LG enV3 Slate Blue Cell Phone
Overview
What’s good: Battery warrior, great internal and external keypads
What’s bad: Using camera while QWERTY keyboard is open results in a challenge.
Introduction
When one thinks back to the original bland and bulky LG enV, it’s evident that the company’s latest devices are designed to integrate form and functionality as much as possible. Following some of the design cues of the enV2, the LG enV3 offers a more stylish form factor with improved features across the board. For those carrying older versions, is it worth the upgrade? Can another text messaging device compete in the market? Continue reading to find out.
Design & Features
A number of improvements can be seen in the enV3. Though it retains the general form factor of its predecessor, the device offers a curvier body, a texturized back, a better keyboard inside and out, and a 3.0-megapixel camera. Available in blue and red, the enV3 clocks in at 4.11" x 2.13" x 0.65" and weighs 3.77 ounces, making it a comfortable phone to hold. Wireless carriers have become famous for their minimalist packaging, and it’s no different with the enV3. Upon opening the box, a charger, USB cable (which doubles as part of the charger), and instruction manuals can be found.
Though the external display offers 65,000 colors and 160x96 pixels, the internal display is far more vibrant, sporting 262,000 colors and 320x240 pixels. Both displays looked great; on the external display, it was easy to add contacts and perform other text-related tasks, and we enjoyed the themes and icons. From this display, the address book, messages, recent calls, pictures, music, Bluetooth menu, and key guard can be accessed. The camera can be used on the external display for the purpose of taking pictures, however the user must open the flip in order to view the gallery. For those concerned about pocket dialing, the enV3 offers a key lock, where the user can set it to activate every 7, 15, or 30 seconds. In addition to the external functions, the internal display looked fantastic, and is where a majority of the enV3’s functions are performed.
The left side of the device contains the camera button and the volume rocker, whereas the right side offers a 2.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot. A microUSB charging port is located on the bottom of the phone.
Usability & Performance
The enV3 comes preloaded with themes and wallpaper for the internal and external displays. Internally, the user can choose from “Slick Black,” “White,” “Spotlight,” and “Blue Sky” themes. Externally, “Sapphire” and “Snow” can be selected. In addition to the themes, there are various wallpaper options for both displays. The enV3 is a media-centric device, offering V CAST with Rhapsody, V CAST Video for live clips, and an MP3 player that supports MP3, WMA, unprotected AAC, and AAC+ formats. VZ Navigator is also available.
One of the strongest points about the enV3 is the HTML browser. Using it, the user can browse the web, zoom in and out, and view RSS feeds. The problem centers around the method of entering URL’s – there is no dedicated place for entry. The user must go back to the “Verizon VZWGoto” website to enter the URL. As a result, it slows down the experience and makes it frustrating for those who rely on web browsing on a regular basis.
Both the internal and the external keyboards are fantastic. The external keyboard is an improvement over previous enV devices; equally sized keys and a curved design make it easier to type. On the inside, the QWERTY keypad has an ergonomic feel to it and offers larger keys to boot. Users with larger fingers may complain that the enV3 is awkward to type on. Fortunately, based on our experience with the device, we have a solution. Open the device to a 180-degree position, and place both index fingers on the lip that is created by the opening (where the camera button and volume rocker are) and commence typing. Using that approach, we found it much easier to type at regular speeds.
The enV3 offers a 3.0-megapixel camera with a flash. While it takes decent video and pictures, it’s certainly not a replacement to a traditional camera. A problem we encountered was the placement of the lens. Thanks to it being on the left side of the device, the way the user must hold the phone often blocks the camera. Obviously, there are ways to get around it, but it requires holding the phone in a strange manner and may make videos and pictures blurry.
We tested the reception on the device, and were pleased with the outcome. Calls sound great, and our callers couldn’t tell that we were using a cell phone. Minus some occasional distortions, the speakerphone was strong as well. In regards to battery life, the enV3 is a warrior. Rated at 5.5 hours of talk time and just over 19 days of standby time, we were able to get 5 hours of continuous talk time and 3 days of combined use. For light to moderate users, the device could easily last 3-5 days.
Conclusion
The LG enV3 is a fantastic device, and is a worthy upgrade to the previous enV devices. For those on the fence, we recommend the upgrade. Minus the minor web browsing URL issue and the potential issues surrounding the camera, the device is solid. For those in need of a good, feature rich text messaging device, the only decision to make is which color to purchase!Read full review » Noah takes a look at Verizon's current lineup as of September 2009. First up: Low-end and messaging phones. Which enV do you enV more when u r enVious? LG enV3 vs enV Touch. Verizon dogfight! LG dropped three new Verizon phones this week. Here's one of them, the enV3. Two screens, QWERTY, messaging, Email, Web - you know the deal. $129 on contract. Motivated by the creative comments from our last "Top Five" segment, the idea of creating a new top five list seemed quite appealing (okay, Noah's top five lists were a deciding factor too - always good to have friendly competition, right?). But why stop at a top five phone list? Instead, why not make it carrier based? Wireless devices can differ dramatically from carrier to carrier, so, realizing the importance of this; I decided to...
Most Recent Winner - Congratulations to R. Tanner of Mississippi who won a brand new LG enV3 @ 10:19PM on Tuesday July 28th 2009. "Oh my gosh! i cant believe i won! im so happy! thank you phonedog!!" 1. LG enV Touch - Verizon
The successor to the popular LG Voyager has so much going for it, it really blurs the line between "feature phone" and "smartphone." Featuring a 3.5mm headphone jack, a more responsive touchscreen and nicer UI than Voyager, and Web browser that's arguably better than the ones found on many smartphones, enV Touch just about does it all. If you can live without WiFi and smartphone-style PC syncing, enV Touch brings... Overview What’s good: Battery warrior, great internal and external keypadsWhat’s bad: Using camera while QWERTY keyboard is open results in a challenge.
Introduction When one thinks back to the original bland and bulky LG enV, it’s evident that the company’s latest devices are designed to integrate form and functionality as much as possible. Following some of the design cues of the enV2, the LG enV3 offers a more stylish form factor with... LG invited me to compete in the Bloggers' portion of this year's LG U.S. National Texting Championship. As most of you who watch my videos know, I don't exactly possess the world's fastest thumbs. So it should come as no surprise that I did not advance to the finals in New York City later this month.But LG was kind enough to send me off with a "Thank You For Playing Parting Gift." And better yet, it's a present for you, not for... Carrier: Verizon WirelessRetail Price: $179.99Contract Price: $129.99Hot Features: Email, GPS, IMThe LG enV3 is the updated model of their popular enV2. The enV3 highlights a 3.0MP camera with camcorder, great messaging features, and GPS technology. Pros: Everthing this phone had everything i was looking for great call quality and camera. The threaded messaging is great and rival to that of the iphone. Cons: I dont see anything wrong with it Summary: This is the best phone i have ever seen or had the pleasure of using. It has better call quality than any cell phone i have ever used. It also has the best camera for a phone ever 2 out of 5 people found this review helpful Pros: -Full qwerty keyboard is great for texting -Internal screen is large and great for viewing pictures, messages and videos. -Nice 3 megapixel camera with flash for better quality pictures Cons: -Small external screen...very hard to read messages or view pictures -Call sound quality is VERY poor...sounds like the person you're talking to is in a tin can or has something covering their mouth (talked to owners of enV2 and they have the same problem with their phone) -Volume doesn't go high enough...hard to hear callers or sound from music or videos Summary: Overall, I like this phone. It's excellent for someone like me who texts more than talks. If you are a talker...I do NOT recommend this phone. 3 out of 18 people found this review helpful id say go with the touch pro 2 i no thats not what you asked for but is has a full qwerty and full touchscreen Hey, if anybody has the enV touch, is it worth it to get the phone if you dont have internet, or do you think its better to go with the enV 3 instead? And if i do get internet, are there any free apps and stuff that we can download??? env3 no doubt its worth the extra money and look at all ur options cause u can opt out of ur contact and get either phone for about 250 200 early termination 50 phone
EXCELENT!
Thank you for the reply and I hope other people find this a useful feature. The lg enV3 does have that feature. You have to go into settings and tools go into sound settings and select call sounds. You then select caller id announcement go down to name repeat if you just wan the name repeated or caller id + ring if you want the ringtone after it says the name. I just upgraded from the origonal env to the env3 and one of the features of the old phone was that it will speak the person's name or the incoming phone number when I recieve a call or message. I can not for the life of me remember how I turned it on on the old phone and I can't find where to enable that on the env3. If someone knows how to turn this on or if the env3 even has this ability, your help would be apreciated. The env3 is so much more worth it than the env2. Today I had almost bought an EnV3, but I see now how much better it is over the EnV2. Bigger screens, and easier texting, and calling features (at the push of a button you can have your top 10 contacts of your choice), and an easy text messaging button. It is slightly taller, but still worth the extra money i think even though the env3 is exspensive it is soooooo worth the money cause the env2 is cool but the small screen on the front can get annoying and the screen on the inside is a little bit smaller than the one on the env3 !!!!and the env3 has a full D-pad on the front and the env2 does NOT!!!!! i say go with the env3 its prob the best choice if you're looking for a qwerty device its prob what u would want!!!!! and works VERY... I'm currently in the middle of a 2 year VZW plan, and i own the LG Dare, which frankly, i cannot stand. I really want a QWERTY device like my old original enV, and i plan to buy one on ebay and activate it on my account, but I can't decide if it's worth it to pay 300+ dollars for an enV3 when i could get an enV2 for less than $200. What should i do? Buying choicesWith new service  With pre-paid service This item is not being sold with a pre-paid service service plan by any online merchant. Purchase phone only Accessories Purchase compatible accessories for this phone Ringtones & MediaShop for compatible mobile content for this phone
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