LG enV VX9900 - orange (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A. Part number: LG-VX9900
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- Bottom Line:
- The design still isn't perfect, but the LG enV is a high-quality messaging and multimedia cell phone.
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CNET editors' review
LG enV VX9900 - orange (Verizon Wireless) price range: $7.99
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 11/27/2006
The good: The LG enV offers an impressive feature set, an easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard, and decent call quality.
The bad: The enV's streaming video quality could be better, and the boxy design has its quirks. Also, its external display is small and not very useful.
The bottom line: The design still isn't perfect, but the LG enV is a high-quality messaging and multimedia cell phone.
The new LG enV for Verizon Wireless has been one of the most anticipated cell phones of the autumn season. As the successor to the popular LG VX9800, the enV (or VX9900) inherits its predecessor's QWERTY keyboard, high-end feature set, and admirable performance while offering a number of refinements that make it both new and improved. Again, we have some design complaints, but for messaging and multimedia addicts who've outgrown a T-Mobile Sidekick, the enV is a solid choice. For now it's priced quite fairly at $150 with service.
Design
LG must have learned from its previous mistakes when it designed the enV. Yes, the phone is still boxy like the VX9800, but smoother lines give it a sleeker and more professional look. At 4.64x2.08x0.78 inches, it's thinner and narrower than its predecessor (4.57x1.97x1.0 inches) even if it is a tad taller. And though it's still hefty at 4.6 ounces, it is noticeably lighter than the VX9800 (5.19 ounces) and feels more comfortable in the hand. As with the VX9800, you can talk on the enV while it is open, but it's rather awkward to do so.
The 65,000-color external display has the same color resolution as on the VX9800, but at 1.25 inches diagonally, it's actually smaller. Though we get that a smaller phone means a smaller screen, we suggest that users with visual impairments should test the phone first. You can use it to navigate through the phone's menus, but the small screen size means we had to do a lot of scrolling to find the feature we wanted. Also, since not all menu options are available, we had to open the phone repeatedly just to access certain applications. In standby mode, it shows the date, time battery life, signal strength, and photo caller ID. You can change the backlight time and the dialing font size.
The camera lens and flash sit on the back of the phone, and this time LG added a lens cover--nice. As with the VX9800, the phone's ergonomics are like that of a real camera--particularly when you hold it horizontally. Again, there's a dedicated camera shutter control on the left spine, and we're glad to see the volume rocker adjusts the zoom instead of changing the orientation, as it did on the VX9800. The former arrangement was just awkward. The external display is your camera viewfinder, but it's worth noting that unlike those of most cell phones, the display has a landscape orientation. That means you must flip the phone on its side to take portrait shots instead of the other way around.
The navigation array and keypad buttons show improvements as well. Besides having a more spacious overall layout, they're also bigger and more tactile. The four-way toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, while an OK button sits in the center. There are also two soft keys, the Talk and End/Power controls, and a Clear key. The latter also functions as the voice-dialing button, which is a bit strange. A side-mounted voice-dialing control would be much more intuitive. The text on the keypad buttons is a tad small, but the buttons are brightly backlit. Fortunately, they're also raised above the surface of the phone, and it's easy to dial by feel. Completing the exterior of the enV are a volume rocker and a camera-shutter control on the left spine. Both controls were tactile and easy to find by feel. The memory card slot--now Micro SD instead of Mini SD--hasn't been moved from the right spine nor has the headset jack just above it. The covered charger port is on the bottom of the enV.
The hinge mechanism has a solid construction, and we like that it opens a full 180 degrees. Yet due to the bulge of the camera lens and the new way the hinge opens (the front flap now wraps behind the rear flap), you can't rest the phone on a table evenly. That is annoying. What's more, it's difficult to use the left spine controls unless the phone is completely open.
The enV's 2.25-inch, 62,000-color internal screen is on a par with its predecessor. It's bright and vivid with readable text, and it's great for viewing graphics and taking photos. You can change the backlighting time, and we were glad to see LG add several choices for the font, size, and color. In an unexpected twist, the main menu page uses icons instead of the tabs found on Verizon's standard interface. It's a nice change, considering that we've never warmed to the tabs, although once you're inside a submenu, the dreaded tabs appear again. Stereo speakers sit on both sides of the display.
The internal navigation array is again set just to the left of the QWERTY keyboard. It's almost unchanged except that it's now black instead of silver. The toggle and central OK button are large and easy to use, and the toggle can be set as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. You also get another set of Talk and End/Power buttons, while in a smart move, LG separated the Clear button and the speakerphone control into two separate keys. The thin soft keys just below the display still are a bit small, but due to the new placement of the hinge, they're no longer scrunched up next to the display. The extra room makes them more tactile and comfortable to use. Though the placement of the aforementioned OK button way to the left of the display was a bit disconcerting on the VX9800, we're used to it by now.
LG did a minor overhaul of the QWERTY keypad with satisfying results. The keys felt more tactile, and we liked that they are square rather than oval. Here again, there are dedicated Shift, symbol, and Enter keys, but LG ditched the VX9800's menu shortcuts control in favor of a new E-mail button that gives one-touch access to the wireless sync feature. LG also added a second space bar to the left of the Z button, but we'd prefer it to be in the middle as it is on the Sidekick.
Features
The enV's feature set is impressive and offers some goodies not available on the VX9800. But first, we'll address the basics. The 1,000-contact phone book (double the capacity of the VX9800) has room in each entry for six phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and notes. You can save contacts to groups and pair them with a photo and one of 18 polyphonic ring tones. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, voice commands and dialing, instant messaging, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a notepad, a tip calculator, and a voice memo. For more demanding users, the enV also comes with e-mail, wireless syncing, a speakerphone, and text-to-speech dictation. Bluetooth 1.2 is onboard as well with profiles for headsets, dial-up networking, file transfer, object push, and A2DP stereo sound.
As an EV-DO phone, the enV supports the full range of Verizon's 3G services including the V Cast video service and the V Cast music store. The music player's interface is identical to those on other Verizon phones, but it's worth noting that you can't access the V Cast or music downloading menus from the external display. You also have the option to purchase a variety of Verizon applications including VZ Navigator, ChaperoneParent, and Backup Assistance and a host of alternative services such as Fox Sports Mobile Pro and Accuweather. There's even an application called TinyBartender that will give you drink recipes on the fly. And of course Verizon's Get it Now Internet service has even more programming choices.
The enV's 2-megapixel camera is impressive and comes stocked with a wealth of options. You can take pictures in four resolutions (1,600x1,200, 1,280x960, 640x480, 320x240) and choose from four color effects and four white-balance settings. There's also a 2.5x digital zoom (unusable at the highest resolution), a brightness control, a night mode, a self-timer, and three shutter sounds (plus a silent option). The autofocus is a particularly nifty feature; it helped us to the keep the phone steady and eliminated blurriness when taking our shots. On the downside, you can access the photo-editing options only with the internal display, which is a bit inconvenient for self-portraits.
The camcorder takes clips with sound in two resolutions (320x240 and 176x144) with editing options similar to those of the still camera. Clips meant for multimedia messages are limited to 15 seconds; otherwise you can shoot for up to an hour. Speaking of which, the enV comes with 64MB of shared memory for saving photos, but you're better off saving to a memory card. Photo quality was quite good overall. Colors remained bright, and object outlines were distinct--we could even read text from a computer screen in one of our shots. There was also enough brightness, though the flash hardly helped in darker situations. Videos were decent if you held the camera steady, but it couldn't handle quick movements.
You can personalize the enV with a variety of included wallpapers, display themes, clock formats, and sounds, or you can buy more options if you want them. There are no included games, but you can always buy titles via the WAP 2 wireless Web browser; just remember that Verizon uses BREW instead of Java. In yet another change from the VX9800, the enV's QWERTY keypad has five keys colored in gray that you can use for playing selected games.
Performance
We
Within San Francisco, reception was strong, and the EV-DO connection was solid. Games and files downloaded in seconds, and Web browsing was speedy. Streaming video quality over the V Cast network was average--improved over the LG Chocolate but not quite as good as the LG VX8300. The stereo speakers provided great sound that was in sync with the images, but the video itself was rather pixelated and choppy, even on the sizeable internal display. Overall, though, it's fine for short stints, and we were pleased the streaming clips never froze or paused. On the upside, music quality was more consistent. The audio was loud and clear both through the phone's stereo speakers and through a headset. The music downloading service was sluggish occasionally, but it wasn't bothersome.
The LG enV (VX9800) has a rated talk time battery life of 4 hours and 30 minutes and a tested talk time of 4 hours and 45 minutes. It has a promised standby time of 19 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the enV has a digital SAR rating of 0.7 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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I love this phone
by Laz336 on August 31, 2007
Pros: Unique color, Easy to use keyboard, GREAT battery life, ease of use.
Cons: Video Quality, lack of protection when laid down, phone has to be open to use speaker phone.
Summary: I love this phone. This has been my favorite phone from all the ones i've had from Verizon. I love the color its very different. This phone has a ...
Summary: I love this phone. This has been my favorite phone from all the ones i've had from Verizon. I love the color its very different. This phone has a great battery life which is important to me. The keyboard is easy to use with good size buttons. The only things I didnt like too much but defenitly doesnt out way the good is the video quality on the VCAST is not the best quality but I dont really care about VCAST its not even worth it, you have to pay for most things on top of paying $ 15.00 for VCAST. The other thing that bothers me is that when you lay the phone down the first thing to touch is the circle that opens the camera lens making it easy to scratch. Finally the last thing that bothers me but its not a big deal is that to use the speaker phone you have to have the phone open. Overall this is a great phone and I defenitly recommend it, its awesome. The cons are not a big deal at all im just picky like that.
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great phone with lots of extras
by vanhate on November 4, 2007
Pros: 3rd party Contact & Calendar sync is cheap and works well
Cons: Haven't found a way to sync my e-mail without paying Big Brother(Verizon) for the wireless sync service
Summary: This was my first foray into the world of LG for a cell phone. My previous 4 had been Samsungs and I loved their quality and features.
This time however, ...Summary: This was my first foray into the world of LG for a cell phone. My previous 4 had been Samsungs and I loved their quality and features.
This time however, I needed a phone that could sync with my Outlook calendar and contacts. For a mere $20.00, I got a usb cable and the software is actually FREE on the internet (www.bitpim.org).
I love this phone, the internet is faster than my previous phones and the keyboard is wonderful for messaging. I only wish I could sync my e-mail without paying Verizon a monthly fee (extortion) to do it wirelessly. I'm sure that someone will come out with a solution in the near future though.
All in all, this is a wonderful multimedia phone with many features and is solidly built.
Also, you can download the Verizon music manager software for free from their website and sync your personal mp3's! Why they try to get you to pay $35 for the software and a ysb cable is beyond me.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Be aware - you can't increase font size!
by abece278 on December 19, 2007
Pros: Great keypad, large inside screen, excellent sound quality, long battery life
Cons: Small front buttons, can't increase font size
Summary: I loved the internal keypad on this phone for text messaging, the sound quality was great and the battery life was also outstanding. However, I returned the phone after two ...
Summary: I loved the internal keypad on this phone for text messaging, the sound quality was great and the battery life was also outstanding. However, I returned the phone after two weeks because it does not allow you to adjust the font size. The front screen is basically worthless, you can't make the clock or the date large enough to read, they are literally about a 4 point font. And even on the large internal screen you cannot increase the font size so if I was walking or heaven forbid - driving, it was impossible to read texts. I am 33 years old with 20/20 vision and never felt I had trouble seeing things before, but this literally drove me crazy because I would have to stop what I was doing and steady the phone in order to read a message. And that takes the fun out of having the great keyboard to send messages so easily! Such a simple option I can't believe LG did not include it, but I had to switch over to another phone that I can read more easily. I also had trouble with the down arrow key on the front and often found myself hitting the button underneath it when I meant to hit the down arrow button. It is also quite a large bulky phone which I wasn't wild about. If none of these issues would bother you, then this is a great phone. Good luck!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Had this phone for a week, so far it rocks!
by fuzzyweezerman on December 2, 2007
Pros: keyboard, internal screen, call quality, speakers, color, feels durable, camera, lens cover
Cons: outside keypad, verizon insists upon squeezing every last penny out of you, headphone jack doesn't support my headphones
Summary: My previous phone was quickly becoming useless, so I decided to cough up the extra $100 and get a phone with some real features. Low and behold, the LG enV ...
Summary: My previous phone was quickly becoming useless, so I decided to cough up the extra $100 and get a phone with some real features. Low and behold, the LG enV does absolutely everything I would want in a phone, and does it extremely well. I'll highlight some of the important parts:
Design:
I hear a lot of people complaining that "the outside screen's too small" and "the outside keypad sucks". Well, that's why you DON'T USE IT! The inside features a perfectly spaced keypad (although I do hit accidental keys every once in a while) and the screen is huge and optimal for messaging. The orange color is absolutely sweet, although sometimes I don't quite like how fingerprints are drawn to the screen.
Another big point against the enV is its size. Well, it may not be as thin as a razr or as narrow as a juke, but I don't think the size is particularly impairing. Unless you wear pants with only half-an-inch deep pockets, there should be no trouble fitting it in. With the weight, it's actually lighter than I thought it was going to be.
Camera:
The camera rocks as well. You can take pictures with the phone opened or closed, and the use of the volume rocker as the zoom button makes it feel much like using a real camera. The 2 megapixels are also used to great effect, the pictures are super sharp and crisp. One thing I didn't like is how long the autofocus feature takes, sometimes you have to wait a few seconds until the picture is taken.
Multimedia:
The speakers on the inside are great, and even though I haven't been able to load any music on yet (still have to go get a microSD card), I can imagine it would sound very good. The fact that my own headphones won't fit in the jack (you probably have to buy special ones) is annoying, but at least the speakers make up for it a little.
However, this comes to my biggest complaint, and it's not about the phone. Verizon's penny-sucking strategy involves giving you a plethora of cool features, then waiting until you try to use them to tell you that you're being charged for it. It may sound pretty cheap, but in a month of using navigator, vcast, instant messenger, buying games, tones, music, videos, surfing the web, and checking email, there's going to be quite a sum of money on your bill. Verizon needs to consider at least being a little generous, and offer at least a few services for free use in small sessions.
All in all, this phone is perfect for anyone who messages a lot, loves music, needs a nice camera in a phone, and doesn't mind a little extra bulge in their pocket. With the voyager coming out, it's also coming down in price quickly.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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LOVE this phone!!!
by Copswife80 on August 17, 2007
Pros: Keyboard, large inner screen, get it now for ringtones, good battery life, etc...
Cons: I haven't noticed any cons to be honest!!!
Summary: I love this phone and I have had several phones in the past. The Phone I had before this one was a pink motorola razor. This phone is soo much ...
Summary: I love this phone and I have had several phones in the past. The Phone I had before this one was a pink motorola razor. This phone is soo much better than my razor by far!!!! I love the keyboard. I hated using the phone pad to txt and the keyboard on this makes it so much easier and faster to txt. The battery life on this is SOOO much better than my razor. I can hear good out of the speakers with it close or opened. I love the fact that it automacially put the phone on the keyguard within a few sec and that you can change that if you want. I also love the color of it. I am not an ordinary person and dont want my phone to be either so I love the orange. I also love the fact it has get it now for the ringtones. It also is bluetooth capable but I don't ever use my bluetooth. This is a great phone by far the best one I have ever had.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Phone
by jsavoy22 on July 8, 2009
Pros: easy to text
Cons: battery could last a little longer
Summary: I had this phone for two years and I didn't want to let it go. I love it.
Summary: I had this phone for two years and I didn't want to let it go. I love it.
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ehh if you want a simple phone buythe env.
by brittpc7 on July 4, 2009
Pros: Fabulous for texting.very easy and spacious.Takes pretty good pictures.
& can record videos for up to 10 or 20 minutes..Cons: front interface is VERY small.buttons in front are WAY to small! sometimes is freezes & inner interface could be bigger.
Summary: If your gunna get an env get the touch or the 3rd. The env sucks major egg.
all i do is text im hoping to uprgrade to the touch or ...Summary: If your gunna get an env get the touch or the 3rd. The env sucks major egg.
all i do is text im hoping to uprgrade to the touch or 3rd or maybe even the motorola rival idk but this phone is mediocre. -
Not even worth the hassle, seriously.
by babygirlll90 on February 18, 2009
Pros: The QWERTY Keyboard is probably the only good feature on this phone.
Cons: Everything else.
Summary: So I've noticed everyone else is doing a reveiw after only having it for several weeks to a month, wait a little longer. Sure, its a cute phone. I ...
Summary: So I've noticed everyone else is doing a reveiw after only having it for several weeks to a month, wait a little longer. Sure, its a cute phone. I was SO excited when I first got it. I had gotten it used from a friend so after about a month I started having minor problems with it, whatever no big deal. Well then the charging port began to come loose and got all wiggley, so it had difficulty charging. So I took it to Verizon and they had me pay $50 for a refurbished phone. It worked fine for about 2 weeks, and then the charging port began to screw up again. At first I just had to be gentle when I plugged it in to make sure I didn't knock the charger out of place. Now I have to physically hold the charger into the phone at an upward sideways angle or it will not charge. As soon as I sit the phone down, it stops charging. And I've even noticed sometimes the battery symbol will completely disappear all together, there will just be a blank open spaces where the battery meter should be. As times gone on, the problems have been getting worse. The other day I had to fight with my phone for over 3 full hours just to turn it on. It would start to turn on and the phone would just 'freeze' on the Verizon logo screen, or sometimes the entire screen would just turn light blue, both inside and outside screen. Its a cute phone to show off, but overall its a TERRIBLE phone. I'm planning on switching to the Voyager, for the similar keyboard since I text alot. Unfortunately I'm not due for an upgrade until November, so I'll probably have to pay full price. But anything is worth getting rid of this TERRIBLE enV.
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Good phone but still some problems.
by nickm_03 on January 15, 2009
Pros: i like that you are able to save pic messages with sounds attached directly as a ringtone. most phones will not allow you to do this. also i love the full qwerty key pad. this phone comes with many options and overall it was an ok phone
Cons: got this phone in nov. 2006. from then to now ive had five of the same phone because the charging port inside the phone becomes loose over time and eventually will fall out and not let you charge the phone. there were many glitches as well
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This is a great phone.
by rdystgo on August 8, 2008
Pros: Good pics, easy texting
Cons: It would be great if it were thinner.
Summary: It could be a little thinner, but works fantastic! Takes good quality pics. When charging, don't try using or moving...it will ruin the plug-in unit in the phone.
Summary: It could be a little thinner, but works fantastic! Takes good quality pics. When charging, don't try using or moving...it will ruin the plug-in unit in the phone.
Product series
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LG enV VX9900 - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, 325 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.6 oz
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LG enV VX9900 - orange (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs:
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LG enV VX9900 - green (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800, 325 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.6 oz
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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