite easy to dial by feel. The keypad also has alternating colors, which we think is a nice touch. The volume rocker, voice recorder button, and headset and charger jacks sit on the left spine, while the right is home to a microSD card slot, a dedicated Music player key, and a dedicated camera key. On the back is the camera lens.
Features
The LG Venus is more than just a pretty face; in fact, it has a very impressive feature set that complements its design nicely. But before we get to that, we'll start with the basics. The Venus has a 1,000-entry contacts list with room in each entry for five phone numbers and two e-mail addresses. You can organize them by caller groups, and pair them with a photo or any of 16 ringtones and five alert tones for caller ID. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a stopwatch, a notepad, a tip calculator, and a voice memo recorder, plus voice command support. On the higher end, there's also e-mail, PC syncing, USB mass storage, instant messaging, a wireless Web browser, and stereo Bluetooth. A nice departure from Verizon, the Bluetooth supports file transfer, object push, and dial-up networking protocols. In addition, the Venus has built-in GPS so you can use it with Verizon's own location-based service called VZ
Navigator for turn-by-turn directions.
The Venus comes with 3G support in the form of built-in EV-DO. This gives the VX8800 access to the full stable of Verizon's broadband services like streaming video from V Cast Videos and the ability to download songs over the air from V Cast Music. The music player interface is nice and clean thanks to the onscreen music player controls, and you can view the album art when a song is playing. The songs are automatically organized by artist, genre, and album, and you can create and manage your own playlists if you wish. Other music player options include a shuffle and repeat mode, 11 different preset equalizer settings (or "sound effects"), plus a Music Only mode (also known as Airplane mode) which turns the cell phone RF off so you can use the phone to play music while in flight (It does not turn off Bluetooth, though, so you can still use your Bluetooth headset to listen to music). Another nice touch is that you can multitask while the music is playing--you can hide the player and continue browsing the Web or typing out text messages. The music player supports MP3, WMA, AAC, and AAC+ file formats, and 64MB of internal memory is dedicated to music storage. If you wish to add more storage, the Venus also has a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 8GB.
The Venus has a lovely 2-megapixel camera that can take pictures in four resolutions (1,600x1,200; 1,280x960; 640x480; 320x240), five white-balance settings, and five color effects. Other settings include spot metering, up to 2x zoom (not usable at the highest resolution), a brightness setting, a night mode, a self-timer, plus three different shutter sounds (with a silent option). As we mentioned above, the camera application has its own special onscreen navigation controls, which are positioned landscape-wise so you are prompted to take a photo with the phone held sideways, much like a regular camera. Do note that there is no self-portrait mirror on the back, so it's a little tricky to take self-portrait shots. Photo quality was quite good, with sharp edges and accurate colors, though a tiny bit overcast. There's also a built-in camcorder with two different video resolutions (320x240 and 176x144), and many of the editing options are similar to the still camera. Video recording time is limited to 30 seconds for multimedia messages and up to 1 hour for saving. Video quality was fairly mediocre, and it couldn't handle fast movements, resulting in jerky and blurry video clips.
Personalization options with the Venus are plentiful--it comes with a variety of color themes, wallpaper, screen savers, alert tones, and more. Of course, you have the option to purchase more via the Venus's built-in Web browser. The Venus comes with one game called VZW Board Games, but you can always download more as well.
Performance
We tested the dual-band LG Venus (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) in San Francisco using the
As far as music goes, songs sounded loud and clear with good bass, but it did sound a tiny bit hollow when played via the phone's built-in speakers. We paired the LG Venus with the Cardo S-2 Bluetooth headset successfully, and both call and audio quality were substantially better when compared to the speakers.
The EV-DO data speeds made a noticeable difference when we were streaming video and browsing the Web. V Cast videos loaded very quickly, and there was little to no rebuffering. That said, video quality was still pretty bad, with quite a bit of pixelation especially with action sequences. Loading a typical Web page took a few seconds, while downloading a song took about a minute for a 5.16MB file.
The LG Venus has a rated battery life of 4 hours talk time and 20 days in standby time. In our tests, we received only 3 hours, 16 minutes of talk time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Venus has a digital SAR rating of 1.26 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Terrific design, questionable sound quality.
by cmatheny on November 21, 2007
Pros: Design, LG's interface, gorgeous screens, & touch pad on bottom screen
Cons: Earpiece volume not loud enough for noisy settings, sound breaks/cracks up at highest volume level.
Summary: I just picked up the Venus this afternoon at my local VW store located inside a Circuit City. Was going to get it originally on Tuesday, but it turns out ...
Summary: I just picked up the Venus this afternoon at my local VW store located inside a Circuit City. Was going to get it originally on Tuesday, but it turns out Verizon had the stores download a software update on all the phones before selling. My initial impressions are as follows. Please keep in mind I have not used the phone a lot, nor have I had the opportunity to dive into it's features completely.
I love the looks of the phone. It's very stylish and attractive. The main screen is beautiful with great colors. The fake texturized rubber on the back of the phone gives you a sure grip and feels good to the touch.
I don't understand cnet's classification of "gimmicky" for the touch controls. They perform exactly how they are supposed to. How is that gimmicky??? I love this feature, and am sure will come to like it even more as I get used to it.
Now for the area that has me concerned. The quality of the sound through the earpiece. First, I don't think the volume goes high enough. In areas I wouldn't consider to be excessively noisy, I have to turn the phone up to maximum volume, and still struggle to hear the person on the other end at times. This may not be an issue for all, but it is for me. Another thing that has me concerned is the voice of the person you are speaking to seems to break/crack up at the higher volume settings. I never had this problem on my Motorola E815, and certainly don't expect it on a $249 phone (albeit with the $50 rebate and my new every two it's a total of $99). I'm anxious to see if others experience this same problem. There has also been several instances of an echo when talking on the phone as well. I'll be paying close attention to see if these issues continue to be a problem over the coming days. If they do, it will probably be a deal breaker. At least I have 30 days to figure it out.
The only thing holding me back from giving this phone a 9 out of 10 is the concerns over the sound through the earpiece. I love the design of the phone and its features. It is exactly what I have been looking for. I actually like the Venus more than the Voyager. I hope it works out because there really isn't another phone in Verizon's lineup that excites me. Yeah, the Voyager is nice, but I don't need my phone to have the capabilities the Voyager does, and I certainly don't want to dish out the money they are charging for it.
I will try to give an update as I use the phone more over the next several days with information on signal strength (appears decent so far), more extensive use of the interface, etc.23 out of 27 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great design; perfect for music, pictures, and calls
by jvalidazion on November 19, 2007
Pros: Great for music, pictures, and calls
Cons: Default navigation is rather clunky, screen protectors are not available for the screen
Summary: I bought an LG Venus this morning and am very pleased with it. I was the first one to purchase one of these phones at the Verizon store here. During ...
Summary: I bought an LG Venus this morning and am very pleased with it. I was the first one to purchase one of these phones at the Verizon store here. During the sale, I was told by the salesperson that all of the LG Venus phones had been removed from their boxes over the weekend and had a last minute software update performed on them. The first Venus I got would not connect to Get It Now, but I took it back and they replaced it with one that does.
The touchscreen works very well. I was a little concerned after watching the trouble that the lady in the video above had in getting it to respond, but it is actually very responsive when used from the correct angle (not upside down from the back). The lady in the video has a really weird angle on it. By default, the phone vibrates and plays a sound every time you touch the touchscreen, which makes navigation clunky and slow. Disabling the vibration makes the phone very fast and responsive. I have no trouble now using it to navigate quickly around the phone.
The phone, although it supports Bluetooth, has a 2.5mm jack for headphones or a wired headset. It also comes with a USB data cable in the box. It has an internal speaker with crisp, clear, sound. It delivers an overall excellent musical experience. The 2.0 megapixel camera is very easy to use and is much like using a regular digital camera. So far, I'm impressed with the quality of the pictures and the video that it takes
The screen definitely needs a screen protector if you don't want it scratched up. However, screen protectors aren't available yet for them, it appears. With some slight modifications, the screen protectors from the Palm Treo can be cut to fit on each of the screens.
Overall, I'm very pleased and would highly recommend this phone!19 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Slick New Phone From LG & Verizon Wireless
by link5645 on November 19, 2007
Pros: Great screen resolution, feel, camera, features and UI
Cons: Lower battery life and finger print magnet
Summary: The LG Venus (VX8800) is an incredibly stylish yet capable phone. Some of the more impressive features include: a 2.0 megapixel camera, touch screen with haptic feedback, clean UI ...
Summary: The LG Venus (VX8800) is an incredibly stylish yet capable phone. Some of the more impressive features include: a 2.0 megapixel camera, touch screen with haptic feedback, clean UI system (tons better than Verizon's redundant red theme design), a MP3 only mode for those boring flights, support for microSD high capacity flash memory and other now standard features with new Verizon phones. Of course, with all this cool stuff, the phone has to look the part too.
LG's new toy takes an obvious cue from Apple's own iPhone with a slick black paint job and silver trim. The sliding function works elegantly and the phone sits very nicely in the hand; so much so that I'd have to say it has one of the best grips I've ever felt on a phone. The dual screens are also a nice touch (pun intended) and from the minute you turn it on, the phone begins utilizing both screens (with a Verizon logo of course). Though, I think the most important feature to note is the bottom screen and its capabilities.
The touch screen works wonderfully and LG has put a lot of effort into making sure the consumer knows that they're pressing a button. This is done with a vibration for each button press. The screen is surprisingly responsive and very easy to get used to; it's a massive step above the clunky Chocolate touch pad.
Even with all these great features I have, unfortunately, some small gripes with this magnificent phone. The touch pad is great but it would have been nice to include a virtual numeric keypad so that if I wanted to keep my phone closed, I could. The rear of the phone, on the camera side, is a bit dull looking and lacks a stylish design ala the Voyager. The battery life is a bit low at four hours talk time where most phones have an average of seven hours. Last but not least, I would have loved to have seen the phone be a Voyager mini with a full touch screen on the front and the keypad used only when I feel like it.
Even with these small problems, the LG Venus is a solid slider phone and blows me away with its incredibly appealing design. It is well worthy of a 9/10 from me.13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ok but far from great.
by redurham on December 6, 2007
Pros: Beautiful Display, Best 2 MP Camera available
Cons: Scratch and fingerprint prone touchscreen, 8 gb card only allows 4 gb to be used for music.
Summary: I bought the Venus to use mainly as an MP3 player because it would be one less gadget to carry around. First the good stuff. The display on the Venus ...
Summary: I bought the Venus to use mainly as an MP3 player because it would be one less gadget to carry around. First the good stuff. The display on the Venus is gorgeous. I disagree w/ CNET editors calling dual display w/ changing touchscreen nav gimmicky. It worked very well aside from fingerprints and scratches. The camera is great for a 2 MP and in my opinion takes the best pictures of any 2 MP camera phone available ( I've tried a lot of them).
Now the bad stuff. The specs say the phone supports 8 gb microSD. When you format the card, it shows on the phone as 7.6 gb, OK. But, when you connect to your computer to sync music it only shows as 3.6 gb available and this is all you can use for music. I wanted to be able to carry all of my music and could have done that easily with 8 gb but not with 4 gb. And now my computer will not recongnize the 8 gb card when loaded in the standard SD adaptor so that i can reformat it and use it elsewhere........Bummer. I read another post of someone else having this problem and going back and forth with verizon and LG and finally getting a reponse from LG stating that this is a known issue and they are working on it. I am not waiting around. i am going to exchange the phone before my 30 days is up. Sound quality is OK. Nowhere near as good as most stand alone MP3 players. But I could have lived with it if the memory card worked as stated. So, if you are looking for good camera quality for less than 200.00 and a slick phone, you may like the VENUS, However, if you are more into the music player and storage capacity, keep looking.8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great phone, restored my faith and interest in cell phones
by bpk77 on January 6, 2008
Pros: Call quality and signal strength, touch screen allows easy use of all functions
Cons: None, but I worry about the screen's durability
Summary: This is easily the best phone that I have ever owned. My previous phone was an LG 8600, and the call quality and signal strength were so bad that I ...
Summary: This is easily the best phone that I have ever owned. My previous phone was an LG 8600, and the call quality and signal strength were so bad that I considered avoiding LG phones altogether. Now I couldn?t be happier with the Venus! The signal strength is so good that I can talk in basements and elevators that provided no signal on my 8600. The call quality is outstanding, including the speakerphone and Bluetooth. I can even have conversations on it in speakerphone or non-speakerphone mode without sliding it open in the Verizon leather case with no holes for the speaker or microphone! The touch screen is fantastic. The ?adaptive? nature of the screen that changes the function of the ?keys? based on the function of the phone that is being used is extremely useful. The ?keys? are even customizable to create shortcuts to different applications and menus. I find the camera and video quality to be quite good, even after transferring files to my PC via memory card. The included music utility and USB cable make it easy to transfer non-protected songs to the phone and purchase others from Verizon (though I don?t plan on buying many songs). The songs even sound decent on the single external speaker. It?s a shame that the headphone jack is 2.5mm instead of 3.5mm. I?ll probably buy an adapter at some point. I rarely send text messages, but it functions as well as can be expected for a phone without a real keyboard.
As far as people?s problems with memory cards, my phone?s manual specifically states that the phone will only support up to 4 gigs of microSD memory. I have seen 4 gb micoSD cards that were designated as ?high-capacity? (HC), but I am unable to find ?regular,?non-HC 4gb cards at my local stores. The packages for the HC cards specifically state that devices that support micro-SD will not necessarily support HC micro-SD. As a result of this confusion, I bought a non-HC 2gb micro-SD that works perfectly. I don?t plan on needing more than 2gb anyway, since I have an MP3 player and a digital camera that I will not replace with this phone.
My only concern is whether the screen is fragile or scratch-prone. I bought a screen protector and a carrying case (overkill?) to try to protect my favorite new toy!4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great phone and features but expect to buy many extras
by cal6789 on December 14, 2007
Pros: Screen Rez, Camera/Video Features, Touch Screen
Cons: Battery Life, Software Glitches, Speakers, The Network???
Summary: This rating will be long but I hope the information is helpful for those thinking about buying the phone. And I won't get too much into NerdSpeak with terms ...
Summary: This rating will be long but I hope the information is helpful for those thinking about buying the phone. And I won't get too much into NerdSpeak with terms that most people don't understand (3G,CDMA,UI, etc.)For me, this phone is an improvement over the enV. I do miss the QWERTY keyboard at times but only for not having to change input modes of text/word/number/symbols. And due to my work, I use the VZ Navigator a lot. This phone handles it much more smoothly and gives turn directions more quickly.
Not to knock other raters too much but I simply do not see how you can rate a phone the day you get it or even a week later. I have had this phone for three weeks and I use it everyday until the battery dies, often twice.
THE GOOD
Like other raters, I disagree with CNET regarding the touchscreen. I find it nearly flawless. I like the feedback feature but periodically get the haptic feedback but the phone does not open up the next screen as it should. This does not happen often and I push buttons quickly. This may be a "me" problem. And please, do not call this phone a "finger print magnet" if you respect yourself. It IS A TOUCHSCREEN. Buy another phone or wear gloves.
Camera/Video/Resolution: I find this very easy to use and like the landscape view feature for both the still camera and video. I use VCast videos daily for Fantasy Football. The resolution is decent for videos and great for everything else. Yes, the fact that there is not a flash is a drawback but honestly I don't see this as a big deal.
And one more thing, Bluetooth. I had the LG enV and this phone far surpasses it in the bluetooth arena. I have two headsets, the Jawbone, and a pair of stereo phones. The sound is great. And I used the same headsets with the enV so it is a reflection of the phone, not the headsets.
THE BAD:
THE BATTERY: If you plan to use this phone's full feature set, you will be annoyed because your options will be to: buy an extended battery (or additional standard one), buy a car charger, and/or bring the USB cable charger with you (if you have access). I don't buy phones for looks but for features I will use. And I use them all. And I text at least 50 msg/day, usually upwards of 100. I drain the battery everyday and I hook it up to my car charger on the way home from work. A positive note, this phone can use the same charger as the LG enV. That saved me money. However, I will buy the extended battery, adding about $50 to cost of the phone. I have used all my verizon phones the same and this, by far, has the weakest battery. But, it is the smallest phone too. Maybe a "me" problem.
Software Glitches. I took my first phone back because it locked up when receieving PIX/FLIX messages and when using ESPN MVP. The software still needs to be updated (again) and I have three confirmations of this. I do not, however, know if this will need to be done in the store. It doesn't appear so but if it does, you can deduct a point from my overall rating. In dealing with Verizon, both in-store and over the phone, it was disclosed to me that "the sofware need to be smoothed out." The same is true for the Voyager, which evidently has even more problems, returns, and complaints. The bottom line here is not surprising...Verizon released this phone too early to boost their bottom line for the holiday season. Disappointing but not surprising given Verizon's rep. I was told the kinks would be worked out in the "next two weeks." It is approaching tha mark for me. I still have a couple problems with Mobile Web pages not loading fully.
SPEAKERS/SOUND. Subpar in my opinion. The faux speakers on the front are just that, fake. The earpiece port is very small and requires specific positioning on the ear if you want to hear your calls. Even then, the volume needs to be jacked up almost all the way. When listening to audio from music or videos, the sound comes from the back of the phone. This is, dare I say, just stupid. This aside, I experience no crackles or hisses and I have been told that my voice comes through clearly to those I call. My solution: stereo bluetooth. I already had a pair of headphones but if I didn't, I may take the phone back. It is that bad in my opinon. I don't expect booming stereo quality sound from my phone but the speaker in the back is really baffling to me.
THE NETWORK: I live in the Portland (Oregon) Metro area. Signal strength is always strong. Dropped calls? None yet. Verizon touts it's network as its big selling point. Well evidently this is for calls only, not data transmission. I use CBS Sports (which won't fully load...see software, above) and ESPN MVP to track fantasy football. On Sundays, The Almighty Network gets completely overloaded. I can't connect to MVP and PIX/FLIX messages are significantly delayed. Anything that requires a fair amount of data transmission is seriously hampered. Is this not part of "The Network"?
OVERALL SYNOPSIS. This is a great phone will excellent features and improved UI. I find it very easy to use and like the touchscreen. It is a small and sleek phone that is packed with features. That comes with a price, battery drain, and the battery for this phone is poor for people who plan to use it for function rather than "Hey, look at how cool my phone looks." If you buy phones for your image, get the Voyager (if you are handcuffed to Verizon). I want a phone I can put in pocket. And finally, be prepared to buy extras. I have a car charger, a thin plastic case, a screen protector, and I will buy an extended battery very soon.
AND FINALLY, SAVE YOURSELF HEADACHES:
The slider action is great but this phone will get dinged and scratched if you don't get extras to protect it. And if you don't and don't have insurance on your phone, good luck getting Verizon to work with you in replacing it for problems with it if you have any. They will blame your lack of protection of the phone for its problems when these could very well be the software. Every scratch and ding reduces the chances you will get a replacement. And beware of "water damage" no matter what phone you have. In waiting in line for tech support, I saw at least five people not receive replacements because there was evidence of moisture in the battery compartment. Moisture is nearly impossible to avoid here in Oregon but use common sense. Be careful bringing your phone from cold to warm temperatures and hopefully you have enough common sense to not bring your phone in the bathroom with you when you take a shower. And to keep it in your pocket if it is snowing or raining. Verizon will give you a whopping $50 off a replacement.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A smart, sleek phone from LG
by poolypop on November 21, 2007
Pros: Removable memory, sturdy construction, camera phone, easy navigation
Cons: Doesn't utilize a full touch screen, poor video quality
Summary: I've been pretty excited about this phone since I heard about it a month ago, but seriously debated it since I've been a Motorola fan girl for years. ...
Summary: I've been pretty excited about this phone since I heard about it a month ago, but seriously debated it since I've been a Motorola fan girl for years. But with the decline in quality of Motorola's recent phones, I decided to take a risk and hope for the best. And I was not disappointed!
The LG Venus is a very sharp phone. It's not too bulky, and is actually much slimmer than its Chocolate predecessor. The slide mechanism is smooth and study, and very easy to snap open and shut. As a matter of fact, there really is no reason to access the keypad on this phone.
If for some reason you are forced to manually enter a number, or if you are a texting junkie, the keypad is rock solid. The keys are large and well spaced, and you'll never have to question whether or not you've hit the right key. No looking back and forth between screen and keypad. It's just that tight.
The only real disappoint I had with this phone is that it does not utilize a full touch screen. But disappoint fades onces you start to access the phones features. The small screen has a simple yet well designed touch button layout that changes as you navigate through the OS.
When I first turned my phone on, every touch issued noise and vibration. This could appeal to some people, but I turned both the sound and vibration off. I noticed once I turned them off the OS was more responsive, and I could navigate the menus quicker. Add to the fact they only serve to drain the battery, and I see no reason why anyone would leave them on.
The camera on the phone is 2.0MP. You can access it by the camera button on the right side of the phone. It comes with a variety of options including resolution, white balance, photo effects (i.e. sepia, b&w, etc.). This is definitely not something you'd see on an average camera phone. The pictures come out clear, but there is a slight delay between when you press the button, and the picture being taken. So don't expect to use it to snap a quick pic at a party, but if you just want a pretty sunset it'll work.
It also has a video feature, but it is lacking. Everything comes out in a big blur, and it's pretty much useless.
Now to the really good stuff.
This camera boasts the ability to use a microSDHC card up to 8GB. This is where I believe the phone shines. You can choose to store your pics, video, and music on this card. And since you can access the card through a simple adapter, you no longer have to worry about dealing with Verizon's poor attempt at a download service like with past phones. I managed to put most of my mp3 collection on to my card through an adapter, popped it into my Venus, and boom. MUSIC! This feature is a breath of fresh air for Verizon's phone line up.
And speaking of our musical repertoires, the Venus delivers a crisp, clear sound. The speakers themselves aren't much to brag about (though they are loud as HELL at full volume), but a nice set of headphones do a great job. You can either go for the Bluetooth variety or plug in with a 2.5mm jack to rock out with your sock out.
And if call quality is your concern, worry not! This is probably some of the best reception I've ever received on a cell phone. I live in bumpuck nowhere, and my best friend lives in bumpuck nowhere on the other side of the country, and I received a perfectly clear signal without a single drop in the conversation for over an hour.
Overall, I'd say this is probably the best phone I've ever owned to date. So if you're teetering on the edge, I'd say give it a 30 day trial. Worse comes to worse, you can upgrade to a Voyager.5 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Stylish phone, but lacks in overall performance
by andy1st on November 28, 2007
Pros: bright and sharp screens, innovative design
Cons: call quality, "innovative design", battery life!
Summary: Ok Iā??ll keep this simple. The Venus has an innovative design that is somewhat fun to use also the two screens are bright and colorful. Overall the phone feels ...
Summary: Ok Iā??ll keep this simple. The Venus has an innovative design that is somewhat fun to use also the two screens are bright and colorful. Overall the phone feels solid and the slider action is perfect. I much appreciate Lg for incorporating several different themes because Verizons is so bland and disgusting. The music player is descent offering basic features and being able to hide it is also useful. Lastly the camera is respectable offering several features with average quality. Now for the cons, The battery life is horrible. It comes standard with a 800mAH battery my rizr had a 1000, come on Lg. If you are a power user such as a texter this is not the phone for you, ill have to buy an extra battery. The touch screen with tactile feedback is ok; at times there is an up to two seconds of drag, which is frustrating. Also the call quality is sketchy at times with some echo and low volume even maxed out.
Overall this phone was built for style, its beautiful but lacks the feature solidity that I require. I suggest this for style conscious users who donā??t need it for more than average use.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Overall a Solid Phone
by jmccrac1 on November 24, 2007
Pros: Love the dual screen, great sound, awesome graphics, wonderful service, the camera is beautiful
Cons: I don't have any, yet...
Summary: I just bought this phone yesterday, and I love this phone. The dual screen with the bottom being touch screen, is phenomenal design. It works wonderfully well. As mentioned in ...
Summary: I just bought this phone yesterday, and I love this phone. The dual screen with the bottom being touch screen, is phenomenal design. It works wonderfully well. As mentioned in earlier reviews, when you turn off the vibrate and sound tactile on the bottom touch screen the phone is much faster. Some people didn't like how the bottom touch screen locks when it's been inactive after 5 seconds, but I didn't mind that, and it's simple to just slide the phone up and it's unlocked. I am super pleased with this phone and would recommend it to anyone, even if they were previous flip phone users, like I was for 8 years. Overall, a wonderful phone!
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Finally, a phone by Verizon worth upgrading to
by dmarotta21 on November 21, 2007
Pros: Great design, innovative, light and thin
Cons: One too many steps navigating the texting menus
Summary: If you're anything like me, you want a simple yet stylish phone from your service provider. Something that I can text with and doesn't look like a clunker. ...
Summary: If you're anything like me, you want a simple yet stylish phone from your service provider. Something that I can text with and doesn't look like a clunker. The Venus is the perfect fit due to its touch navigation and thin and light design.
I was up for my New Every Two with Verizon back in August. At the time, every phone out there was the same, a flip-phone trying to be an MP3 player and camera. None of which I needed or wanted. With the exception of the Blackberry Pearl, the Venus fit the criteria of what I was looking for, minus the minimum $80/month plan required by Blackberry devices.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Part number: VX8800BLKVZW
- Description: Fashion-forward users will love The Venus by LG, exclusively available from Verizon Wireless. This fashion statement has dual front screens - the lower screen features touch-sensitive navigation. The slim, stylish slider features a dedicated music key for easy access to music. The player supports .mp3, .wma and unprotected .aac file playback, plus Bluetooth stereo so users won't need to clutter their cutting-edge look with headset or stereo wires. In addition to the sharp dual screens, The Venus by LG also features expandable memory with microSD cards, currently up to 8 GB, and 2.0-megapixel camera with landscape rendering and zoom/review adjustments.
General
- Cellular technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band / mode CDMA 800/1900
- Weight 3.79 oz
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth (A2DP)
- Color Black
- Combined with With digital camera / digital player
Phone
- Service provider Verizon Wireless
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Additional Features Built-in stereo speakers
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this camera phone will give you better pictures than other phones.
Messaging / Data Services
- Voice Mail Capability Yes
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multimedia messages (MMS)
- 3G Services / Included Services VCAST, VZ Navigator
Digital Player / Recorder
- Digital player/recorder type Digital player/voice recorder
Display
- Display Type LCD display
- Color Support Color
Power
- Talk time Up to 240 min
Cellular
- Phone style Slider
- Automatic Redial Yes
- Call Divert Yes
- Call Barring Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Call Waiting Yes
- Volume Control Yes
- Ringer Control Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
Physical Characteristics
- Height 4 in
- Antenna Integrated