LG Venus Review
By Josh Norem
February 18th, 2008
Summary
Based on name, it’s easy to assume the Venus is a paisley phone with bezels. In reality, it is the latest sleek phone from LG. (The stylish company released a $900 USD Prada phone last year.) And it is hard not to fall in love with its two level design, slick black (or, if you desire, pink) finish, dual screen faceplate, and well-placed touchscreen. Looks aside, however, there isn’t much substance to impress.
Full Review
Features and Design
The LG Venus is built like two parallel candy bars, each about ¼ of an inch thick. The first bar is all black with a silver trim and contains two screens, one long and vertical, the other squat and horizontal. The top, vertical screen is about twice as large as the bottom one. The vertical is the usual cell phone screen. The horizontal display is actually a touchscreen.
Give the first bar a push with your thumb and the second bar is revealed. It simply has the key pad, as well as a few other functional buttons like Send, Clear and Power. The keys have a slick design: every other key is raised, so it is noticeable when you’re drifting to another button. Two pimple-sized buttons surround the “5” to make the middle easy to find. While the sides of the first bar are silverly smooth, the second bar’s sides are packed with holes and buttons. On the left side are the headphone jack, volume buttons, a voice command key, and a USB/charging port. On the right are the microSD slot, a camera key and a video key. On the very back is a small camera lens.
Setup and Use
For having two connected sections and two screens (one of which is a touchscreen), the LG Venus is simple to use. Lightly push the bottom of the phone and the first bar rises to activate the vertical display and the horizontal touchscreen. The touchscreen has four options in squares: Message, Contact, All Calls and Shortcut. Press the appropriate touchscreen square and the vertical display will change along with the touchscreen menu options. It is all contextual. In other words, the Contact touchscreen options include Call, Edit Contact, and so forth. The touchscreen is sensitive without being too responsive, and the phone does a satisfying little shake whenever it accepts your touch. The Venus comes with a half-inch user guide, but most users won’t need it to explore its basic and moderate abilities.
The Venus does come with a disc for Verizon’s proprietary V-Cast multimedia software, but the CD, strangely, just sent us to the website to download the actual software. It is only compatible with PCs, and specifically with Windows XP or Vista, which is disappointing. However, the software download was quick and painless. (The web link is http://www.vzam.net/vcastmusic/.)
Image Courtesy of LG
Testing Cont'd
The V-Cast PC program will search your hard drive for music to collect into its database – a step you may skip – and then open up a browser not unlike iTunes. From V-Cast you can purchase new music, transfer tunes from CD or move music to the Venus. Using the included USB plug, the Venus will sync with the PC. Drag and drop songs or full albums or playlists into the designated Venus area on the PC screen. Each song transfers in about five seconds. Like the iPod, the Venus will also automatically charge when connected to a PC – still a rarity among music phones today.
As far as music quality, the Venus is pretty average. The speakers are all treble and tweeter, and even the most bass-heavy songs sound tinny. It comes with no headphones, so we assume the headphone quality depends on, well, the headphones. On the very positive side, music is well organized by song, album, and so forth, and it took seconds to figure out the interface. It is all done with the touchscreen.
The camera is surprisingly supple. Press the camera button, push the first bar up and turn the phone on its side. Now using the vertical screen as a viewfinder and the horizontal touchscreen as a button, the Venus actually feels like a real camera. The pictures are solid, too, especially considering we’re getting the now-standard 2 MegaPixel resolution and no flash.
Conclusion
Verizon’s LG Venus goes for $249.99 USD, a bit high compared to phones of similar capabilities. Verizon offers a $50 online discount, which makes it more reasonable. It falls under Verizon’s conventional data and minute plans.
It comes with a microSD card, which will work for light photo taking and music storage.The Venus has a great feel and looks wonderful, which may be worth the extra dough. It is perfect for a socialite who wants to have a hot-looking phone. Just don’t expect the multimedia features to blow you away.
Pros:
• Easy to use
• Nice camera
• Very original design
Cons:
• Weak music quality
• Average phone
Specs
Technology CDMA
Frequency 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (Digital Dual-Band)
Data Transmission High-Speed EVDO†
Dimensions 4.00" (H) x 2.00" (W) x 0.62" (D)
Weight 3.79 oz.
Display Upper LCD: 262K Color TFT, 320 x 240 Pixels, 2.00"
Lower LCD: 262K Color TFT, 176 x 240 Pixels, 1.49"
Standard Battery 800 mAh Li-Ion
Usage Time Up to 4 Hours*
Standby Time Up to 20 Days*
o Dual Screens
o Touch-Sensitive Lower Screen
o Music Player with Dedicated Key
o 2.0 Megapixel Camera & Camcorder
o Bluetooth® Capable
o microSD™ Memory Port
MUSIC
o Music Player for MP3, WMA, AAC, & AAC+
o Customizable Sound Effects & Player Themes
o V CAST Music & Video†
o Powerful Speaker for Music
o Dedicated Music Key for Easy Access
o Multitask While Playing Music – hide player to send messages, browse the web, etc.
o Create & Manage Playlists
o My Music – songs are auto organized by artist, genre, and album
o Sync Music from PC to Phone via V CAST Music Manager*
o Music Only Mode (RF off except Bluetooth)
o 64MB Internal Memory Dedicated for Music
o microSD™ Memory Port with 8GB Support**
*Requires USB cable. V CAST Music will only work with V CAST Music Manager, Windows Media Player 10 (or higher) on the Windows XP or Vista operating system. Mac OS is not supported. A V CAST Music Manager CD is included with the phone.
**Not all downloaded content may be moved to the microSD card (sold separately).
BLUETOOTH (V1.2)
o Supported Profiles: headset, hands-free,* dial-up networking, advanced audio distribution (stereo), phone book access, basic printing, object push for vCard and vCalendar,** file transfer, basic imaging, A/V remote control
o Save up to 20 Bluetooth Pairings
o Bluetooth Stereo Support for Listening to Music***
o Send Calendar Events & All Contacts via Bluetooth
o Print & Send User-Generated Pictures via Bluetooth
*For Bluetooth vehicle/accessory compatibility, go to www.verizonwireless.com/bluetoothchart.
**Phone does not support all Bluetooth OBEX profiles.
***Accessories sold separately.
CAMERA/VIDEO
o 2.0 Megapixel Camera & Camcorder
o Landscape Viewfinder Usage for Real Camera Feel
o Photo Slide Show
o Zoom: Up to 2x*
o Customizable Brightness,** White Balance,** Shutter Sound, Color Effects,** Night Mode, Photometry, Self-Timer
o Camera Resolution: 1600x1200, 1280x960 (default), 640x480, 320x240 Pixels
o Video Resolution: 320x240, 176x144 (default) Pixels
o Video Recording Time: 30 Sec. (for sending) or up to 1 Hr. (for saving)***
o Video Player for WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 Formats
o Set Videos (under 5MB) as Wallpaper
*Varies by image size. Camera setting of 1600x1200 pixels does not support zoom function.
**Available in both video and camera modes.
***Depends on available memory.
VOICE/AUDIO
o One-Touch Speakerphone
o Speaker-Independent Voice Commands
o Music Ringer Support (clips from hit songs)†
o 21 Unique Ringtones + Vibrate & Silent Modes
o Voice Recording – 1 min. or 1 hr.* (standby) or 5 min. (during a call)
o TTY/TDD Support
o Hearing Aid Compatible (M3-Rating)
*Depends on available memory.
MOBILE MEDIA
o Call & Messaging Restrictions†
o Text/Picture/Video Messaging†
o Get It Now® Capable†
o Mobile Web 2.0†
o Web-Based E-mail, Instant Messaging, Chat & Account Info†
TOOLS & DATA
o Tools: Calculator, Calendar, Alarm Clock, Stopwatch, World Clock, Notepad, Ez Tip Calc
o VZ NavigatorSM Capable – voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions†
o Phone Book with 1,000 Contacts – each stores 5 numbers, 2 e-mail addresses, and a picture ID*
o Speed Dial (95 entries + 4 pre-programmed for voicemail, #BAL, #MIN, #PMT)
o Emergency Contacts – enter 3 contacts and personal info
*Dependent on photos stored in your album (My Pictures).
GENERAL
o Stylish, Slider Design with Internal Antenna & Half-Mirror Finish
o Large, Dual Screens
o Lower Screen with Interactive Touch Navigation
o Touch Key Vibration for Button-Like Feedback
o Leather-Textured Rear Cover for Firm Grip
o Colors: Black & Pink
o Touch Protection – prevents unwanted key actions
o Flash User Interface for Clear Images/Text & Fun Animations
o Simultaneous GPS for Enhanced Location Accuracy
o Standalone Mode (RF Off)
o USB Charging via Computer
Technology CDMA
Frequency 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (Digital Dual-Band)
Data Transmission High-Speed EVDO†
Dimensions 4.00" (H) x 2.00" (W) x 0.62" (D)
Weight 3.79 oz.
Display Upper LCD: 262K Color TFT, 320 x 240 Pixels, 2.00"
Lower LCD: 262K Color TFT, 176 x 240 Pixels, 1.49"
Standard Battery 800 mAh Li-Ion
Usage Time Up to 4 Hours*
Standby Time Up to 20 Days*
*Certain features may use more power and cause actual standby and usage time to vary.
o Standard Li-Ion Battery*
o Travel Charger*
o USB Cable*
o V CAST Music Manager CD*
o Pouch*
o Bluetooth Headset
o Bluetooth Stereo Headset
o Bluetooth Stereo Speakers
o Stereo Headset
o Portable Stereo Speakers
o Extended Li-Ion Battery (1,500 mAh)
o Portable Battery Charger (with cable adapter)
o Vehicle Power Charger
o Carrying Case
o Swivel Holster with Kickstand
o microSD Memory Card
*Included with phone.
†Verizon Wireless service required. V CAST service is not available in all areas. Product features subject to change. Features based on carrier program availability.