A slim compact LG enV3, a Verizon messaging phone manufactured by LG, was released in 2009. It is an imposing feature-packed phone, which may be considered as a high-class digital device for its users as much as it possesses two bright displays, a large standard keyboard, easy-to-use controls, as well as a 3-megapixel camera/camcoder, providing diverse shot modes, and an enhanced HTML browser.
LG enV3 is a successor of LG enV2, which favorably differed from its both predecessors, namely LG VX9800 and LG EnV VX9900, by its styling as much as it was slimmer, lighter and more pocketable. The enV3 looks as elegant as its predecessor the enV2 with about the same size, but in fact it seems smaller in hand owing to its more rounded edges. The cost of the LG enV3 phone is about $130.00, almost the same as the LG enV2. Besides a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate are offered.
Design
As for the design of LG enV3, it is similar to the preceding LG enV2. Externally, looking like a wide thin rectangular with a display, not very big, and a numeric keypad, it resembles a calculator. It is easy and convenient to handle both opened and closed due to its sizes: 4.11 inches long, 2.13 inches wide and 0.65 inches thick. Being a little bit longer than the enV2, the enV3’s weight is equal to 3.77ounces which is lighter in comparison with the enV2 version’s weight of 4.23 ounces.
When closed, LG enV3 reminds you a calculator with an external 1.56-inch display, which is slightly larger than the enV2 (1.45 inches). The external display contains the most significant information such as date, time, battery charging, signal strength, as well as a photo of a caller ID in case it is uploaded. In addition when using the player, you can see which track is currently playing. It also functions like a camera viewfinder. With support of 65,000 colors and 160x96 pixel resolution the external display vividly transmits the animation effects and looks beautiful and bright.
The small size of the screen does not permit to show the whole menu, but in order to make selection among the basic functions of the phone, a player, for example, you can use a scroll. Besides, the small display is not so convenient for work with more sophisticated and innovative applications like Web browsers, an instant messaging ICQ, e-mail, V cast video, VZ Navigator. In this case the enV3 is to be opened for a larger 2.6-inch display. Despite the fact that there is no self-portrait mirror, you can make a photo of yourself as far as the external display can function as your self-portrait viewfinder, provided you select the Dual Display option in the settings of the camera. Herewith, the phone is to be opened though it can be not so convenient.
There is a navigation arrangement below the screen, and it differs a little bit from the enV2 one. As a substitute for ordinary up-and-down arrows there is a circular D-pad in the center. Along with that you can find a specially designed Contacts button; a Clear button, Send and End/Power buttons. A Clear button functions as well as the voice command and the voice recorder shortcut. Besides, the circular D-pad, when in waiting condition, doubles as shortcuts for the menus of Bluetooth, Messaging, My Music, as well as for the gallery of snapshots.
A flat-surfaced and rather sizeable numeric keypad is located under the navigation array. Slightly curved lines outline and separate rows of number keys, which makes the keypad look more elegant. With the help of a numeric pad you can also write a short text message by means of T9 entry or using the ABC scheme, though it is not handy as with the QWERTY keyboard inside the device. Keep in view, that there is a little or no texture diversity among the keys, which makes it difficult to dial by touch.
On the lateral surfaces of the enV3 there are located: the dedicated camera button and volume adjuster on the left; a micro SD memory card slot and a 2.5mm headset jack on the right. On the bottom side you can see the charger jack, and on the back – the 3.0-megapixel camera lens, as well as a LED flash.
Once it's opened, the enV3 has a larger main display and a full QWERTY keyboard. Compared with the en V2, the size of the internal display has increased in size from 2.4 inches to 2.6 inches and retains resolution of 320x340 pixels. Images on a colorful screen are clear-cut and vibrant, and look nice, as the display supports 262,000 colors. In addition, it features the ability to adjust the time and brightness of the backlight depending on the surrounding light level, but the user can also select Auto Brightness. Besides the battery charging screen, the menu interface, display themes can be corrected. Actually the enV3 opens up to 180 degrees, which is apropos the only way to come at the camera button and volume adjuster on the left side of the phone.
The full compact QWERTY keyboard has been redesigned and looks pleasant and airy with its large widely-spaced keys for easy texting, which is perfect for power text messengers. The buttons are slightly lifted above the surface and a little bit larger than of the enV2 ones. Each key is easy for pressing. Besides there is a dedicated Favorites button to connect with the most frequent contacts in a flash, a dedicated text messaging key to open a blank text message, and standard Shift and Symbol buttons. The 2, Q, W, 3, and S buttons are highlighted in blue, as they are needed for games. A very good design improvement, in contrast to the enV2 with its two space-bar keys on the right and left sides of the keyboard, the enV3 has one space-bar in the center.
To the right of the keyboard there is a navigation array composed of the classic Send and End/Power keys, a four-sided four-way D-pad with an OK button in the middle, a Clear button, and a speakerphone key. Three directions, namely up, down and left, on the D-pad can be set for three customer-assigned shortcuts, whilst the right direction is mapped to the My Shortcuts menu, which in its turn can be defined by user up to four shortcuts. There is also a QWERTY keyboard shortcut, which allows by simple pushing any button of the QWERTY to activate a contact search, a new note or a new text message.
Features
Functional capabilities of the LG enV3 are much better than the ones of the enV2. Advances embrace a vibration mode, voice commands, dialing functionality, a calendar, a world clock, an alarm clock, a notepad, mobile instant messenger (AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo), a tip calculator, a voice memo recorder, an integrated speakerphone, which makes your handsfree communication easier, and Bluetooth. Bluetooth technology establishes a high-quality wireless connection with PC and other devices supporting the Bluetooth standard. It allows you to download to your phone new ringtones and logos, send and receive e-mails, sync data between your phone and computer, stream your music to compatible devices like Bluetooth stereo headphones.
And the most essential is the phone book capacity, containing 1000 entries for input contacts. Each entry has room for five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses plus for a place of residence. You can arrange your contacts into groups, assign for each one a photo or one of 23 polyphonic ringtones for caller ID.
For convenience and pleasure of customers in the “Blogs” segment of the Messaging menu you can enter your social network e-mail address, whereby you can upload your video or pictures directly to Facebook or My Space to keep your friends informed.
E-mail is provided in three versions, namely mobile e-mail, mobile corporate e-mail and mobile Web e-mail. The cost of mobile e-mail application is $5 and it provides you POP3 access to e-mail services from Verizon, Windows Live, Yahoo, AOL etc.; mobile corporate e-mail allows to access to your work e-mail and calendar, but so as to receive corporate e-mail you should register in RemoSync for a monthly subscription at the cost of $9.99. For using the corporate e-mail version you should know your company’s mail Exchange server address as the option operates with Microsoft ActiveSync; and mobile Web e-mail providing shortcut access to a number of Web-mail services such as AOL Mail, Yahoo Mail, and Windows Live. The Web browser can be unlocked by this option.
In addition, a large USB mass storage, GPS supported by VZ Navigator, e-mail reading and visual voice mail playing are offered to the most promoted users. You should keep in mind that the cost of the Verizon visual voice mail service makes up $3 per month.
One more improvement in LG enV3 is a real-time user interface, in fact a Web portal creating a connection with a variety of Web channels and information resources like weather, news, ESPN, entertainment, community updates (leading to Facebook and MySpace shortcuts), and in addition to Verizon store, in which you can purchase ringtones and games. This interface is called Dashboard, and it is supported by Adobe Flash Cast, providing rich graphics with full-color pictures.
The most attractive in the Dashboard is a shortcut for a full HTML Web browser. This is very different from WAP browser in enV2 version. The HTML Web browser is undemanding and easy in use. Its capabilities are wide: searching throughout the pages, zooming in and out pages, inserting bookmarks, adjusting a screen view, learning the Internet History and subscribing to RSS feeds, which benefit users wishing to receive timely updates from favorite websites or to aggregate information from many sites. It seems that the only warning is that, if you wish to get an access to a real URL field on the top of the browser, you should apply to the Verizon VZWGoto site, from which you can enter the URL via a search box.
The LG enV3 can be used as a music player. Considering that there is EV-DO high-speed data standard in the enV3, the device provides fast access to the Internet and Verizon Wireless multimedia services, such as V Cast Music and V Cast Video. V Cast Music offers nearly two million songs, constantly updated, and this service let you download music immediately to your phone. The enV3 is also compatible with the Verizon Wireless V Cast Music with Rhapsody support, which provides an access to millions of songs in Rhapsody library, an exclusive digital music service. It functions well with the built-in player so as you are able to buy and download songs immediately to the player. It is not a free service. The cost of each song is $1.99, including also a download to your PC. The V Cast Video service allows streaming and downloading to your device video clips from different sources of entertainment, weather, news, including CBS and CNN providers.
The enV3’s music player interface displays an album art standing out near the singer and album name, and also the track title. You can easily create and manage custom playlists on the phone, synchronize the songs from your computer via USB cable, or do it with the Rhapsody service, if available, put the songs on repeat or rearranging, choose one of six previously set equalizer tunings, or simply mute the player. Once in-flight and you need to off the phone’s signal, you can adjust the Music Only mode. The music player is compatible with WMA, MP3, AAC+, and unprotected AAC formats. The enV3 can support up to 16GB of removable memory through its micro SD card slot.
An important improvement is the 3.0-megapixel camera of the LG enV3, compared with the 2.0-megapixel one of the LG enV2. The camera can snap still pictures in five resolutions starting from 320x240 pixels, 640x480, 1,280x960, 1,600x1,200 and up to a maximum of 2,048x1,536 pixels. Besides, it features brightness and white balance settings. The enV3 features four specific shooting modes. They are Smile shot, Panorama shot, Intelligent shot, and Dual Display shot. Smile shot automatically takes a picture when it detects smiling people: Panorama shot stitches together three photos taken in sequence from left to right and creates one shot of a wide view; Intelligent shot detects the environmental conditions and automatically arranges the best settings of colors; Dual Display shot switches on the external display for you to take a self portrait. The flash can be on and off; a self-timer can be adjusted or one of three shutter sounds can be chosen. Assessing the quality of the photos, it should be noted that the images are clear and sharp, but colors sometimes seem a little bit blurry and leave much to be desired. So pictures are good but not excellent.
Video clips as short as 30 seconds or as long as an hour or so can be taken with a built-in camcorder. Record is done in two resolutions: 320x240 and 176x144. Video quality can be assessed as satisfactory, but short video clips are good enough for putting in Facebook or YouTube.
Performance
The LG enV3 is a reliable phone in terms of voice calls. Users can enjoy loud and clear conversation. Voices from both callers come loud and natural with no interference or delay. With the speakerphone sound quality does not differ and it is also pretty impressive.
Built-in stereo speakers provide very good audio quality. Sounds, created in the space around the phone, become more voluminous and loud enough, but the bass sounds are not as clear as it is desired. So if you wish to listen to music it would be better to use a wired or stereo Bluetooth headset.
The LG enV3 phone is considered as a powerful device, capable of holding up to normal everyday use. The battery life is excellent. The lithium-polymer battery is rated at 5.45 hours of talking time and 19.1 days of standby time.
