The LG vx9900 EnV is a standard cell phone with a secret: At first glance, it looks like a slightly bulky, run-of-the-mill candy bar-style phone. But this phone opens horizontally to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Available from Verizon Wireless for $250 with a two-year contract, the EnV is an impressive messaging and multimedia device.
LG Electronics enV VX9900 Cell Phone
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Pros
Excellent keyboard
Great messaging options
Cons
Bulky design
Headphones and USB cable cost extra
Bottom Line
The enV isn't the slimmest cell phone around, but it offers excellent messaging features and great multimedia options.
LG vx9900 EnV
enV VX9900 Cell Phone Review, by Liane Cassavoy March 28, 2007
When closed, the handset sports a small display, basic navigation controls, and a numeric keypad. The phone's exterior has a nice-looking silver finish, but its external screen is disappointingly small. At just 1.25 inches diagonally, the display is hard to see, and the empty space surrounding it could have been put to better use. The keys, though small, are easy to enter phone numbers on.
Despite feeling slightly thick and heavy, the EnV provided reasonably good call quality. I occasionally noticed background fuzziness on some calls, but most callers were easy to hear. Talk-time battery life was only fair: the EnV lasted 5 hours, 5 minutes in our lab tests--longer than the vendor-stated talk time of 4.5 hours, but not as good as many standard cell phones we've tested recently.
When the EnV springs open, however, you see its full potential: Inside are a spacious QWERTY keyboard, a bright 2.25-inch screen, and keys for accessing the phone's many features. If you don't need a full-fledged PDA phone with mobile office applications but still want a QWERTY keyboard for easy typing, the EnV is an excellent choice. It comes with a dedicated e-mail key for quick access to Verizon Wireless's VCast Wireless Sync e-mail service. This app costs an additional $20, but lets you easily sync your phone with your POP3 or IMAP e-mail account. The EnV also includes mobile versions of AOL, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging clients.
In addition, the EnV supports Verizon's VCast music service, which offers over-the-air song downloads for $1.99 each. The service is nicely laid out and easy to navigate, though you can't access all of its features when the phone is closed. From the external screen, you can play your existing collection of songs; but to browse the store and purchase new music, you must open the phone, which can be inconvenient. You can transfer your own music to the phone, too, but the phone doesn't ship with a microSD Card for storage, a USB cable for connecting the phone to your PC, or a headset for listening to your tunes; you'll have to purchase each of these accessories separately. A Music Essentials Kit--which includes a USB cable, a headset, and software for managing your music collection--is available from Verizon for $30. You'll need to buy an adapter if you want to use your own stereo headphones with the handset.
The built-in, 2.0-megapixel camera takes adequate photos. The lens sits on the back of the handset and is protected by a sliding lens cover--a nice touch. The camera's autofocus tool captures still shots well, but the resulting shutter lag of up to 2 seconds can cause you to miss a moving subject. However, you can switch this feature off, and use the phone in fixed-focus mode instead. The phone's shutter-release button (on its right side) doesn't allow you to start up the camera, and you have to dig deeper than you should in the phone's menu system to reach this instruction. Still, the button is positioned nicely when you hold the phone horizontally for use as a camera; and the EnV also captures serviceable video clips.
The phone supports Verizon's 3G EvDO service, which makes for reasonably speedy Web browsing, and Verizon's VZ Navigator service, which (with an additional subscription) offers turn-by-turn GPS-based directions.
Liane Cassavoy
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- Rating Breakdown
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61
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84
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83
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Phones
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100
Performance
| Battery Life Average (hh:mm) | 5:05 |
| Battery Life Word Score | Fair |
Average User Reviews for LG Electronics enV VX9900 Cell Phone
- Latest User Reviews 2 reviews
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Reviewed by: zacfoo
Duration of ownership: 3 Months
Strengths: Nice keyboard. Long battery life.
Weaknesses: Camera cover slide very easy.
Overall: GOOD. I hate to tell Icheme that were talking about the enV not the Voyager. Get your facts strait.
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Reviewed by: liveconcepts
Duration of ownership: 5 Months
Strengths: cool design, querty keyboard
Weaknesses: Everything else. Poor signal, sticky buttons, pick the phone up the wrong way or squeeze it too hard and you bump a button on the iside and activate something you don't want to, like the power button. Camera is slow and the flash washes out the pics b/c it is so close to the lens. Email support will cost you $20 a month... on and on and on.
Overall: I am on my third, yes THIRD, EnV in 5 months! The first one had power glitches, the second would not program, this one has both problems, plus more. I have dropped more calls in the last 90 days than I have in the 15+ years I have been with Verizon. I don't blame Verizon, they have great service in all the places I go...it's definitley the phone. However, I am ready to drop them b/c they won't let me switch to a different phone. They just keep giving me a new one under warranty.... a new phone every 6 weeks!! This is gonna get old real fast. If you want a querty keybaord and a cool phone, definelty DO NOT get an EnV. I've had Moto's with no problems. I'll never get an LG product again, not even a refrigerator.... that should tell you something... they make refrigerators!! I'm sticking to companies that make phones.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: lcheme
Strengths: The Voyager does have a good keyboard when flipped open. The phone's reception is very good, about the same as a Motorola razor.
Weaknesses: The touch screen is horrible!! You have to have tiny fingers to be able to control the applications and it's not easy to navigate through the web pages. This is an extremely poor touch screen phone.
Overall: I used this phone for about a week and it does have some neat features; however, it's by no means worth the price. The touch screen leaves much to be desired. compared to the iphone, this phone is is way behind. The phone is also very bulky and feels like a brick. I highly suggest you stay away from this phone. Verizon also charges you for everything you try to do on this phone. Don't be fooled by the so call TV feature. You not only have to pay another charge per month, but you're limited to what Verizon wants you to see. If you want a touch screen phone, get an iphone, it runs circles around this one.
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Reviewed by: BigsteelerMd
Strengths: camera, alot of bells and whistles, phone is just great
Weaknesses: Does not sit flat because of camera on back of phone and when the phone is opened
Overall: I think if a phone opens and has a keyboard for texting , typing the phone should sit flat and not rock when placed on a table. other than that I love the phone. Nothing in life is perfect and even with that design flaw I still give it 5 stars.
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Reviewed by: AaronVance
Strengths: Signal strength; keyboard layout; can use opened or closed; great for viewing photos, videos, internet, games; sturdy build; stereo speakers; gps navigation available; battery life; good camera
Weaknesses: a little big for some, perfect for me.
Overall: I've had this phone since january of 2007 (a year and 3 months) and I absolutely love it. It has proven to be an excellent choice. Not only is it super easy to text and browse the mobile web, but there are a million other things you can do with this phone that just work. And its sturdy enough to withstand my not-so-gentle use. (The last phone I owned needed to be replaced 12 times during the 2 year contract I had---yeah, a piece of junk.) I highly recommend the enV.One thing to watch out for: although this phone gets an excellent signal, if you are ever in an extreme area where there is no signal at all (in a subway, heavy metal building, out on the ocean, etc...) you will hear 'loss of service.' this gets annoying, and can be turned off only by putting the phone on vibrate. Just something to watch out for if you go out of service a lot.Other than that, I really love this phone. It really lives up to it's name too....the enV. People are always complementing me on it! haha... Go get you one!
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Reviewed by: connie5001
Strengths: Good signal, loud, very customizable
Weaknesses: Verizon locking down features (ie ringtones), camera cover doest stay on, flash is weak
Overall: It's a phone you'll like for texting and view mobile web on. The weight and size of it, is alittle big for some people but I like it. It's rugged so minor drops and falls doesn't harm it, other than scratching from what I found out. A little strange to play some games on it. Good phone to call people on and it's feels comfitable when tucked away. Plus, if you look for a program on the web, you can hack it slightly to have your own ringtones so you don't have to pay Verizon for them.
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Reviewed by: flyfishrjs
Strengths: ultra-long battery life, user-friendly, excellent antenna, exceptional sound clarity
Weaknesses: limited included ringtones, lens cover doesn't stay shut, camera flash function is a joke
Overall: I have been with Verizon for 12 years. My previous phone was a Motorola (code: piece of CRAP). The only downside to this phone is the flash function doesn't work at all, but if you want to take professional photos, buy a digital camera (let's face it - your phone can't do EVERYTHING). I have owned this phone for 3 months, and it has made me happier than any other phone I've owned. I live in a remote location in Wyoming, and consistently get exceptional reception, call clarity, and battery life. This phone hasn't given me one second of difficulty. I am a frequent texter and send around 100 messages a day. I spend around 30 minutes of talk time a day. All this, and I only charge the battery once a week! I absolutely, whole-heartedly recommend this phone to anyone who wants a phone to do what it's supposed to do - send/receive calls and text whenever and wherever you are! Go LG!!!
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