Customer Reviews

LG eXpo GW820 Windows Phone (AT&T)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

My carrier is AT&T and I didn't want to go through the hassle to switch carriers so I stuck with AT&T, and I wanted to get a smartphone so my choices are basically iPhone, WinMo or Blackberry. I read some reviews and decided to pick the LG eXpo over the HTC Tilt 2 or other phones.

First Impression:
+ Cool looking phone, with a chrome-plated rim on the side,
+ Impressive specs, Quad-band, HSPDA/UMTS, Wi-Fi
+ has QWERTY keyboard, the keys are easy to press
+ Has dedicated button for access to task manager, by default set to the LG Task Manager, you can change it to the WinMo Task Manager or something else
- Takes a while to boot up, feels like 10 secs
- The touch screen takes a while to get used to, it's not bad, but not as responsive as iPhone
+ Fingerprint sensor doubles as scrolling control
+ dedicated volume buttons
o By default the "today" screen is set to the WinMo default screen, but LG also implemented it's own, so I switched to that one, which is an improvement over the WinMo apps in terms of finger-friendliness (the WinMo ones were mostly designed for stylus use).
- The contacts manager is unintuitive and hard to use. Functionality as simple as "jump to contacts that start with C" is lacking.
- The task manager: has screen shots for the opened applications, but the close buttons are too small

After playing with the phone a bit more:
- Fingerprint sensor is cool, but don't be surprised if it takes more than a few swipes to recognize your fingerprint, you have to swipe slowly. Also, it traps dust.
o Camera is 5MP, but quality is so-so
o No dropped calls yet, but I haven't seen the reception bar reach full yet.
- Loaded with tons of trial software that I can't get rid of (they're in the ROM, so unless you flash the ROM they'll be there forever)
- Internet Explorer is slow, so I replaced with Opera Mobile 10 beta, but some AT&T specific links now won't work (all those Media Net links)
- The LG (called LGIdle) shell is better than the WinMo default Today screen, but would be great if I could customize some of the buttons (e.g. replace IE with Opera and remove links to the trial software)
- Replaced the LG contact manager with iContact, which looks like the iPhone contact manager
- Looking into replacing the shell with PointUI (good) or SPB Home (best!)
- Some apps try to connect to the 3G network even when I have the WiFi connection
- Some apps (esp, WinMo Marketplace) tend to lock up when they're accessing the Internet and the phone become unresponsive.

Conclusion:
It's a cool phone but the software that comes with it out of the box is lacking and be prepared to spend time researching (and $$) to get some better apps.

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Update #1:
- Specs: I neglected to mention that this phone has a 1Ghz processor, and 480x800 screen. So spec-by-spec the eXpo blows many of it's competitors out of the water (iPhone, Droid, HTC tilt 2). The actual experience is another question though.
- Touch screen sensitivity issues: it's usable, but since it has a resistive screen, you need to apply a little pressure. Compared to the iPhone which has a capacitive touch screen, the eXpo's touch screen definitely feels inferior. There are few if any phones running windows mobile with capacitive touch screens, the only one I know of is HTC HD2 which is yet to come to the US.
- Battery life is poor, I have to recharge every 2-3 days depending on usage.
- Apps. Again, out of the box it won't have many great apps.
* Some noteworthy mention: The LG calculator can do a little more than simple arithmetic (sin, cos, tan, exp, etc), the tip calculator is handy, the schedules/tasks app is more finger friendly than the default WinMo one.
* there's a lot of apps out there you can find on the internet, that problem is that they're scattered across different sites, many good ones aren't free and not all are finger-friendly. You need to spend time to try/research good ones.
* WinMo Marketplace still has room for improvement, many apps aren't up-to-date (e.g. Bing is 4.7 but latest is 5.0, Skyfire is 1.0 but latest is 1.5); also, it has to check for updates when it starts up, and often it hangs and causes the phone is become unresponsive for a while as well.
- I tried out the voice command functionality a couple of times. Usable, but not great, and it requires you to assign a button as the "voice command" button, the problem is there aren't many buttons that you can program (one for task manager and one for camera, the other 4 are on the slide-out keyboard)
- If you select to unlock the phone using your fingerprint sensor it means you won't be able to use the default WinMo locking screen (which has info like your upcoming appointments and missed calls, see image I uploaded), instead, you'll see the screen that instructs you to swipe your finger on the sensor

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Update #2:
- (re. voice command in update #1) I realized that I don't need to assign a dedicated voice command button. The "back" button is used for that purpose. Press and hold the "back" button and voice command will be activated. The manual (which you need to download yourself) mentions that.
- Also, press and hold the "end call" button to lock the phone.
- it seems that the LG in-call menus is not integrated well into WinMo or the lock screen. If you use the fingerprint lock screen and receive a call when the phone is locked, you can receive the call but you won't see the in-call menu (buttons like hold,speaker, end call, etc). Also, if you use the WinMo lock screen and receive a call when the phone is locked, the WinMo UI for receiving calls show up instead of the LG one.

This phone is great for people who know how to work technology. Windows Mobile has a high learning curve but once you get use to it, it is easy. Have not had to use my stylus once but there is some instances, ie using the internet, when the OS could be more finger friendly. The fingerprint detection and 1GHz processor is amazing! The phone has not froze on me yet and I usually run 6 different windows at once. With wifi, the internet is faster than my PC. Camera and keyboard works well. I wish Windows 7 came out sooner so this phone would have it, it would make it a lot easier to use the interface. People are starting to hear about this phone and are amazed to see the fingerprint detection and the high CPU speed in action. I am very impressed with this phone so far and cant wait to use the projector when it comes out.

Compared to HTC HD2, LG expo/LG Telus(same phone) beats it by a physical keyboard.
Pros:
Fingerprint reader
Retina display just like iPhone 4(not a hoax)
Snapdragon processor
Windows Mobile OS
Windows Mobile 6.5
With WM, you can customise your own neat-arrange homescreen, unlike android and iOS
Has own LG expo community called LG-expo.com
Keyboard
A second official ROM has been released by LG(Amazing right?)
5.0MP camera
Internet explorer in WM6.5 is better than you think
Resistive screen, but is capacitive too(GUI is in fact stylus free)
Very cheap, because the WM market is deteriorating

The processor speed greatly enhance windows mobile OS(WM), which WM needs very high speed like this to actually work well. WM is a great old(experienced) OS, boasting loads of mature and free or crackable apps. Sometimes you just don't like Android and IOS. WM6.5 in this phone has greatly enhanced the GUI experience, I never knew WM6.5 is nice to use until I bought this phone. Certainly, join XDA developers to download Custom ROM and enhancement tweaks for LG expo is a wise move, but not recommended legally. Flashing new ROM is fast and one-step, I love it. It has got retina display, pixels as small as iphone 4's, don't be fooled by apple's "retina only in iphone 4" claim, now business users could have it in LG expo way earlier than iphone 4. Fingerprint reader is a must, it eliminates the hassle to type passwords by just a simple swype. Keyboard buttons are broad and ok. Internet explorer browser is amazingly powerful, just like what you can find in android. I personally believe that resistive screen is always better than capacitive screen as you can do delicate things on resistive but only bulky stunted actions on capacitive, with the aid of stylus sometimes. Thank goodness that LG expo is still having a resistive screen. You can also say WM has an older history of having folder function, multitasking ability which are far well working than android and iOS. I love WM's PC like file explorer as well.

Cons:
no Bluetooth 3.0
no extra-capacity batteries yet
few physical buttons
no compass
no 3.5mm audio jack
no high-def video recording(720p)
low GSM antenna gain
low microphone volume gain

Bluetooth 3.0 is many times faster than Bluetooth 2.1 in Lg expo. Compass is hugely needed in navigation. Surprisingly, it has lower antenna gain shown in the display, but... but..., it has proven to me that it has no problem like other phone when calling in the basement. However, low microphone gain is somehow a problem here. When holding the phone you need to curve your palm to reflect sound back to the bottom of the phone and that helps.

You need time to explore this phone and how it works.. once you get used to tricks and shortcuts.. this is one of the best.. with the power of 1Ghz processor and cool 5Mpx camera awesome display... everything is cool.. great outlook and pc sync.. and Office tools.. nothing to dislike .. :)

I am still waiting for the projector accessory.. icing on the cake !!!

I thoroughly enjoy my expo! There is, indeed, a major learning curve. After having it in my hands for three weeks, I'm very happy and can navigate through the phone with the slightest of ease.
I wish the battery life was longer, though. That's my biggest complaint, but I can easily surf the web, play some games, watch youtube videos, and (can you believe it) make phone calls. The camera is also an excellent bonus!
One more thing. Where's the projector?
Very, very pleased... but still waiting for a projector.

On paper this phone sounds great, but in reality it is horrible. The power / lock button quit working. When I call people they can not hear me, but I can hear them. I have to borrow my wifes I-phone. OS is outdated and difficult to navigate. Is no good for social networking. The only thing I like about the phone is the finger print reader. Overall a very poor phone. I can't wait to get rid of it.

I have had my LG Expo about 10 days now. It replaces an AT&T 8125 pocket pc made by HTC. I really enjoyed my 8125 and have resisted the temptation to replace a working phone until the screen cracked when my cat knocked it from a high place. I was reluctant to purchase the LG hardware without having handled it, and was afraid it would not be as nice as an HTC device. the quality of the LG hardware is quite nice. The camera is much better than what I had before. The screen resolution is incredible as is the color and brighness and stands on its own next to the Iphone and the best droid/android hardware. I have small hands and the slightly smaller overall circumferance of the phone allows me more confidence when handling than some wider and/or thicker smartphones. I really like the keyboard. It has nice keys and they are firm buttons, not labled places on a flimsy membrane. There are many options on how you can set up the initial screen, and more than one menu system to choose from. I am glad to use the WinMo "today" screen until I get more used to the swiping thing. Lg did some nice work on their branded portion of the user interface. Be careful about screen protectors, thick or poor quality versions can greatly deminish the overall experience of the interface. I was proficient with my stylus and the winmo os and it is freeing to have stylus features still available. IE has some nice features compared to days past, however there may be better browser options out there How nice to be able to sync with office without installing a bunch of apps. nicer still that remote pc access is right there on this phone. I am not as happy using the finger print swiper as I was the navigation buttons on my old phone. With the buttons I knew I had clicked a direction and how much so, or for how long I had held it down, with the swiper it seems more random somehow. One the other hand I can swipe instead and what this actually translates into is that I have to look at the screen more to do little things than I have been used to. If you are a computer tech, a microsoft partner, or mainly use your smart phone for business and productivity I recommend this phone. If you are a winmo dinasaur and don't want too much change I also recommend it. If you want a flashy toy, or are mostly concerned about connectivity, infotainment, and media, there are several options and this phone is only one of them. I had not researched the availability of FM radio and was pleasantly suprised to find it on this phone. The FM radio works quite well.

I've had this phone for a couple of months - I absolutely LOVE it - I've teathered it to my computer, surfed the web (with and without tethering) accessed my SharePoint site, listened to the FM radio -

Soooo many features - I especially like the fact that I can be tethered to the PC surfing the web and talking on the phone at the same time -

My only complaint is that Pandora isn't compatible with this phone yet - I guess the built in FM radio will have to do until Pandora gets their stuff together - :O)

ok so I bought this phone after researching phones for over a week. A year later, it doesn't get signal anywhere, I have to shove the phone against the wall with a textbook so that the phone will continue to charge while I'm not holding the charger into the phone with my hand, and the battery only lasts for 5 hours, whether I'm messing with it or not, and the USB NEVER worked with any computer, and I've gone through two phones and tried on at least 5 computers. By this I mean I installed the phones software onto my computer, and it would sense the phone for 5 seconds, then it would disconnect on it's own for a couple minutes, then sense the phone and disconnect again. This happened with both phones the instant I received them. I've had to resort to putting my music on my phone by sending the files to myself in my e-mail, and as you can imagine it took FOREVER. Also, the internet explorer for the phone is god awful, it's really slow no matter if it's using at&t's service or wifi, and doesn't load many pages on the web when you're surfing. Now, I'm stuck in this contract with this phone for another year, and I basically don't have a cell phone. So, I have to spend 300-400 just to get a phone that may have similar features just so I have a cell phone that does what I need it to do. When I first got it, it worked great, now it's a hunk of garbage. Also, it has no water damage and I've never dropped it. So there you go. If you're on the fence with this phone DO NOT buy it, I'm currently looking at the nokia e7-00, maybe that will be worth the investment unlike this hunk of junk.

This is the worst phone I have ever owned. If you have to google how to change text ringtone when you can build computers there is something wrong. Keep having to reboot so calls dont go directly to VM.. Sucks don't buy you will be frustrated....