considering LG Revolution for first smartphone

[GunnerJim]

I did a detailed review of all the things you are asking, here is the link:

LG Revolution vs Charge vs Incredible 2 - Android Forums

I took the LG Revo to Seattle today to test out 4G LTE, compared to the Droid Charge.
Summary:
GPS Very Good (Did knock out 5% battery life/1 hr, 45 m drive W/ charger)
5MP Camera OK
Battery Life went from 95% to 35% in 4 hours, check out my screen shots to correlate what I am saying.

 

[ElMuneco]

I did a detailed review of all the things you are asking, here is the link:

LG Revolution vs Charge vs Incredible 2 - Android Forums

I took the LG Revo to Seattle today to test out 4G LTE, compared to the Droid Charge.
Summary:
GPS Very Good (Did knock out 5% battery life/1 hr, 45 m drive W/ charger)
5MP Camera OK
Battery Life went from 95% to 35% in 4 hours, check out my screen shots to correlate what I am saying.

Jim,

What all were you using it for, for it to drop like like that and was it on 4G the entire time?? Thanks

 

[sonex51]

I actually went out yesterday to try out the TB and the Charge and stumbled across the Rev in the process. I posted some of this in another forum, but it applies better here.
I’ll recount some of my experiences with the three over the ~1.5 hours I spent at the store.

First I have to say that all three phones were running some Verizon in store addon software that would popup randomly and start playing an advertisement about the device along with other videos / graphics. So I have no doubt at all that this additional demo model bloatware was really slowing all three down.

That said,
The TB had a VERY laggy keyboard, and seemed to slow down a lot on many websites that a lot going on. I actually used Worldofwarcraft.com to test all three phones, and the TB didn't seem to scroll down the main page at any time w/o a second or more delay. I had also tested a TB without the additional bloatware about a week earlier and also noticed the keyboard input lag, but thought it was a display unit fluke. So I don't know what to think now... The camera also seems to blow RGB out of proportion and give the image an overall neon look. This might be a setting, but it’s something I’ve noticed in pics sent to me from TB owning friends too.

The Charge had an even more laggy keyboard and after loading the same website, could not scroll down the page until at least 10 seconds had passed (I actually timed it with my phones stopwatch), and even then would end up at the bottom of the page instead of where I was trying to scroll to. Extremely frustating! Not to mention the cheep plastic build. The camera locked up every time I tried to use. I never tried the video mode out to see if it had the same issue. All that was a shame since the screen is so nice on the eyes...

I actually didn't want to look at the Rev, but since it was there I tried it out. They keyboard was very responsive (very close to the iPhone4 it seemed). The Rev was also able to easily scroll up and down the same web page with little lag from top to bottom. I was surprised because both dual core X2 and even the xoom had trouble with this page. The phone also seemed to load the flash site Goodbrush.com better than the xoom... Needless to say I was a little dumbfounded that the phone I had zero intention of looking at grossly outperformed the two I wanted to compare. The camera didn’t really leave an impression either way. It wasn’t great, and not really bad, just kinda there. It seemed to work as well as my 3Gs camera did.

I guess my only concern is the fact that the Rev is very new, and there’s not a lot of dev support for it just yet. However I have heard again and again that the device does have an unlocked bootloader, and with any luck that fact will attract some support. I’m really leaning toward getting a Rev tomorrow.

Hopefully some of this helps out.

 

[markwebb]

I will be due in the next few months for an upgrade. Based on what I am reading here and in the media, the LG is worthy of consideration. I don't need 4G as my area is not scheduled to have it in 2011 OR 2012.

Definitely going to a local VZW to try it out. Unlocked bootloader got my attention!

 

[ElMuneco]

I actually went out yesterday to try out the TB and the Charge and stumbled across the Rev in the process. I posted some of this in another forum, but it applies better here.
I’ll recount some of my experiences with the three over the ~1.5 hours I spent at the store.

First I have to say that all three phones were running some Verizon in store addon software that would popup randomly and start playing an advertisement about the device along with other videos / graphics. So I have no doubt at all that this additional demo model bloatware was really slowing all three down.

That said,
The TB had a VERY laggy keyboard, and seemed to slow down a lot on many websites that a lot going on. I actually used Worldofwarcraft.com to test all three phones, and the TB didn't seem to scroll down the main page at any time w/o a second or more delay. I had also tested a TB without the additional bloatware about a week earlier and also noticed the keyboard input lag, but thought it was a display unit fluke. So I don't know what to think now... The camera also seems to blow RGB out of proportion and give the image an overall neon look. This might be a setting, but it’s something I’ve noticed in pics sent to me from TB owning friends too.

The Charge had an even more laggy keyboard and after loading the same website, could not scroll down the page until at least 10 seconds had passed (I actually timed it with my phones stopwatch), and even then would end up at the bottom of the page instead of where I was trying to scroll to. Extremely frustating! Not to mention the cheep plastic build. The camera locked up every time I tried to use. I never tried the video mode out to see if it had the same issue. All that was a shame since the screen is so nice on the eyes...

I actually didn't want to look at the Rev, but since it was there I tried it out. They keyboard was very responsive (very close to the iPhone4 it seemed). The Rev was also able to easily scroll up and down the same web page with little lag from top to bottom. I was surprised because both dual core X2 and even the xoom had trouble with this page. The phone also seemed to load the flash site Goodbrush.com better than the xoom... Needless to say I was a little dumbfounded that the phone I had zero intention of looking at grossly outperformed the two I wanted to compare. The camera didn’t really leave an impression either way. It wasn’t great, and not really bad, just kinda there. It seemed to work as well as my 3Gs camera did.

I guess my only concern is the fact that the Rev is very new, and there’s not a lot of dev support for it just yet. However I have heard again and again that the device does have an unlocked bootloader, and with any luck that fact will attract some support. I’m really leaning toward getting a Rev tomorrow.

Hopefully some of this helps out.

Thanks for your analysis Sonex!! I played with the Revo a bit yesterday and didn't forsee too many issues with it. I liked it. My only major concern is the battery life, but what 4G smartphone doesn't have that??

 

[sonex51]

Yes it seems like battery is an issue for all the 4G devices which was why I was attracted to the Charge ... at first.
A good battery on a subpar phone just gives me more time each day to be frustrated with my purchase though.

Also I don't work in an area likely to get 4G anytime soon, so it's kinda a non-issue for me anyway.

 

[GunnerJim]

ElMuneco, I was doing the normal surf a couple of pages, 2 phone calls, couple of texts, speedtests, screen shots, a little camera action, and that was pretty much it. I would describe the 4 hour time period like this. 30 Minutes real usage, 3-1/2 hours in my pocket... 95% to 35% in 4 hours. I am half temped to return the LG. The Wireless Hotspot drops the attached devices all the time too.

4G service was not as good either compared to Charge. The kicker, I was testing the 3G browser speed in VZW today, side by side Charge vs LG Revo, had the salesperson touch MSN website bookmark at same time (I thought it would be funny-Bing Phone should smoke that right????). Well the Charge was there 10 Seconds before the other got finished loading. Both caches were clear, stock browser vs stock browser. It confirmed the same thing I saw on the 4G network, slower browser speeds. Today the phone kept dropping the VZW Tier 2 Tech in and out of call, but the call did not drop... It stayed connected but no voice either end... like a terminal mute.