Buy This Product
Here is this product's obligatory page-long review. I drew some basic comparisons to two other Verizon phones -- the Samsung Omnia i910 and the LG Dare. I hope this review may ultimately save some of you some time. :)
I have been looking for a phone with a high-resolution, fast camera, and PDA-like features. I use the camera when traveling to clients' premises, and am surprised how many devices made by Apple, RIMM, Palm and others treat cell-phone cameras as an adolescent feature that wastes the time of employees (like surfing emails and internet cannot be abused this way). As someone who needs the coverage of the Verizon network in my area, not too many phones fit into the above two categories -- particularly without the need to buy a $30/month data plan. I intentionally delayed using my NE2, knowing that Verizon often releases phones in June. After nearly choosing the Samsung Omnia i910 and LG Dare, I'm glad I did.
I read in other Amazon reviews that some user's of the Sammy 910 made the effort to set the phone up properly so that they didn't have to dig through menus. But personally, I found the i910 very difficult to do almost anything, even with shortcuts right on its desktop, even after trying it out 6 times at Verizon stores. I'd hate to tell a relative, "Here's my phone, go make a call!" It's excellent 5mpix camera almost convinced me, but it was too hard to text in either landscape or portrait, and it requires the $30/mon data plan, plus has a non-standard headphone jack. The LG Dare was much simpler to pick-up an use, although (without having tried calibration adjustments) I found I made mistakes every time I did a sample text message with it's touch screen, in either orientation. The camera was also slow at times, especially when using auto-focus, taking as much as 2 seconds to take a picture, and more to wait for the camera to prompt you with the save/erase options.
Enter the enV Touch (and in some similar respects, the LG enV3 VX9200 Phone, Blue (Verizon Wireless) or the LG enV3 VX9200 Phone, Maroon (Verizon Wireless). Finally, a company has figured out a way to keep a real, non-touch-screen qwerty board embedded in an updated, semi-smart phone, especially for those of us who cannot or do not like haptic-feedback touch screens. Personally, I prefer the center-located space bar, although some of the older enV user's may need time to get used to this. The keyboard, with my fairly large, iron-grip hands, is easier to use than any touch screen keyboard I've tried, and the 3.2 megapixel camera is one of only a few Verizon phones that offers better than 3 megapix resolution -- shameful in my opinion. Pictures snap quickly too, in less than 1 second. The full 3" screen viewfinder makes you feel as if you are using a devoted still camera, although I'm noticing that I have to be a bit careful how I hold the phone so as not to cover the sensor. This will improve with practice.
But about that front touchscreen -- I am very impressed. Even without a hard keyboard, this would have been the first phone from any US provider where I can actually type out a text message, completely error-free, using only the traditional numeric keypad in portrait mode. And getting there is easier too -- the tab-up feature to use the touch screen is very easy and intuitive. Screen resolution is very good, though perhaps not quite as leading edge as the iPhone or Storm color and resolution. However, the screen is large enough to see the touch keyboard and a large enough portion of a text or email message without having to scroll through as much as with the Dare/Omnia. But the phone is also fast -- my old Motorola motorazr had ongoing slow-responsiveness to pictures, notepad activation, even ringing for incoming calls! The enV Touch is fastest phone I've used, with a near-instant 1/4th second or better response to opening or activating almost anything. This iPhone-like device also does not require a data plan if you just need a feature-rich cell phone without always-on email. However, at $1.99/MB, I will have to try out email push and browsing to see if a data plan may yet be desirable. I travel to Canada frequently, and hope not to have any "always-on" data roaming fees -- I have read horror stories about iPhones incurring $600 bills as owners blithely cross borders or even roaming within the US. But to my current, possibly wrong understanding, I don't think this phone automatically data-roams. The phone also offers airplane mode and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack -- finally, no more need to take an iPod and cell phone and camera with me on trips. Now only if we had unlocked GPS...maybe this will work with Google Maps? Another interesting device I'm looking at purchasing is the Motorola MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone which blue-tooths the phone's audio or phone calls to the car stereo -- safer for calls and convenient for music. Another nice change: The CLEAR and END keys on the front screen are well separated now -- no accidentally erasing an unsent message when you thought you were backspacing.
It's not perfect. Despite the terrific 16GB capacity, Verizon's menu system still retains a 200 text-message limit. Wha?? After nearly 10 years with this design, couldn't this be a tiny bit larger by now? Of course, that's a Verizon issue, not really LG's mistake, but since this phone is currently only used on Verizon's network, it's an issue. The phone is a little bit wider at .61 inches than comparable, non-keyboarded competitors. I gladly accept this trade-off for the convenience of two styles of keyboards though. It's also little taller than the similar enV3. So far, that's all I can say on the con side.
As much as I love the touch screen, it's still not what I'd consider a true iPhone contender though, which with a new release today, seems like it still has a more vibrant display and of course much better apps. But the enV Touch was, for me, the closest Verizon phone to the iPhone, if only because it seems so intuitive, and it is easily the best cell phone I've ever owned.
As I use the phone, I will update the review with notable pros and cons.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar