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Saturday, October 9, 2010

Verizon LG envTouch Sucks!

I'm so annoyed at my LG envTouch phone (VX11000). It's such a POS.

My phone needs are very simple:

  1. Compose blog drafts on the subway, and upload them to my PC and Blogger.
  2. Use it as a phone.
If I got a Blackberry or Android phone, a $30/month data package would have been required. The LG envTouch only had a $10/month data package. I thought I was saving $20/month, but the LG phone was a huge disappointment.

My phone has a notepad feature. However, there's a 300 character limit. I found a workaround with bitpim, post line numbers, and a PHP script.

The phone-PC synch software is lousy. Fortunately, bitpim works well. I use bitpim to transfer the memo.dat file to my PC, and then use PHP to parse it and remove my line numbers and sort by line number.

I've had a lot of problems with the USB driver. Some "Windows Update" probably caused to to fail. After it not working for a week, I finally got it to work yesterday. The problem was one of:
  1. I had to uninstall/reinstall the driver several times.
  2. I had to go into the phone's ##service menu undocumented feature and change some settings. I went to clr->data->(1 2 3) and changed it to USB and changed the baud rate.
  3. When uninstalling the driver, you have to do it from "device manager" instead of from "add/remove programs".
  4. I connected in "music synch" mode and not "data" mode. If you exit "music synch" mode on the phone it reverts to data mode, which works instead of directly connecting in data mode.
After much fiddling, I finally got the USB synch feature to work again. I have no idea what the actual problem was. It looks like it was a driver/Vista issue.

There's also the "phone randomly shuts off" problem. That doesn't bother me, because I turn the ringer off anyway. I get more spam calls than real calls.

I still have 15 months left on my contract, so I'm stuck with this POS phone for now. I'd really like a Maemo/Meego Nokia phone, but they're only available on GSM (AT&T and T-Mobile). Verizon's network is CDMA. I have a "family share" plan with my mother and sister, and they want to stay with Verizon.

I'm definitely not getting another LG phone. It seems that Verizon figured out that the envTouch is a POS. They don't seem to sell it anymore.

It looks like my next phone will be Android or a Blackberry. I'm leaning towards a Blackberry, but I'm not going to decide for another 15 months.

10 comments:

Scott said...

You are writing drafts of these 20 page articles on your phone? Wow!!

Anonymous said...

As you say you work for a bank, you should be able to afford a Blackberry and a $30 a month plan!

I see lots of small, tiny laptops in the shops for only 200 - 300 UK pounds. In dollars that is $300 - 450.

Surely you should be able to afford a tiny laptop. It also would be easier to type on than a phone.

I've also heard about very cheap laptops that run Linux or some variant of it.

Come on FSK. You can afford a decent, tiny laptop.

Can't you buy your own mobile phone outright and not get it subsidized through the network?

There is a Nokia shop in Regent Street, London that will sell you a Nokia phone without a mobile plan (I think).

Anonymous said...

Acer laptops on amazon.com for $283.

See

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-AOD250-1326-10-1-Inch-Netbook/dp/B0023B139G/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286662515&sr=1-2

Surely FSK can afford a lousy $283 seeing as he works for a bank!!!!

Anonymous said...

If FSK was in the UK, the government would buy him a big plasma screen television, several games consoles, a laptop for each of his/her children (if any) and put him/her in a big million pounds house in a trendy area such as Kensington.

Why is FSK working for a bank in the US and unable to afford a decent phone to write his/her blogs on? Come to the UK and get a free laptop for each child you have!

FSK said...

Yes, I write blog drafts on my phone. I'm on the subway for 1.5 hours each day.

I don't get a laptop because it's another thing to carry. A phone with a keyboard and notepad feature seemed like a good idea.

I thought that the LG envTouch would be good enough. I was wrong. I'm going to stick with it for another 15 months, and then upgrade to Android or BlackBerry.

Anonymous said...

Why does FSK spend 1.5 hours on the subway each day?

If FSK was clued up he/she would come to the UK and have lots of children. He/she would then be a housing priority and gets lots of free things.

FSK is clueless because he/she has a job. If FSK was smart he would suck the welfare system dry and have more time for his blog.

Anonymous said...

FSK spends 1.5 hours traveling a day, can't afford a decent cell phone and has to work for pay. Let's look at alternative careers for FSK.

Vicious UK Policeman
====================
The policeman that threw an innocent, tiny 5 foot woman into the floor and caused her severe injuries, was suspended on FULL PAY. Despite a criminal conviction the policeman is still on FULL PAY because he is waiting for an appeal.

CONCLUSION = NO WORK NECESSARY, FULL PAY

KNIFE THUG
==========

If you are in the UK you can invade someone's house while they are out, change the locks and get away scott free by telling the police you are renting from a mystery person that cannot be found. Under squatter's rights the police will ignore any evidence of criminal entry, say it is a civil matter and leave you alone.

If you are careful enough not to steal a politician's or judge's house you can simply repeat this scam again and again.

LAWYER
======

There is no effective regulation for lawyers in the UK. Lawyers are regulated by lawyers. Parliament is full of ex-lawyers. You have a license to bring bogus, expensive lawsuits against people to extort money, even if there is no real claim.

Even if nothing goes to court, you can get a fat wodge of looted cash just by defending silly cases brought by fellow lawyers. No one will report this to the authorities because who wants to end a lucrative scam. Witness the trademark disputes between companies WITH TOTALLY DIFFERENT NAMES THAT TAKE 18 MONTHS FOR NOTHING TO HAPPEN.

POLITICIAN
==========
Given 40% of the population did not vote in the UK (probably because they know all parties are con men), you can get into power with JUST 20% OF THE VOTE.

Yes, just 1 in 5 of the population has to vote for you and you get a cushy job for 5 years. And you probably only got those votes BECAUSE OF PROMISES YOU MADE BEFORE THE ELECTION AND BROKE IN ORDER TO GET INTO COALITION GOVERNMENT.

CONCLUSION - BREAK PROMISES, GET A CUSHY JOB FOR 5 YEARS.


BURGLAR
=======

Break into someone's house and if you get injured hire a lawyer to sue the house owner. The government will pick up the tab for the legal bill.

UNMARRIED MOTHER
===============

Simply have lots of kids and never get married. The council will have to find a million pounds house for you. You will get a lot of welfare benefits.

I am self-employed and I can't afford holidays, big plasma screen televisions and multiple laptops. Nor do I live in a million pounds house.

Yet if I was an unemployed mother on government benefits I would be FAR BETTER OFF.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Something went wrong when I posted the last three Anonymous comments. You can delete the last two as they are essentially subsets of the third last post. Sorry.

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