bluewind. Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 (edited) Before, I begin I would like to acknowledge Neowin member StevoFC who posted a review which can be found here. Background Before getting the LG Venus VX8800 I owned the LG VX3200, which I got during the summer of 2005 through my cellular provider, Verizon Wireless. The VX3200 was a great phone for those who needed a phone without bells and whistles such as a camera, web browser, and bluetooth. It did a good job at what it was built for- texting and making phone calls. I chose the Venus because I wanted a phone that could double as an mp3 player. I have a 1st generation iPod Nano which recently suffered a cracked LCD screen. I was not particularly concerned about the camera, although having one was convenient. I also don’t send text/SMS messages often and don’t go online with my phone. Thus, these were bonus features for me. First Impressions The phone arrived on Friday November 21st by FedEx. It came in a fairly small cardboard box inside which was the black Venus box surrounded by bubble wrap. The box itself was quite stylish, and the contents included the phone, battery, charger, leather glove/pouch, usb cable with CD, a user guide, and a smaller quick reference guide. I glanced over the quick reference guide, inserted the battery into the phone, and plugged the charger in. Box After it was fully charged (about two hours charging time) I turned it on and began playing around. It is a slider phone and the screen is divided into two parts- the larger upper portion serves as the main display, while the lower portion is a touch screen. The touch screen menus are navigation-specific meaning they will change depending on what menu is displayed. The touch screen is very easy to get acquainted with but does require some force. The menus can be navigated without opening the slider. This is achieved by unlocking the phone through the side music button; then, the touch screen can be used to navigate. Sliding the phone open also unlocks it and allows you to interact with the touch screen as well as with the touchpad. The default options cause the phone to vibrate and emit sound when a button is pressed on the touchscreen. This got annoying so I turned the vibration off- it can be set to short, long, or double vibration. Design The phone is black with a metallic trim. The underside of the phone is made out of a rubber-like material which makes it easy to grip. The mini-headphone jack is located on the upper left side of the phone. Just below that are the volume control buttons and under that is the charger which also accepts the USB cable. The right side of the phone includes the microSD slot on the top and camera and music buttons below that. The front of the phone includes the dual-screen which takes up the majority of the space as well as the speakers which are located at the very top and very bottom of the phone. The Verizon and LG logos are included at the top and bottom of the phone respectively. Sliding the phone open reveals the keypad which includes the send, clr, and end buttons on top. Finally, a 2.0 MP camera is located on the backside of the phone. Left Side Right Side Backside Size The phone is fairly compact but noticeably larger than my iPod Nano for instance (about twice the thickness). The exact dimension are 4.01" x 2.00" x 0.62". Nevertheless, it fits snuggly into jean pockets. side-by-side comparison 1 side-by-side comparison 2 Interface The interface of the phone including menus and navigation controls are well-designed. The music player especially is quite striking. The tip calculator as well as the world clock is visually appealing and the overall animations are a nice touch. The main screen has the Verizon Wireless banner near the top with the signal strength on the top left and the battery meter at the top right. The initial touch-screen menu includes four shortcut buttons including Message, Contacts, All Calls, Shortcut, with a round Menu button in the center. Clicking the Menu button takes you to a list of menus including My Music, Get It Now, Messaging, Contacts, Recent Calls, and Settings & Tools. Main Menu World Clock EZ Tip Calculator Features Camera The 2.0 MP camera was actually quite impressive even in less ideal lighting conditions. Included is a picture of my desk taken with the phone’s camera. [note: I am having trouble finding the phone on my computer when connected by USB, I will add the picture soon] Bluetooth I was able to find the Venus using the bluetooth on my HP Pavilion dv6000t under Windows Vista but was unable to do anything beyond that. Wireless headphones are available but I ordered a mini-headphone converter so I can use my regular headphones. Music Player As I mentioned earlier, the music player has a stylish interface and you can continue playing music while navigating through other menus. The phone also has an option to use it strictly as an mp3 player (presumably so you can use it while flying). I have ordered an 8 GB microSDHC card which I will be using to store music. The camera does include internal memory which can hold a few songs (up to 60.6 MB) and pictures. Transferring music is very simple- you install drivers, plug the USB cable into the computer, and navigate to the Music folder. The music can be played directly through the phone’s speakers, which are surprisingly loud or through headphones (an adapter is required). When music is playing, touchscreen allows you to pause, rewind, forward, mute, and change tracks. I cannot comment on the sound quality until my headphone adapter arrives. Music Player Calls The call quality with this phone was above average but not outstanding. The calls are clear, but voices don’t sound as “normal” as they did on my old phone (VX3200). Like all other Verizon phones pressing send allows you to view recent calls. Voice commands are also included but I have not had a chance to try that out. Apparently, there is also a feature that will read out the name of the person calling, but I have not found how to enable this feature. Battery Life I charged this phone for the second time yesterday after about three hours of call time. It is important to note that the bluetooth was on during this time and I used the camera extensively. It is rated for about four hours of call time. A nice feature is battery charging can be accomplished by plugging the phone into the computer via the USB cable provided. Charging time is slightly faster than my old phone at about two hours (very approximate). Final Thoughts Overall, the Venus is a stylish phone with a plethora of options and accessories. There is nothing ground-breaking here but it is an enjoyable phone to use. Edited November 24, 2008 by bluewind_89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason S. Global Moderator Posted November 24, 2008 Global Moderator Share Posted November 24, 2008 My Venus' battery life is abysmal. i have to charge it every 1-2 days whether i talk on it or not. ive never drained the battery while talking, but i would bet it'd be around 2hrs. ive had the phone for a year now and i cant wait to get rid of it! nice review though (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewind. Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Yeah, I heard concerns about the battery life- I wasn't too impressed with my old phone's battery, so hopefully that will reduce my disappointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endtype Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Nice...I really like the screen. Interface looks professional and clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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