LG enV Touch (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A. Part number: enV TOUCH
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The LG enV Touch's combination of great design and top-notch features makes it one of the top Verizon Wireless Wireless phones we've ever seen.
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CNET editors' review
LG enV Touch (Verizon Wireless) price range: $99.99 - $499.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 06/05/2009
The good: The LG enV Touch has two beautiful displays, a nice touch-screen interface, and a great QWERTY keyboard. It has impressive features, such as a 3.2-megapixel camera, EV-DO Rev. A, and a full HTML Web browser.
The bad: The LG enV Touch's touch-screen interface could use some refinement, and the Web browser experience is not as smooth as we would like. Visual Voice Mail and corporate e-mail support costs additional monthly fees. The lack of Wi-Fi is disappointing.
The bottom line: The LG enV Touch's combination of great design and top-notch features makes it one of the top Verizon Wireless Wireless phones we've ever seen.
The LG enV Touch was a surprise to us. We thought all of the enV line of phones would be in the style of the LG enV VX9900, the LG enV2, and the more recent LG enV3.Those phones had numeric keypads on the front, with QWERTY keyboards behind their flip designs. But it appears that the LG enV Touch is actually a successor to the Voyager VX10000, due to its full touch screen-interface. Perhaps Verizon and LG are going back to the enV name to reinforce its association with high-end messaging phones.
We gave the LG Voyager VX10000 an Editors' Choice award when it first launched, but it has been almost two years since then, so it's about time for an upgrade. The LG enV Touch definitely offers better design and features. Both the touch-screen and internal displays are bigger, the keyboard has a better layout, the 3.2-megapixel camera has more advanced settings, the 3.5mm headset jack accommodates your own headphones, EV-DO Rev. A offers faster Web browsing, and more. The enV Touch doesn't have V Cast Mobile TV like the Voyager did, but that's about the only thing missing with this upgrade. Perhaps our only complaints were that the touch-screen interface and Web browsing could use some refinements, and the lack of Wi-Fi was disappointing.
The LG enV Touch is available for $149.99 with a $70 mail-in rebate and a two-year service agreement, which isn't too expensive for what you're getting.
Design
When the LG Voyager came out two years ago, touch-screen phones were still relatively new. The market is now flooded with them, and the enV Touch doesn't seem so unique now. However, that doesn't take away from the enV Touch's design appeal. Measuring 4.52 inches long by 2.16 inches wide by 0.66 inch thick, the enV Touch is slimmer than the Voyager, though at 4.92 ounces, it's a bit heavier. It has a sleek and stylish look similar to that of the LG Dare and the LG Versa, with a solid feel in the hand and a sturdy hinge construction.
Like the Voyager, the enV Touch has a large touch-screen display dominating its entire front surface, except for three physical keys at the bottom; the Send, Clear, and End/Power keys. The Clear key doubles as the voice command key (with a short press) and the voice recorder key (with a long press). The touch screen is really stunning, measuring 3 inches diagonally, which is a hair larger than the 2.81-inch display on the Voyager. The display supports a whopping 1.6 million colors and is bright, sharp, and vibrant. You can adjust the screen's backlight time, the charging screen, (what shows on the display when the phone is charging), the menu fonts, and the dial fonts.
Along the bottom of the home screen are five shortcut icons that lead to the messaging menu, the virtual dial pad, the main menu, the phone book, and a Favorites page, where you can list your favorite contacts or group. You'll also find a small arrow to the far right of the display. Tap that, and you'll reveal a pull-out menu of application shortcuts and shortcuts to media files in the My Media library (Media files include photos, browser bookmarks, and videos). You can then drag and drop those shortcut icons directly to the home screen, which is similar to what you can do on the LG Dare. Some of the application shortcuts will just appear as simple icons, like the browser for example. For certain applications, like the calendar and the clock, they will appear as full-on widgets on the home screen. If you want to add a shortcut that's not listed on the pull-out menu, you can tap the Add button on the bottom right to select from your entire library of applications and media files. If you wish to remove the shortcut from your home screen, simple drag and drop the icon to the small arrow on the right.
On the whole, we found the touch-screen interface to be quite responsive. There's a touch calibration wizard that you can go through to help with your precision and sensitivity, and the haptic feedback makes the phone vibrate whenever your touch registers. You can even adjust the length and intensity of the vibration. Also helpful is a sound effect whenever your touch registers on the screen. Aside from just tapping, you can also scroll through menus and long Web pages by dragging your finger across the screen.
Despite all this, the touch-screen interface takes some acclimation. This is especially true with the Web browser, where you need to tap a particular icon just right for it to register. We had to tap links several times before it got through, for example. Also, when scrolling through menus, we would sometimes launch an application accidentally. We got used to it after awhile, but it was frustrating at first.
Instead of having to open up the phone to dial or text, you can do both via the touch-screen interface. We liked the virtual dial pad's large digits. Underneath the keypad are shortcuts to voice dialing, the recent calls list, and the contacts list. As for messaging, you can choose a few ways to enter text: handwriting recognition, multitap or T9 via an alphanumeric keypad, or via a landscape QWERTY keyboard.
The enV Touch has an internal accelerometer, so you can activate the QWERTY keyboard by rotating the phone horizontally. When using the QWERTY keyboard, each key magnifies as you touch it to show that you selected it, much like the keyboard on the iPhone. All of these text entry methods work fine as far as touch-screen interfaces go, but we would definitely choose to use the actual physical keyboard over the touch screen for faster typing.
On the left spine of the enV Touch are the dedicated camera key, the volume rocker, and the screen lock key. The charger jack is on the bottom, while the microSD card slot and 3.5 millimeter headset jack are on the right side. We're especially glad to see the 3.5 millimeter headset jack, as it's always good to have the option of using your existing headphones. On the back are the 3.2-megapixel camera lens and an LED flash.
The 3-inch internal display is just as large as the external display and just as attractive, with the same color support and pixel resolution. You can adjust the backlight time separately from the external display. You can also change the menu style interface. Do note that you need to open the phone all the way to 180 degrees to access the controls on the left spine.
There are stereo speakers on either side of the display, while two soft keys rest right underneath. Below that is the full QWERTY keyboard. Even though it looks similar to the one on the Voyager, there are a few important differences. There's now a Favorites button that leads to your favorite contacts page, a dedicated text-messaging button, plus the usual Shift and Symbol keys. The biggest change is that the space bar is now located in the middle of the keyboard instead of to the sides. This is a welcome change, as it is far more natural to have the space bar in the middle. Thankfully, the QWERTY keyboard on the enV Touch is just as easy to use as on the Voyager. The keyboard is spacious, with keys that are raised above the surface and have a nice give when pressed. The 2, Q, W, E, and S keys are grayed out to indicate game pad controls.
To the right of the QWERTY arrangement is the navigation array. It consists of the Send and End/Power keys, a square navigation toggle with middle OK key, the Clear key, and the Speakerphone key. The up, left, and down directions on the toggle can be mapped to three user-defined shortcuts, while the right leads to the My Shortcuts menu, which can also be customized with up to four shortcuts.
You can also customize the QWERTY keyboard shortcut, which lets you initiate a contacts search, a new text message, or a new note, simply by pressing any key on the QWERTY keyboard.
Features
If you thought the LG enV Touch's design was impressive, wait until you hear about its features. Almost all of its offerings are updated from the Voyager, even the basics. The one thing missing from the enV Touch is V Cast Mobile TV, which is Verizon's live-TV-streaming service. The enV Touch holds a generous 1,500-entry phonebook, with room in each entry for five numbers, two e-mail addresses, and a street address. You can then organize the contacts into caller groups, pair them with a photo for caller ID, or any of 26 polyphonic ring tones. Other basics include a vibrate mode, a speakerphone (which you can activate prior to a call), text and multimedia messaging, voice messaging, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a stopwatch, a notepad, and even a drawing pad, which you can use with the touch-screen interface. After you finish doodling something, you can send it off to your friends via MMS if you want.
More advanced users will appreciate USB mass storage and voice command dialing. Supported Bluetooth profiles include hands-free, dial-up networking, A2DP or stereo, phonebook access, basic printing, basic imaging, object push for vCard and vCalendar, and file transfer. You can also use the enV Touch as a wireless modem for your laptop or computer, but you'll have to get the Mobile Broadband Connect plan for $60 a month for a 5GB data cap. The enV Touch also comes with a document viewer, which will let you read Microsoft Office documents from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, plus Adobe Acrobat .pdf files. To read them, you need to load them onto a microSD card in the "my_document" folder. Other advanced features include mobile instant messenger (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo), GPS with VZ Navigator support, e-mail, and visual voice mail. Do note that the Verizon visual voice mail service will cost you $3 a month.
As for e-mail, there are three options; mobile e-mail, with which you can get e-mail from a variety of services (like Yahoo, AOL, and Windows Live) directly into your in-box; mobile corporate e-mail courtesy of RemoSync, which lets you sync your work e-mail and calendar; and mobile Web e-mail, which gives you shortcut access to a variety of Web e-mail services like Windows Live, AOL Mail, and Yahoo Mail--this latter option opens up the Web browser. Do note that the mobile e-mail application costs $5, and in order to get corporate e-mail you'll have to sign up for a $9.99 monthly subscription to RemoSync. The corporate e-mail option works with Microsoft ActiveSync, so you need to know your company's mail Exchange server address.
The enV Touch has a full HTML Web browser like its predecessor did, and, unfortunately, it seems to have the same clunky issues with the touch screen. Don't get us wrong; we love that you can surf and browse full Web pages. We also like that you can zoom in and out of pages, view a page in full-screen mode, add bookmarks, and search through a page. The enV Touch also features tabbed browsing (with up to three tabs, or pages, open), which we liked.
But using the Web browser via the touch-screen interface is an exercise in frustration. As we said earlier, it can take several taps in order for a link to register, especially on a crowded page. Also, whenever we bring up the browser navigation array, they only appear for a second before disappearing again. There doesn't seem to be a way to adjust this in the settings. Also, using the toggle to view full screen pages can be tedious, and is nowhere as smooth as the multitouch pinch-to-zoom interface on the iPhone. Still, at least now we can use the volume rocker to zoom in and out of Web pages, which makes things easier.
The LG enV Touch comes with EV-DO Rev. A, which is a touch faster than the EV-DO on the LG Voyager. It doesn't come with Wi-Fi, however, which is a bit of a letdown on such a full-featured phone. Along with EV-DO, the enV Touch also has access to Verizon's array of broadband services like V Cast Video, where you can download or stream video clips from providers like CBS and CNN, and V Cast Music with Rhapsody, which lets you purchase and download songs over the air. Each song costs $1.99, and includes a download to your PC.
As for the music player itself, the interface is pretty simple, with the album art displayed next to the artist and album name along with the track title. You can mute the player, create and edit playlists, set the songs on repeat or shuffle, or add one of six preset equalizer settings. There's also a Music Only mode that shuts off the phone's cellular signal so you can keep listening to tunes when you're on an airplane. Other than downloading a song from V Cast Music, you can also sync up songs from your PC with a USB cable using the V Cast Music with Rhapsody software. If you have a Rhapsody subscription, you can also sync up your subscribed tracks. Supported music files include MP3, WMA, unprotected AAC and AAC+ formats. The enV Touch supports up to 16GB of removable memory via a microSD card in case you want additional storage.
The enV Touch has a 3.2-megapixel camera, which is an upgrade over the Voyager's 2-megapixel lens. You can take pictures in six different resolutions (2,048x1,536, 1,600x1,200, 1,280x960, 640x480, and 320x240 pixels), five white balance presets, and five color effects. It also has three focusing modes: autofocus, macro mode, or manual mode, the last of which lets you pick one of seven points on the screen to focus in on. You can toggle the flash on or off, adjust a self timer if you want, or select one of three shutter sounds (there's also a silent option). The camera also has a few special shot modes: Smile shot, which automatically takes a picture when a person smiles; Panorama, which stitches together three photos shot from left to right; Intelligent shot, which automatically adjusts the white balance and color saturation based on the surrounding environment; and Facial Makeover mode, which removes all blemishes and unsightly marks from a person's face. There's also a name card reader mode that is specially tuned to take pictures of business cards so that the words are legible. This way you don't have to carry a lot of business cards around with you; just store the images in your phone.
Photo quality is very good for the most part. Images look sharp, without a lot of blurriness, and colors looked bright, as well. Do note that you can't use the external touch screen as a self-portrait viewfinder. There's also a built-in camcorder, which can record in two resolutions (320x240 and 176x144) in two lengths--short 30-second clips for multimedia messages, or clips of up to an hour or so for saving. Video quality was pretty good for a camera phone, without a lot of blur. It won't replace a real video camera, but it's good enough for sharing short video clips with friends.
You have plenty of personalization options with the enV Touch. You can adjust the wallpaper, display themes, and alert tones. You can purchase more themes and tons via Verizon's online store. The enV Touch also comes with a few games, like Need for Speed Undercover, Resident Evil: Degeneration, and Tetris. You can find more games at via the Verizon store, as well.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) LG enV Touch in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless. We were impressed with the call quality. Callers heard us without any static or interference, and we could hear them loud and clear. They said our voices sounded natural, almost as though we were speaking on a landline phone. Even when we activated the speakerphone, they couldn't tell the difference. On our end, the speakerphone had plenty of volume, though it sounded just a tad tinny, which is to be expected.
The audio quality of songs from the LG enV Touch's stereo speakers was average. It's loud enough, but the bass was lacking, and the vocals seemed weak. We would recommend using a wired or stereo Bluetooth headset for better music quality.
The enV Touch's EV-DO Rev. A is supposed to be faster than just regular EV-DO, and indeed it is. V Cast videos took around a second to load with little buffering time, and loading a full and complex Web page like CNET's front page took around 15 seconds. Downloading a 1.5MB song took around 30 seconds.
We were also surprised that the video quality on V Cast videos was quite good. Usually we complain about the pixelation on the video, but not with the enV Touch--perhaps because of the 1,600,000-color support and EV-DO Rev. A. It's definitely not HD quality or anything, but for streaming video, it was sharp and clear, without a lot of pixelation or blurriness.
The LG enV Touch has a rated battery life of 4.3 hours talk time and 17 days standby time. We only managed to get a talk time of 3 hours and 13 minutes in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the enV Touch has a digital SAR rating of 0.932 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Best Verizon phone I have had and I have had a lot!
by jpl72 on June 7, 2009
Pros: Responsive touch screen
intuitive menus
full qwerty touch and tactile kepboards
great camera for still and video
funCons: i truly haven't found anything I would change yet.
Summary: I have had a ton of verizon phones. My friends constantly tease me for switching every month. I have had everything from The Motorola Q to the Alias to every ...
Summary: I have had a ton of verizon phones. My friends constantly tease me for switching every month. I have had everything from The Motorola Q to the Alias to every blackberry known to man. I was bored of them all and was looking for a phone that would not only work well but have some fun built into it. I was about to get my third dare, not because it broke but because I was switching back again. Then I signed on to CNET and read about the EnV Touch. It seemed to have everything I wanted from the Dare and everything I liked about the alias.
I went to the store right away, played with it and walked out with it paying full retail. I can say that this is the best verizon phone I have owned thus far. If I want my e-mail (like the blackberry) I just jump onto the web and read it, after adding my inbox to my favorites it is quite easy, if I want to respond with the touch qwerty keyboard I can do that without flipping the device open, if I do however want to reply with a tactile keyboard I can do that as well just by flipping it open. I use twitter and facebook a lot and after saving both my accounts to my favorites on the browser it is very easy to update.
I read on here, before I went to the store, that the device does not have an accelermoter for the touch keyboard, I was thankful to see that is not the case, it does have one and it is very good. There are also all sort of neat little things that not only work well but make sense and are very intuitive user-friendly.
I do not think I will be switching for a long time as I like this phone a lot. I have never written on here but wanted to because these user reviews as well as the CNET review helped me make this decision and I wanted to add my two cents in case it helps someone else.23 out of 23 users found this user opinion helpful.
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So much better than I ever expected.
by livotarkmas on June 16, 2009
Pros: Large (beautiful resolution) external and internal displays. Touch screen adequately responsive, & accurate. Call reception, volume, & clarity are good. Image & video quality are excellent. Features & tools are superrrb. Keyboard well-spac
Cons: Glitch with "beautify" photo editing tool makes phone restart. A bit heavy. Battery life could be better. No "clear entry field" option. Only 2 display themes. Slight text lag. Sometimes internal screen "blacks out" & requires prompting to re-appear.
Summary: I wanted to make sure I actually got used to this phone so that I could write an educated, experienced review. I've had this phone for about a week, ...
Summary: I wanted to make sure I actually got used to this phone so that I could write an educated, experienced review. I've had this phone for about a week, and I have never been so pleased with a cellphone.
So where do I even begin? Bare in mind that my previous phone was an EnV. Fancy little gadgets and knick-knacks were just things that OTHER people had on their phones. Not me. So I'm probably impressed with things that most people are already used to - forgive me. I honestly shunned touch screens before this phone. The actual reason I wanted this phone in the first place was for the animated wallpaper - the night sky one equipped with twinkling, and shooting stars, trees that sway in the wind, and fireflies. The exterior is nice - the "chrome" is attractive. I've read complaints about the texture at the bottom of the phone on the front where the buttons are, and that it holds fingerprints - honestly, i don't notice it. besides, with a case, you don't have to worry about it. I do wish they had made this phone in a couple more colors. I liked the blue buttons on the Env3. Anyway, let's get to the juicy details. The touch screen is great. I find myself constantly playing with the little "curtain" which unveils the screen. It's very entertaining for those easily amused. I like that you can keep this little "curtain" down and still view the date and time. The transparency and "glow" when this curtain is down is nice. The curtain unveils a BEAUTIFUL touch screen. The shortcuts at the bottom of the screen are nice. One of the best things about this screen is that (aside from the "locked" shortcuts at the bottom) you can move any widgets anywhere on the screen. The MEMO widget is GREAT. You can make a little note, and then place it right on your screen so you see it every time you unveil your front screen. It's just like a little sticky note. Very convenient. You can also move the time and date icon to wherever you want on the screen. The DRAWING tool is fantastic. Extremely similar to the iPhone's. I also like how the notepad tool displays your note on a lined paper background. It's just very fancy. The functionality of the touch screen is excellent. It's adequately accurate and responsive, and the vibration as you touch is nice. It's nice that you can adjust how strong, and how long that vibration is.
I'm a huge texter, so that was one of my priorities with this phone. I love being able to open the phone to use the keyboard, but to be honest, I probably use the front screen almost as much. I like to use the regular keypad and use T9. It's also nice to be able to use a keyboard on the front if wanted, just by flipping the phone on it's side. I love the layout of the messages. It's nice to display messages by contact, it's like looking at an Instant Message conversation. The photo ID that accompanies each message is just awesome. The internal keyboard itself is very nicely spaced out, and the keys have a nice give.
I do wish there were more display themes other than the 2 offered. Neither are all that great.
What IS great is the starry sky animated wallpaper. I said to myself that this phone was made for me as soon as I saw it.
& the games are EPIC. Tilting your phone to steer the car in Need For Speed RULES.
Anyway, moving on. The CAMERA on this phone is superior. It takes very crisp photos. Looking at photos on the external touch screen is a blast. You can scroll through them in the same manner as the iPhone. The slide show option is great. The options to edit the photos are also wonderful. Looking at photos internally is also nicely done. I love the ability to adjust an image before setting it as your wallpaper. Video quality is also good.
The actual call quality on this phone is great. Loud, and clear.
I do have a few complaints. When trying to use the "beautify" photo editing tool, the phone restarts. I've Googled, and discovered it isn't just my phone. Not a big deal. The phone is a little heavy for my preference. Again, not a show stopper. The battery life is MEH, not the best. Sometimes there's a lag when I text internally (could just be I text too dang fast). Occasionally the internal screen is black for a moment, and I have to hit a bunch of keys before it re-appears.
& one complaint i've always had with phones is the inability to "clear entry field" of a text. It is annoying to have to start a whole new message when sending multiple page texts to non-verizon people.
I will say this - I had to return my first phone because the right side of the screen ended up completely malfunctioning, but Verizon quickly replaced it. Honestly, I have no qualms about it. This phone is new. There are going to be glitches that are going to happen, and it will take time before software upgrades come out. It's normal.
I wish I had more room, but, in conclusion, I continue to discover things with this phone that assure me it was the right choice for my upgrade, and that I'll certainly be happy with it for the next 2 years.15 out of 15 users found this user opinion helpful.
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excellent phone
by ScorpioKing1990 on June 6, 2009
Pros: Excellent screen. Very good camera. Responsive interface. Fast accelerometer. Very good build quality/construction. Nice keyboard. Very versatile and works how you want it to. Combines the best of the Dare and the Voyager to make one awesome phone.
Cons: Battery life coul be better (it is NOT bad...it just could be better...I'll explain more below). The Tetris game SUCKS because of one realy stupid oversight. The I/M client hasn't been updated in forever (Verizon's fault realy, not LG's).
Summary: I absolutely love this phone. Last summer I got a Dare when it came out. I realy wanted the Voyager...but it's screen was smaller, the camera didn't ...
Summary: I absolutely love this phone. Last summer I got a Dare when it came out. I realy wanted the Voyager...but it's screen was smaller, the camera didn't even have a flash, the touch screen wasn't as responsive, I didn't like it's UI as much (even though they were very similar), the keyboard was good overall but had a few quirks, it didn't support as many Bluetooth profiles. I could go on and on. It was the phone you realy wanted to love but just couldn't. The Dare had mostly everything I wanted except for the physical QWERTY. I fell in love with the Dare and I still think it's a realy good phone. But LG has seemingly built my dream phone...and voila the LG enV Touch. Gone is Mobile TV, but I never planned on using that anyway (the Dare doesn't have it either). This, of course is probably to make way for all the other wonderful things about it. It's thinner, has a camera with the same specs as the Dare, yet offers even more features software-wise (the Dare was already one of the best Verizon camera phones out there), it has a screen even more responsive than the Dare, an updated interface and some cool new features up it's sleeve. One that I didn't have room for in the "Pros" section is...THREADED TEXT MESSAGING! Yes, this phone does threaded text messaging. I've hardly seen this talked about anywhere....I've wanted it forever and now I got it. Sweetness. There's just so much good stuff to say about this phone. LG clearly spent a lot of time working on the details. Everything seems to be in a certain place for a reason, every angle of the phone has a clearly defined shape. Closing the phone gives a nice gentle yet solid "snap effect' which makes it feel high-end...and the phone specificaly has little notches in just the right places so that even if you snapped it shut realy hard, it wouldn't hurt the screen. There are lots of little details like this that just make me enjoy owning this phone....I don't know how else to describe it. As you can tell, I love the phone....but what about the bad things? Well, first off the battery life isn't spectactular. There is a REASON for this though. This phone is quite thin for having two 3.0 inch screens, a QWERTY keyboard, and a camera...plus all the other electronics (Bluetooth, cell radio, microprocessor, etc.). As a result it comes with a 950 mAH battery, which is fairly low-capacity. THAT is the reason for the poor battery life. The phone is actualy quite efficient and uses the battery capacity quite well. Plus, I'm sure you can get an extended-life battery if you realy need one. When the Dare came out, it had good battery life...then LG released a software update and it's battery life increased dramaticaly and became amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happens this time around too. From what I understand, LG has a history of this and did the same thing with the Voyager. But again, just to stress this, the battery life isn't bad...just not amazing. So what else? Okay, well here's my biggest gripe personaly (wimply because of it's shear stupidity)....the Tetris game. Everyone knows what tetris is. You have a vertical box in which shapes drop down and you have to position them and rotate them in such a way that they fit together to complete a row. The game is simple, fun, and addictive. I love Tetris on my Dare, it worked beautifuly. Not so on the enV Touch. So what exactly is wrong with it? Well, the game is oriented in the stupidest way possible....horizontaly....and it doesn't listen to the accelerometer. Basicaly, it wastes a lot of screen real estate and becomes a small box because the box itself is vertical, yet is displayed horizontaly. The closest thing I can think of to describe this is watching 4:3 content on a widescreen....with no enlargement, so that there are black bars on either side. But in the game, it's just blue from the surrounding tetris background. Yes, this is how the game is....and no, believe me, it does NOT listen to the accelerometer. I have complained about this to Verizon and hopefuly their technical guys will fix it soon. But it realy sucks because I love Tetris and it's a perfect game for a cell phone. The third thing that bothers me is the I/M client....specificaly the fact that the thing looks like it was designed for Windows 95. Alas, this I can not realy blame on LG...it's not their doing, it's Verizon's. Still, I wish it wasn't so. Not the phones fault, but still disappointing.
So yeah that's about it. I realy love the phone, definitely recommnd it. I got it for $120...not a bad deal at all. Feel free to ask any questions.
~Seth13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The next logical step in the enV line of phones
by shawnshine on June 20, 2009
Pros: Touch Screen + physical qwerty keyboard make for a versatile experience for all sorts of situations. Phone layout is intuitive and easy to navigate. Both screens are bright and vibrant. USB cable for charging. 3.2mp camera.
Cons: The phone is considerably narrower than the previous V, enV and enV 2 making it much less comfortable to type on the physical qwerty keyboard. The battery life is much less as well. Can't remove the charger connection cover (permanatly attached).
Summary: I owned the LG V (vx9800) for over 3 years and really loved it. It was very hardy phone enduring all sorts of misery. My hope is that the enV ...
Summary: I owned the LG V (vx9800) for over 3 years and really loved it. It was very hardy phone enduring all sorts of misery. My hope is that the enV touch will perform just as admirably. Having had the phone now for just over a week, I can say that it is a very nice phone, with very good call quality and many fun and useful features. I found the functionality to be just as good as my previous phone, if not slightly improved. Both screens are bright and vibrant delivering excellent picture quality. The sound quality of the internal stereo speakers is also slightly improved over the previous versions (but only slightly). And the phone still supports all of the apps of the previous generation. But that brings me to probably the biggest beef I have with the phone. And it's really not so much a problem with the phone as it is with the way Verizon is marketing the phone. I've seen half a dozen online banners from Verizon sporting how this phone is supposed to be some "App" powerhouse. Sorry Verizon, I've been a long time customer and love your service, but this "App" store is weak. Apple has thousands of Apps for the IPhone developed both inhouse and by homebrew developers. Verizon's App store for this phone sports the same 12 or so apps that were available with my 3 year old V. Games.......are a different story. Lots and lots of games (Most priced at $3.99 for a per-month subscription or $7.99 outright). But lots of games do not an App store make. I can only hope they plan to add additional apps in the near future. I have two other small gripes, which for me in no way detract from the overall phone quality. The first is that the charging port cover on the bottom of the phone is not removable and is permanently attached. I have always preferred to remove these as they tend to annoy me when I'm trying to quickly plug in for a quick charge. And the second is that because of the new narrower form the phone does not fit in my hands nearly as well when texting as the previous (but much bulkier V and enV). However, it is a worthwhile trade off to have it be as light as it is. I quickly became acclimated to the new layout of the keyboard and I am typing just as quickly as before. I am some what disappointed with the battery life between charges but the new USB data cable / charger is really welcome. For my previous phone, I spent almost Fifty dollars to get an extra wall charging cable and separate data cable (had to buy the expensive VCAST music essentials kit to get it). This is so much more versatile. Plus, this time, I spent less then $10 for an extra cable online so I can have one in my desk drawer at work. I do find though that I have to charge it quite a bit more often than I had expected. The battery is almost dead by the end of the day and goes on the charger each night. This may be an issue for long trips where outlets or USB ports are unavailable. Here again, though, there are car travel adapters for less then $10 available online. Anytime you can pick up essential phone accessories for less than 10 bucks is an occasion to smile. As far as the touch screen, well, it's a touch screen. It's better than some, not quite as good as others. It takes a bit of acclamation, but it is generally responsive and mostly accurate. As well, up to this point the accelerometer has been a very pleasant surprise and is very quick. I will rave a little over the 3.2 megapixal camera. The quality is there and it's what made this phone a dealmaker for me. I'm just thrilled that LG has finally brought a phone with this level of picture quality to market. Add to that the fact you can now use the camera as a full camcorder as opposed to the near useless little 15 second clips of previous generations, really ups the ante. Overall, I am very happy with the call quality, the functionality, appearance and general feel of the phone. It feels like the next logical step in the enV line (or Voyager line, depending on how you look at it). I played with both the Andriod G1 and the BlackBerry Storm and, for me at least, this phone just comes in ahead. It's feature rich and suffers none from it's few shortcomings. Hopefully it will be as faithful for me over the next 3 years as my old LG V has been over the previous 3.
Totally forgot to mention 3.5mm Head Phone jack! Thank You LG for getting that right. bummer that I can't use my older expensive proprietary 2.5mm Verizon head phones, but now I have a huge choice of 3rd party head phones to choose from. Choice is good. Thumbs up on that.
Updated on Jun 20, 20099 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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On the fence on which Verizon phone to get?
by nunleyjjk on June 20, 2009
Pros: 1. Excellent keyboard phone.
2. Great touch phone. Improved response and feel.
3. Smart easy to use interface.
4. Decent battery life.
5. Threaded text messaging is great!
6. Decent HTML browser.
7. MusicCons: 1. Slightly chubby.
2. Only 2 themes. They're both great but the ability to incorporate variety over a 2 year contract is a MUST have for a device.
3. Overpriced BREW games vs .99cent Iphone apps Verizon, come on!Summary: Of all the phones listed in my summary the enV Touch stands just a little taller than even the offered smart phones and is vastly superior to the "dumb phones" ...
Summary: Of all the phones listed in my summary the enV Touch stands just a little taller than even the offered smart phones and is vastly superior to the "dumb phones" in Verizon's current lineup.
This phone is a great mix of the Dare and the older Voyager. It is not as thin as the Dare and lacks the Voyager's ability to view Verizon television but the gains far outweigh the losses.
If you are on the fence with your next upgrade or purchase, take the advice of a certifiable phone junkie and go with the enV Touch. Unless you NEED the smartphone capabilities you will not be disappointed.
Small touches like the proximity sensor, threaded text messaging, great camera and having a physical keyboard may seem like fluff but try going without them in any of Verizon's other phones and you'll be glad you purchased this phone, I know I am.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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AMAZING PHONE, LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF THE VOYAGER!
by G6GXP83 on May 30, 2009
Pros: Amazing UI
Good Battery life
3.2 MP Camera w/ flash
Wigets - love them
Qwerty keyboard
Good ringers
3.5 mm head phone jack!
Ability to play music and use the other features on the phone!
Amazing call quality
Slimmer size than the voyagerCons: Good materials but the one side of the phone where it opens to the keyboard is plastic and feels weak. I can feel it give. Not into that, but whatever.
Summary: I just got my LG enV Touch in the mail 5-29-2009. I was elegible for my upgrade, and I wanted this phone, but I knew the release date wasn't ...
Summary: I just got my LG enV Touch in the mail 5-29-2009. I was elegible for my upgrade, and I wanted this phone, but I knew the release date wasn't until June 5th. When I called customer service I asked if they had inventory on this phone and if it could be ordered. And of course the answer was YES! The phone is awesome! I really like the Music player. The UI is pretty fun! I had the LG Voyager before this, and the enV Touch seems like it's made out of more sturdier materials. The pricing is $409.99 retail and $219.99 - a $70 mail in rebate with a new 2 year contract which brings the price down to $149.99. I still need to play around with the phone a little more, but I must say this is an awesome phone!
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A Great Combination of Verizon's top 3 phones
by sf_ca on June 10, 2009
Pros: Ext & Int screens are clear and large
Camera takes great pictures (for a phone)
FAST Mobile web...like my LG Dare
EVDO Rev.A so mobile broadband with tethering is FAST
dual keyboard (virtual and real)
decent speakers
clear sound for phoneCons: battery life not very impressive. This is a pity, I actually gave this phone 6 stars (out of 5) and docked one star for the battery, thus ending with 5 stars still.
Summary: I think this phone is a great phone, and is a nice combination of the top three phones from Verizon (LG Dare, LG enV2, LG Voyager). I think that the ...
Summary: I think this phone is a great phone, and is a nice combination of the top three phones from Verizon (LG Dare, LG enV2, LG Voyager). I think that the Blackberry Curve is VZW's top device, but I put that more as a PDA phone rather than a regular phone with extra features (which is what the LG phones I listed above). I've had many phones from Verizon for about 10 years now, I have three lines in my account and I upgrade my phone every year and the two other lines every other year. I will have to say that this is the best phone to come out of Verizon. The keyboard options are nice, though I find myself using the virtual more (I am used to the LG Dare). I like the animated scroll (though not as nice as the HTC Touch Diamond or Pro, but again, these two are more PDA phones than regular phones).
The camera is quite impressive (3.2 MP) and the large screen size makes taking pictures a lot easier.
I tested the data speed (via dslreports) and the reported speed was 812 kbit/sec, which is slower than my LG Dare (I got 1185 kbit/sec). I placed the phones on the same spot on my desk when I was running the tests, and ran one test per phone (one after the other) for 5 tests, and these are the average speeds of the 5 tests. I'm not sure why the Touch is slightly slower, given that both are EVDO Rev.A. I will next test the mobile broadband speed of both (results pending).
The only negative feature I found was the disappointing battery life. I charge it overnight, take it off the charger at 7am, go to work, and by 2pm it has half the battery. This was consistent over the last 5 days I've had the phone. I've even performed a hard reset (took the battery off while the phone was still on, waited over 30 sec, replaced the battery, turned the unit on, and charged overnight). No change in the battery life. I remember this was an issue with the LG Dare when it first came out a year ago, but the issue with the LG enV Touch is worse. I hope LG comes out with a fix for this (like they did with the Dare, and the battery life became significantly better).
Altogether, I have been very happy and impressed with this phone. Having tested this unit thoroughly and extensively, I will highly recommend this phone. I am still running some more tests (bluetooth, mobile broadband & tethering, mobile web browsing, apps like VZ Navigator, etc.), and I will update this review in about a week.6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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GREAT PHONE! =] but it has a few issues. xD
by heartinhand223 on June 17, 2009
Pros: 1) Great Keyboard
2) Fast internet
3) responsive touch screen
4) amazing texting phone =)!Cons: 1) battery life SUCKS!
2) crap themes
3) holds a small amount of text messages.Summary: The phone is great best texting phone I have ever had. before this i had the pan tech matrix, and before that the palm Centro and this beats both of ...
Summary: The phone is great best texting phone I have ever had. before this i had the pan tech matrix, and before that the palm Centro and this beats both of them. The keyboard is spacious and quick to write even the touch screen keyboard is great, takes longer but what touch screen phone does not?. Call quality is very good, as well as the aim service, email service and internet service. Internet is very quick on this phone as well as short cuts to specific website take no time to load. You can also see .doc documents and stuff.. Great phone in all only problem is battery life it really does not last especially if you are on the internet it dies a lot faster then you would think never has lasted me a whole day.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Perfect mix of the Voyager and Dare, better than Storm!
by lynx603 on June 12, 2009
Pros: Touch Screen Vastly Imporved, UI is fantastic, full keyboard is easy to use, great camera, all around fun phone.
Cons: No major complaints yet. Only minor complaint is the space key location has been moved, but im sure I will get use to it.
Summary: I like to stay current with the newest phones that comes out, because of that I have had the voyager, the dare, and most recently the BB Storm. I have ...
Summary: I like to stay current with the newest phones that comes out, because of that I have had the voyager, the dare, and most recently the BB Storm. I have to say that this is the best phone of the bunch hands down. It is a perfect mix of dare's touch screen, and the Voyagers keyboard. The UI is fantastic and everything is incredibly snappy. I was very hesitant about switching from a smartphone to a "dumbphone" like this. However I can tell you I havent been happier. I pay for Vcast so I have internet access just like I did on my BB, and I have certain pages favorited (facebook, espn etc etc) and it is just like having the app on my BB, but half the price per month. You can also have Mobile IM which is nice, just make sure you have an unlimited texting plan with that or you will burn through your texts pretty fast.
I think one of the coolest little extras in the env touch is the ability to change your font color. I know its very minor, but it was a nice addition and something that is often overlooked. I love the speed of the phone as a whole. The the accelerometer is very snappy, taking the camera zooms, focuses, and takes high quality pictures very fast. The video camera is also pretty good from the little bit I have used it thus far. The touch screen is much more responsive then the voyagers was also, which makes texting in T9 very easy.
All in all I say that this is bar none one of the best cell phones VZW has put out in the last year or 2. Its a featured filled phone for a reasonable price. If you are up to renew your contract pick it up for sure, or if you dont mind shelling out $410 bucks for it, pick it up anyway, you wont be disappointed.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A Great phone, but not amazing...
by MattMss on June 26, 2009
Pros: Big keyboard, 2 Full 3 inch screens, Camera quality, 16gb Micro SD slot, and customization!
Cons: Pressure sensitive screen, not ""touch"" screen. Only Displays one thing... (Read Description) Battery Life is OK. Keeps about 270 messages at a time. And FINGER PRINT ATTRACTOR... TO THE MAX!
Summary: I got this phone which was a HUGE upgrade to my old moto Slvr. It is nice and all but here are the things that is see missing out of ...
Summary: I got this phone which was a HUGE upgrade to my old moto Slvr. It is nice and all but here are the things that is see missing out of other reviews that were noteworthy to me. On my old phone it would say 2 new messages or 3 new messages on the screen, this one will not, it just show the most recent one you have to read, then after you read that message (if you received more then 1) you must go into messages and go to inbox and read the other new messages you got. Next is if you are doing something on the outside screen and flip it open, you can continue doing what you were doing. But if you do it the other way around, (doing something on the inside screen and then close to the outside screen) It will most likely quit the application or menu. Next is that there is NO SLIDESHOW option for background *** LG? Last is the Finger Prints on it.... now i know all things attract finger prints but wow this is one of the worst I've seen!
One good thing is the panoramic setting and also set it to detect smiles and take a picture! Very Nice!
Other then that it is a great phone! I just didnt mention all the great stuff all the other reviews said because... well you can read them. I just wanted to point out some stuff that i dont see most review pointing out!
Thanks!4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Part number: enV TOUCH
- Description: A multimedia messaging powerhouse! The LG enV Touch has a bright, external 3" touchscreen and a full-size QWERTY keyboard. Revolutionary Dolby mobile sound brings a deep, rich, engaging listening experience. Plus, a 3.2-megapixel camera offers built-in flash, video, and much more. Touch it and believe!
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider Verizon Wireless
- Width 2.2 in
- Depth 0.7 in
- Height 4.5 in
- Weight 4.9 oz
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band CDMA2000 1X 1900/800
- Phone Design Folder type phone
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Voice Dialing Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features TTY compatible, E-911 compliant, Text-to-Speech (text recognition)
Phone Memory
- Phone Book Capacity 1000 names & numbers
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Mobile Email Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- Platforms Supported BREW
- Included Services VCAST, VZ Navigator
- EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multimedia messages (MMS), Instant messages, Voice mail, E-Mail, HTML Browser, PDF support
Multimedia Features
- Playback Digital Video Formats 3gp, MPEG-4, WMV (Windows Media Video)
- Downloadable Content Games, Ring tones, Wallpapers, Audio files, Video files
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 3.2 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 3.2 megapixels
- Still Image Resolutions 640 x 480, 1280 x 960, 1600 x 1200, 2048 x 1536
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Digital Zoom 1.6
- Self Timer Delay 3 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec
- Special Effects Sepia, Negative, Black & White
- White Balance Presets, Automatic
- Camera Light Source Flash
- Video Recorder Resolutions 640 x 480 (VGA), 176 x 144 (QCIF), 320 x 240 (QVGA)
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
- Additional Timer Functions Stopwatch
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 800 x 480 pixels
- Diagonal Size 3 in
- Color Support Color
- Multi-language Menu Yes
- Display Languages English, Spanish
- Features LCD touch screen
Display (2nd)
- Type LCD display - Color
- Display Resolution 800 x 480 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, MP3, WMA
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm
Miscellaneous
- Hearing Aid Compatible Yes
- Included Accessories Battery, Wall charger
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Capacity 950 mAh
- Talk Time Up to 260 min
- Standby Time Up to 408 h
Accessories
- LG HBM-520 Bluetooth headset (33499497)27.99 - 54.99
- LG HBM-310 Bluetooth headset (33504146)26.57 - 59.99
- LG Bluetooth Stereo Headset HBS-200 (32559289)20.00 - 24.99
- Jabra BT8010 Stereo/Mono Bluetooth Headset (32327768)13.97
- Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones (red) (32363768)38.99 - 130.42
- A-Data Speedy Series flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33795596)8.99
- ATP SD Trio Professional PLUS card adapter - flash: microSD - Hi-Speed USB (32128464)17.00
- Centon 2GBRSD3-1 - flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33503634)8.99 - 11.84
- Centon flash memory card - 4 GB - microSD (33362243)11.48 - 75.44
Manufacturer info
- LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse LG Electronics U.S.A. products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://us.lge.com/
- Address:
1000 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
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