LG enV²™ in Black (Verizon Wireless)

Calls and speakerphone: We found calls for the most part to be loud on the LG enV2, though callers said they could hear a faint echo when we spoke. On our end, calls came through loud and clear. We did occasionally use the side volume keys to adjust the sound both up and down. Using the speakerphone didn’t degrade call quality, and we had no problem hearing callers over the speaker. Additionally, you don’t have to be too close to the cell phone when using the speakerphone to be heard clearly by callers.

Audio quality: Playback of songs is decent and not too tinny through the cell phone’s speakers. Since the speaker is on the back of the cell phone, songs did sound a bit better when the enV2 was place faced down on a flat surface. The LG enV2 has a standard cell phone headset jack (so you can’t you use your own stereo headphones with the cell phone). Since the LG enV2 supports Bluetooth stereo, you can also purchase an optional Bluetooth stereo headset if you want to listen to music without wires.

Menu/phone book: Like many Verizon Wireless cell phones, the LG enV2 has a standard menu system; if you're already accustomed to it, using this LG cell phone should be a breeze. That said, this is one of the more straightforward menu interfaces you’ll find on a cell phone. The external display sports an abbreviated version of the more in-depth menu options you’ll find on the internal screen. Rightfully so, there’s not much you’ll want to do with the cell phone closed except make calls and type a quick text.

We particularly like how easy it is to use the phone book, which can store 1,000 contacts, each with five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and a picture – sorry, there's no slot for addresses. If you want to find your phone number, you won’t find it in the contacts unless you manually enter it as a contact

Camera/video: The LG enV2 sports a 2-megapixel camera that can take photos and record short videos. Though this camera phone lacks a flash, we didn’t miss it much. However, we should note that pictures taken at night or in a dimly lit room don’t come out at all. Fortunately, the shutter on this camera is actually kind of fast so it snaps pictures at about the same time you press the camera button. While you can also snap self-portraits, there’s no mirror next to the lens to help you frame the shot- so you’re basically winging it. On the plus side, the entire screen turns into a viewfinder (similar to digital cameras), so it seems like you have more room to frame your photo when you use the internal display and less room when you snap shots when the cell phone is closed and you’re using the external display.

As for image quality, we found colors to be a bit washed out and details were not crisp. Video quality is acceptable but not stellar. You can record up to 30 seconds of video at a time. However, we should note that we had a much better experience when viewing videos via Verizon Wireless’ V Cast service. We should mention the internal screen is a bit small and videos were a bit pixilated.

Music: The LG enV2 sports an MP3 player and comes with 64MB of internal memory, so you can store a few songs (at least an album worth of tunes) and pictures on the cell phone. If you want more storage, we recommend buying an optional MicroSD media card, as this cell phone will support up to an 8GB MicroSD card. The easiest way to get music on this cell phone is to either download it directly from the web-based music service or load music on a MicroSD and just slip it into the slot. You can play MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and AAC (Apple’s music format) files on the MP3 player. As noted, the audio quality is decent through the cell phone speaker.

There’s not a ton you can do with the music on the LG enV2, since all you can do is skip forward and back between songs, play pre-created playlists and shuffle songs. There’s no repeat. Additionally, playing music through the cell phone did not drain battery life any faster. You can listen to music via Bluetooth stereo options. We particularly enjoyed pairing the enV2 with the Motorola T505 In-Car Speakerphone with Digital FM Transmitter and listening to songs stored on the cell phone over the car stereo.

Connectivity/Bluetooth: We were able to pair the LG cell phone with a Plantronics 925 Bluetooth headset. While you can turn the Bluetooth feature on when the cell phone is closed, you can only pair a cell phone by opening it up and doing it via the internal keys and screen We found call quality to be clear with a headset, and users didn’t know we were using a cell phone, let alone a headset.

Look and feel: When looking at the size of the LG enV2, the overall width and length is close to that of a credit card or license. It is, however, thicker than either of those two comparison items. That said, the cell phone isn’t enormously thick and comes in a bit thinner than the LG Voyager. This LG cell phone does take up some pocket real estate but it’s completely manageable. You just wouldn’t want to have your wallet and cell phone in the same pocket. Additionally, despite its black casing the LG enV2 is still fairly easy to find floating around a purse. The cell phone does feel comfortable when you hold it up to your ear or cradle it between ear and shoulder for longer calls. We should note that the base of the cell phone sits far from the mouth – this doesn’t have an adverse affect on call quality. Since the exterior of the cell phone only sports a three-line display its ability to attract face grease is negligible.

About that screen, the small external screen is not as bright as those found on higher-end models, though it’s hardly an issue since you will likely open up the cell phone to use any screen-intensive features. We found the internal screen a little hard to view in direct sunlight, but bright, crisp and easy to read indoors. Another plus is that the cell phone’s spine isn’t littered with extra buttons. The only buttons you’ll find are camera (which is placed perfectly for snapping shots when in picture mode), the volume keys, a 2.5mm headset jack, and the slot for an optional MicroSD card.

Keypad: If you’re in the market for a cell phone that has an easy-to-read numeric keypad, look no further than the LG enV2. The white backlit numbers are easy to discern. Instead of the typical 4-way navi-key found on most cell phones this one only sports up and down keys, which is all you need since there’s no reason to scroll through menus in any other way. There’s also a dedicated Music key to launch music and Clr key that backs you out of any menu. While we’re on the subject of keypads, we found the internal QWERTY keypad easy to use. Those keys did seem a little narrow they were well spaced and probably best for those with smaller hands. We did like that the symbols are laid out on the keys, so no scrolling through a menu to find a question mark – a nice plus. However, we were bothered by the placement of the Space, Return, Clear, and OK buttons. They are all close together, and we constantly selected the wrong keys and ended up sending one-word texts. That said, after a while, we became more accustomed to the layout.

In the battery life department, the LG enV2 didn’t disappoint. We found that the cell phone could last about four to five days before recharging when using the LG enV2 regularly to make calls, occasionally surf the wireless Web, and send/receive text messages. Users who barely use the cell phone to make/receive calls and send/receive messages can probably last about a week before needing to recharge, while heavier cell phone users will likely need to charge the LG enV2 every three days. We should also note that leaving the phone's Bluetooth activated does not have an adverse affect on the battery.

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