Does anyone have Verizon and an EnV, a Voyager or a Venus?

Yes, I know we've had like 18,000 threads on cell phone service. I'm 90 percent sure I'm going with Verizon, especially since I finally found someone in my area who has it and has no complaints.

But I can't figure out which of the above phones I want, or what would be best for me. I'm afraid of flip phones after my RAZR debacle. So now I just want a phone I can use the VZ Navigator with (all) and that I can text with (QWERTY keyboards on the Voyager and the EnV). I want it to be easy to use as a phone, one that will rest easily in the crook of my shoulder.

Anyone have any experience with them?

 

I recently bought the Venus, and I like it an awful lot. I researched the hell out of Verizon's phones before I committed, and I admit the Venus was not my first choice. I wanted the Voyager. But upon watching the prices and realizing what my needs were, I wanted something that could access the Internet, would not drop calls, had some fun features and was sleek. The Voyager, while definitely the conversation piece as the so-called iPhone killer, had some cool stuff. But I couldn't justify spending $100 more for it than the Venus, which is an upgrade over last year's EnV.

Early grades:

Texting: B+ - It's basic, without the QWERTY keyboard, but I've gotten pretty good at regular texting. Plus, I tend to think folks who must have the flip-open keyboard take it a little too far. Seems as though they belong in Paris Hilton's entourage or courtside with Eva at a Spurs game. Unlike other LGs I've had, you don't have to delete your text history when you reach 50 messages in your inbox.

Touch screen: A - It's not the iPhone, but I'm not sure who needs all that. A good friend has an iPhone, and he's had more trouble with it than I would have thought, considering he spent $600 on it when it was released. Before I bought, I asked if he would recommend the iPhone, even at a lesser price. He told me to go with something else.

Music: B - This wasn't a huge deal with me. It holds 10 songs and has expandable memory. This is definitely one of those things you'd have to decide for yourself. I'd think there are better options if your phone is your default music player.

Mobility: B- - For what I need, it works. It has mobile e-mail, although Gmail is not included. I can check it with the Mobile Web, which I have unlimited in the premium package. Other modules, such as Yahoo! and Hotmail, are Mobile E-mail compatible. Again, unlike the iPhone, you can't view full Web sites. But you get the gyst (sports scores, news, weather), which is what I like when on the go. I've booked hotels on my Venus, and the downloadable navigation system (which also is included in the premium package) is a nice bonus.

Call quality/consistency: A - I've made calls from around the country, and it works great. I dropped my first call this week after having the phone since early December. Still, I'm not sure it wasn't my friend's phone or that I was in a busy mall, which could be understandable. Regardless, coming from Alltel, which dropped about a dozen calls weekly, anything was an upgrade. Verizon is a HUGE upgrade.

I had an early scare, when the second day I had it the battery went bad. I took it to a Verizon store, and a staff member swapped it out right away, obviously at no charge. Plus, I had the distinction of being "the first Venus" that store had worked on. That was several weeks after the phone was released, and this store was one in a fairly large metro area.

The Venus has all I want and lots I'm still discovering, after three weeks of having it. And it's kind of neat when friends pick up your phone and check out all the doohickeys, as happens quite often. So yeah, I'd recommend it.

 

Yeah, I like the Voyager, but it will take me almost $400 to walk out of the store with it. And I'm not really ready to drop that.

The Venus and the EnV are where I'm at, but I like the camera and the QWERTY on the EnV. The Venus, I'm just afraid the touch screen will become unreadable as soon as I touch it once or twice.

 

The EnV is amazing. I've had one for about a year, and I don't think I want another phone -- ever. It's really easy to get used to, and the picture and video qualities are awesome. And it's really fucking durable. I've dropped mine more times than I've seen the graduation/proposal episode of "Boy Meets World," and it's only slightly scratched. The audio quality is very good, and each screen is visually dynamic.

I haven't heard anything about the Voyager, but my guess is it's just as good a phone, if not better, than the EnV. Either way you go, I think you'll be pleased. There is not wrong choice, I'm sure.

 

Agreed with Mike. I really, really, really like my EnV, and the two features I got it for -- camera and texting -- are awesome.

Plus, the Internet is just functional enough to get done what I want: Check scores when I'm away from Internet access, and when I'm really bored, read news.

It's fantastic. And it was FREE!

 

Question: Did you guys do it at a store? And did you take your number with you? Apparently Verizon doesn't use SIM cards, so the guy at the store said they would port my numbers for me from my old phone (AT&T) to theirs.

But if I order it online, I will get a Venus for less than $200. At the store, I would have to wait to do a $100 mail-in (not online) and i'd also have to pay a deposit (my credit blows).

It's really not worth all that, right? I can port numbers from home?

 

My phone original cost $200. But I had a $100 credit toward a new phone because I had my last one for more than two years. So it cost $100. But there was a discount for $50 if I bought it online. So the phone, with a car charger for the EnV, cost me about $75.

I think it'd be worth it even for $200.

 

Right. But I'd be saving roughly $250 from ordering it online. That's not worth it, however, to type 300 numbers in all over again. Can I port numbers from home?

 

I don't know if you can port the numbers from home. I did mine manually, though I was working a very boring second job and had a lot of time to kill. And I wasn't nearly as popular as you, ma'am.

The Verizon people I've dealt with over the phone have always been very helpful. In four years with them, I don't have one complaint.

 

OK, thanks. I'm going to double-check my finances, to make sure $200 right after Christmas is doable.

And, worst-case scenario, I have 30 days to change my mind.




I like the EnV, but it lost me when the guy at the store said "The Venus comes in pink, you know."

 

I'm sure there's a cable of some sort than can manage this.

 

Oh, and mike? About 50 of them are actually friends. The rest are family or PR people.

Hardly an exciting phone book. Actually had someone tell me the other day their phone list was better than mine, which surprised them. I don't know why it would. Mine blows.