LG Cosmos VN-250 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

My teenaged son says he likes it April 15, 2010

Reviewer:  William W. Davis "famousdavis" 

QUICK SUMMARY: My teenaged son reports he likes this new LG value-oriented phone. A few feature disappointments keep it from being a 5-star phone. Recommended!

BACKGROUND: My teenaged son picked out the LG Cosmos to replace the cast-off Samsung device I gave to him last summer when I upgraded my phone to the LG Env3. When the keys started falling off the Samsung, I relented and agreed to buy an upgraded phone for my son and his younger siblings to use (we have a "kids" phone shared by all my children). My son shopped at the local Verizon store, looking at value-oriented phones with a limited feature set. He knew he wasn't going to get that Droid phone. ;-)

What We LIKE:

- The slide-out keyboard is GREAT for texting! My son has gotten into texting, and the full keyboard makes texting MUCH easier and quicker for him. I know the pleasure of using a full keyboard, too, having upgraded my own phone to the LG Env3.
- Numeric keypad on the front lets you quickly dial phone numbers (or use speed dialing) without messing with the slide-out keyboard. No pocket dialing (yet, anyway).
- You don't need to buy a Verizon data plan with this phone. That was important to me, a parent, because I don't want the kids' phone to have unfiltered web access, so web access is blocked on their account. Some higher-end phones now *require* you to buy a data plan. The LG Cosmos is one of a few models (Samsung Intensity is another) with a full keyboard where you don't need to pay for a data plan.
- The LCD display orientation automatically changes to accommodate how you're using the phone. When you slide-out the keyboard, the display readjusts so it's aligned correctly with the long-edge of the phone. Slide-in the keyboard and the display readjusts to align with the short edge of the phone.
- My son says he likes the placement of the keys on this device (better than the Samsung Intensity, which he also sampled at the Verizon store). He also liked the menu navigation on the Cosmos, too.
- Bluetooth capability is a nice way to send phone pictures directly to our wireless photo printer.

What We Do **NOT** Like:

- Speed dialing settings get erased if you turn-off the Cosmos. My son reported this bug in the firmware (our Cosmos has version 1 of the firmware) and I verified the bug to be true. When we are next near a Verizon store, I'll see if LG has updated their firmware to fix this annoying bug. (UPDATE: Thanks to Vijay who posted a comment to this review, there is a 2nd way of adding speed dials, and the 2nd method doesn't exhibit this firmware bug. To correctly set speed dials, do this: Menu -> Contacts -> Speed Dial Settings).
- No video recording! Sheesh, I thought every phone automatically came with the ability to do picture-taking and video recording. The LG Cosmos, though, can't record videos. My son was mildly disappointed, but having a full keyboard outweighed this disappointment in his eyes.
- If you're used to a larger phone screen (like I am, since I have the LG Env3), the display size of the Cosmos seems really, really small. Even if my kids could use this phone to browse the web, it wouldn't be a fun experience at all.
- The camera is only a 1.3Mp. Even a value-oriented model ought to have a 2Mp sensor nowadays.
- Although it does have a full keyboard, the keys are pretty small -- bigger than some ridiculously small keyboards on certain Blackberries, but not nearly as nice as my LG Env3. My son is just happy to have a keyboard now, even if it's smallish.

Note: Initially, after we first got the phone, the battery needed recharging shortly after its first full charge. To give you an idea: after a few dozen text message sends/receives, the battery bar went from full to 3/4. In a day's worth of texting (and almost no voice calling), the battery expired on our Cosmos. HOWEVER, Li-Ion batteries don't reach their full potential until after several cycles of charging/discharging, and after a few charging/discharging cycles, the battery began exhibiting much improved battery life. I didn't have this same experience with my LG Env3 phone. After using this phone for a couple of weeks now, my son seems satisfied with the battery life he's getting from the LG Cosmos.

Be aware, too, that this phone can't play music like other phones can. My son never used this feature on the old Samsung phone, which could play music, so this isn't a dislike for him -- but it might be for you.

Conclusion: This phone is good for kids who love to text (and have an unlimited texting plan!). It's a value-oriented model that will disappoint you if you're used to a better-featured phone, but if you've been using an old Samsung phone with just a numeric keypad to send text messages to your friends, the LG Cosmos is a welcomed upgrade.

Great little phone April 29, 2010

Reviewer:  Kenneth Staley 

First off, I'm 60. I don't need all the bells and whistles of a 3 G phone...or whatever number they're up to now. I need something solid, durable and reliable.

This is a sweet phone. The keyboard is laid out in a manner that's easy to use.

I found this phone very user friendly...I've yet to crack the owner's manual to see what all it can do.

I've been very impressed in the week I've had this phone. I can only hope it's as rugged and durable as the LG flip phone I had.

The perfect phone for calling and texting July 23, 2010

Reviewer:  Diamond M. Dominguez "diamon2x"  (Los Angeles, Ca United States) -

I bought this phone recently because I have always wanted a keyboard for texting, instead of using a phone keypad. And although I use the internet daily at the office, I do not want to browse on the phone after work. I need the phone for only two uses..talk and text. This was the right phone for me. I love the phone number pad on the front because I'm not fond of touch-screen phone number pads.
THE QWERTY KEYBOARD FOR TEXTING IS THE BEST! The qwerty keyboard buttons are spaced apart just right. I almost never accidentally hit a wrong button while typing. I can hear people on the other end of the line very loud and clear as if they were standing next to me. Also the volume for rings is great and the wake up alarm is nice and loud too. Navigating thru the screen settings is easy to figure out. The phone is slim enough so that it doesn't feel to heavy in your pants pocket.
I dont know why people constantly complain about battery life on these multi-function phones. Hey, if you're spending the whole day texting and browsing the internet, of course the battery is going to run down quick. What do you expect? With normal phoning and texting, I have to recharge the battery about every three days which was average for every cell phone I've ever had.

SHORT BATTERY LIFE June 11, 2010

Reviewer:  J. Caffarella  (Littleton, MA) -

I bought this phone for my teenage daughter so she could talk and text w/ her friends. This phone is a bit thicker and larger than others w/ similar features, but my daughter doesn't seem to mind, however after only 3 months of use, we are looking at replacing the battery. Battery life was never great (she maybe got 1.5 hours of talk time when the phone was new) but now she's down to 15-20 mins of talk time before the call is dropped and the phone shuts down. While a replacement battery is inexpensive (about $14), the OEM battery should last longer than a few months. If you purchase this phone, do so knowing that within a few months, you'll be investing in a new battery.

April 26, 2011. I'm writing in furtherance of my initial review to report that after 10 months of continuous daily use, the aftermarket (replacement for OEM) battery is still holding a full charge. The OEM batteries they use in these phones are obviously inferior, and again, the replacement battery was only $14. Money well spent. Also, despite having come into contact with the pavement several times, this phone continues to work perfectly.

After 8 days of use....it's average June 10, 2010

Reviewer:  J. Cranston  (usa) -

Pros:

Good for conversation. No dropping calls. Clear sound.
Texting beats standard phone
loud volume
good reception
speaker phone and mic pretty good

Cons:

Screen smudges all the time and has lot's of scratches already. Phooey
Why plastic?? Should have been glass for a bar phone.
As soon as you put it up to your ear it's going to get oil on the lens.
If you don't lock it, keys get hit easily. Must lock keypad all the time.
Not very convenient that way.
Keys are pretty tough to hit. If you try to one hand it,
the balance is off as it's a heavy phone.
So it can be easy to drop this way.
Slippery phone so more risk of dropping.
Camera won't zoom on highest res setting.
Battery life so far tolerable but probably below average
Had to buy extra charger for work, for car, and a case to protect it.
Probably will replace lens in near future.

But, for $20 from Verizon with 2 year contract renewal, eh, it's ok.