Bonding with an Android: the 'LG Eve' at first blush.

It was time for a new cell-phone here in Canada, (specifically for use in Edmonton and area in Alberta), so I tried out a couple of smart phones. The race narrowed rapidly to a choice between the iPhone and the new, Android based LG Eve.

In Edmonton, the iPhone range from $99 to $299. The $99 model has only 8 GB of storage, not enough for me, I have tons of music and videos to watch so it's out right away. The 3G S models are 16 GB ($199) and 32 GB ($299). All of these are conditional upon a 3-year contract, regardless of carrier. (FWIW, I found the 8 GB model slower and less responsive all the way around compared to the 3G S models.)

The nice thing about the iPhone is that all of the cellular stores had test models. So I was able to check the internet speed on 3G and HSPA networks where available. (HSPA+ is slowly rolling across Canada, but in my rural location I doubt that I will see a steady HSPA+ connection for at least a year.)

I really like the iPhone. I like the Mac-style interface, I like the highly-sensitive touchscreen, I like the thousands of apps. However, the Eve won me over once I was able to find an activated phone. It was at the unlikely cell-phone kiosk at the local Costco where I found one. The phone was connected to the Rogers HSPA network in Edmonton, and the internet-speed was comparable to the fastest connection I experienced on an iPhone, at a Bell wireless store.

The Eve does have drawbacks: the screen is a bit smaller than the iPhone and the touch-screen is not quite as sensitive (perhaps this can be modified down the line?). There are not as many Android apps as iPhone apps. However, it does have advantages: a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, expandable memory up to 32 GB on Micro SD (Rogers lists 16 GB on their website, but the LG specs clearly state 32 GB, I'll find out personally soon enough ;).

There are a lot of free apps available at the Android Market. And with Motorola pushing their Android device heavily in the US, I believe that there will be a ton of apps to follow.

The Eve also features a 5 megapixel camera. I still haven't really tested it, but here are some shots in low-light conditions that I did quickly. I really like the coffee-cup:







Only in Canada, (for now), at $49 with a 3-year contract. I couldn't resist. I got the phone 4 days ago, and at this point, I love it. It does what I need it to do, and then some. (Most Android apps I've DL'ed are running great). Also, I'm getting an HSPA signal 100km from Edmonton, which is making me very happy. I did not expect that. I don't get the signal strength that I get in Edmonton, but the speed is definitely faster than my EVDO-A USB stick at the best of times.

If you are looking for a new smart-phone in Canada, test-drive an Eve, you may be surprised.

Hi there. I wanted to first of all tell you how AWESOME those pics are. I'm not even going to add "for a cell phone" because they're awesome for any camera. Great job, and great camera.

Next. I just returned my Rogers LG Eve to Rogers this afternoon after having used it extensively (using WiFi so as not to use up my trial period) for over 5 days. Here are my reasons.

1. Android OS version. Rogers ships with 1.5. In the US, Android 2.0 (and in some instances 2.1) is the current version. Even in Canada, 1.6 offers improvements over 1.5 (notably voice recognition), and 2.0 is an entirely new animal. I asked Rogers Tech Support if they'd be offering OS upgrades and I got a TENTATIVE "we think so", yet when I wrote to LG Canada tech support, I got an email stating that there will be no OS upgrades for the Eve. So, who's telling the truth?

2. Can't sync with Outlook. This is the biggest drawback. In order to sync my Outlook calendar with the Eve, I have to enable Google Sync with my Gmail account, meaning all my calendar events, etc. are online. I don't want that. The situation with contacts is even worse: there is no Google sync functionality for contacts. The workaround is to export your contact list from Outlook to a .csv file, then import that file into Gmail contacts, then sync your Eve with those contacts (that actually works fine, it's just a PITA). Again, I don't want my contact list online.

3. Inability to use more than one Gmail account using the Gmail icon on the Home screen. I have 3 separate accounts used for different reasons. Even on my BlackBerry using the Gmail client I can access all three accounts from that one client, yet on a phone designed by Google, I can't do that? What are they thinking?

4. Inability to access Hotmail (and live.com) accounts on the phone via the email client (works via the browser). HUH? HOTMAIL? It's only like the most popular free POP3 email provider in the world. Rogers says it's a restriction placed on the Android operating system by Microsoft. I bet that's not true.

5. Finally, my last complaint is that you cannot turn off the Vibration feedback on the dial pad, even though you can turn it off for all other functionality on the phone. My fingers actually hurt after dialing a number!

Ok, now that the bad is over, here's what I liked, actually LOVED about the phone:

1. Gorgeous, big screen. iPhone shmiPhone. The Eve's screen is magnificent. Just look at some pics, or a YouTube video, and you'll agree.

2. 3G speed. Need I say more?

3. WiFi. Worked flawlessly, setup was a snap. No lost connections, absolutely brilliant.

4. Quality of phone and speakerphone is excellent. This *IS* primarily a phone, right?

5. Camera quality. Just look at the pics on this thread. Again, need I say more?

6. Beautiful slide-out keyboard with excellent, easy-to-read but not obnoxious backlighting. The keys are much better than on a BlackBerry (for my hands, anyway).

7. Sound quality in general for audio, music, etc. is great.

8. Built-in FM tuner.

9. Android Market. I disagree with other comments that it's limited. ALL the apps in the Market in Canada are free, compared to the iTunes Store and BB App World (I understand that the market will eventually have paid apps too). I downloaded several AWESOME free apps (there's a great bartender app!) and they installed without a hitch.

So, you may ask, why did I return it? I think due to the Outlook issue primarily, and the OS/vibrate issue second.

I'm going to try out the iPhone for a few days, and also maybe the new BlackBerry 9700 (I am switching from a BlackBerry Curve 8900, a great phone too but no 3G and I hate the trackball).

Let me know if you have comments/questions.