Crave

Kate Moore has been crowned a texting champ.

(Credit: LG)

Fifteen-year-old Kate Moore won LG's third annual U.S. National Texting Championship this week. The contest finals were held in New York Tuesday, and Moore won $50,000 as well as a free LG enV3. Moore, who's from Des Moines, Iowa, attributes her success to her 14,000-texts-a-month habit.

The contest required entrants to perform a series of challenges, like texting while blindfolded and texting while going through an obstacle course. The final showdown had both finalists text three long phrases without any mistakes. However, all tasks were done with an LG enV3, which has a full QWERTY keyboard. We think it would've been a lot more interesting if they texted with normal phones with a number keypad and T9 predictive text.

LG's texting contest drew almost 250,000 applicants, and all finalists were 22 or younger.

Welcome to the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Palm Pre may be more expensive to existing customers.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

Hi, I currently have a samsung Instinct with Sprint and I qualify for an upgrade in July. I was looking at upgrading to the Palm Pre, but I was wondering if you have any idea how much it would cost to buy the Pre as an upgrade, because all Sprint is advertising is the $199 with the $100 mail-in-rebate for new customers getting a two-year contract. Thanks - Xavier, via e-mail

As is the situation with the recently announced iPhone 3G S, existing customers frequently don't get to take advantage of the low prices designed to cater to new subscribers. If you want to know if you qualify for the $199 price, you'll need to check with Sprint to see if you are eligible. According to the Palm Pre fine print, existing customers in good standing, who have kept the same device for 22 consecutive months, may be eligible. Also, the $100 mail-in rebate offer lasts only until July 11, 2009. Try signing into sprint.com/upgrade to check your eligibility.

I need your opinion on whether to buy the LG enV Touch or the BlackBerry. BlackBerry is free, Touch is $150, however, the BlackBerry is over 100 more a year in service fees. Using it for MP3, phone and e-mail. Will not be texting. - TC, via e-mail

LG enV Touch may have additional monthly costs associated with it.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

That's really smart of you to note the overall cost of the phone, not just the initial price. However, the enV Touch might also cost you a bit more each month if you opt for the $3 a month Visual Voice Mail or the $10 a month for corporate e-mail. It's also not as good as the BlackBerry when it comes to e-mail in general. For MP3 playback, though, I would opt for the enV Touch, simply because of the V Cast Music access. It also has great call quality. So, if your priority is e-mail, I would go for the BlackBerry, but if it's not, then the enV Touch will do just fine.

Hello Nicole; I am going to be doing an upgrade with Verizon in a couple of months (July). I had a Voyager, which I liked very much (although a little large), and had the visual voice mail and city I.D., but my wife has that one now and I have an LG Dare, which is very quirky, and does not have visual voice mail or city I.D. (even with the latest software updates). Do you know if the new enV Touch has these two features, City I.D. and visual voice mail? I mainly text and use the Internet, any other suggestions with Verizon? I don't wish to change carriers, although I would love an iPhone. I very much enjoy your video reviews!! Thanks!! - Jon, via e-mail

The LG enV Touch does indeed have Visual Voice Mail and City I.D. support, so you're in luck there.

LG enV Touch photos

The recently released LG enV Touch is no smartphone like the iPhone or Palm Pre, but it certainly impresses as a high-end feature phone. For starters, it has not one, but two 3-inch displays. The one on the outside has a touch-screen interface similar to those of other LG touch screen handsets like the LG Dare and the LG Versa. Both displays support 1.6 million colors, which really helps when viewing images and video. We also like its slim form factor and spacious QWERTY keyboard that makes thumb-typing a pleasurable experience.

We were similarly impressed with the features on the enV Touch. They include a 3.2-megapixel camera (with a few special shots, like "Facial Makeover" that removes blemishes from the face, plus a name card reader that's programmed to capture the name and address information on business cards), a full HTML Web browser with the capability to tab between pages, and EV-DO Rev. A. The latter is noticeably faster than just regular EV-DO; downloading a 1.5MB song took only 20 or so seconds, while a normal EV-DO connection downloaded it in around 50 seconds.

Perhaps our only gripes had to do with the responsiveness of the touch screen interface and the Web browser. For example, we would sometimes launch an application accidentally when scrolling through a menu, and it can be difficult to tap on a link on a crowded Web page. The lack of Wi-Fi is also disappointing on such a full-featured phone. We also had problems with the monthly cost of Visual Voice Mail and corporate e-mail support, but that's more to do with the Verizon service than the phone.

Overall, we really like the LG enV Touch. It has a great design and excellent features, making it one of the top messaging phones in Verizon's stable. It's available for $149.99 after a $70 rebate and a two-year service agreement.

Read our full review of the LG enV Touch.

LG enV3 photos

The LG enV3 is the much awaited update to the LG enV2, and after a few days reviewing it, we have to say it's definitely an improvement. It still has that odd calculator-like exterior with the small external screen and flat number keypad, but it opens up to reveal a bigger screen and a redesigned QWERTY keyboard with the space bar in the middle instead off to the sides.

Better still are its features. It now has a 3.0-megapixel camera and camcorder with camera settings like smile shot, which automatically takes a photo when a smile is detected, and panorama mode, which stitches together three photos taken from left to right. It also now has a Dashboard feature that acts as a Web portal to various information channels like weather, ESPN, and more. But the biggest update is that it now has a full HTML Web browser. It's easy to use, with the full browser features like full-screen view, zoom capabilities, and bookmarks. However, we didn't like that we had to go to another page just to enter the Web URL; there isn't a normal URL field at the top of the browser.

Other features include a wide array of messaging options that include instant messaging, mobile e-mail, mobile Web e-mail, and corporate e-mail, and of course EV-DO, GPS, and access to Verizon's broadband services like V Cast Video and V Cast Music. It also has a music player and stereo Bluetooth.

Overall, we think it's a great full-featured messaging phone from Verizon Wireless. It's $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year service agreement.

Read our full review of the LG enV3.

Verizon unveils three new LG phones

We've talked about it for weeks now, but Verizon has finally made it official with the announcement of three new LG phones: the LG enV3, LG enV Touch, and LG Glance. All of the phones have text and multimedia messaging with threaded messaging, mobile Web, mobile e-mail, Bluetooth, and GPS. Here's a brief rundown of specifications unique to each phone:

LG enV Touch

(Credit: LG)

The LG enV Touch is the most advanced of the lot, and is the successor to the LG Voyager. It has a 3-inch external touch screen similar to its predecessor, as well as a 3-inch internal screen that is not a touch screen. It flips open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, and it has a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder with autofocus, flash, and an image editor.

Other features include a full HTML Web browser, visual voice mail support (note: you have to pay a monthly fee to Verizon for this feature), up to 16GB microSD card support, EV-DO Rev. A, and a music player compatible with V Cast Music with Rhapsody. The enV Touch can also read Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents.

LG enV3

(Credit: LG)

The LG enV3 is the sequel to the LG enV2, and it does indeed look similar to its predecessor. It has the number keypad on the front, with a 1.56-inch external screen and a 2.6-inch internal screen, and it flips open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard.

Features include a 3.0-megapixel camera/camcorder, which is a step up from the enV2's 2.0-megapixel shooter, high-speed EV-DO (Not Rev. A), a full HTML Web browser, visual voice mail support, a microSD card slot with support for up to 16GB, and a music player with V Cast support.

LG Glance

(Credit: LG)

Last but not least is the LG Glance, which is the most basic of the three. It has a simple candy-bar form factor with a "woven" metal back plate, and it features a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and not much else.

The LG enV3 will be available this Friday, May 29, for $129.99, while the LG enV Touch and the LG Glance will be available June 5 for $149.99 and $49.99 respectively. All these prices are after a mail-in rebate and a new, two-year, service agreement. The rebate will be in the form of a debit card, which you can use like any other debit card.

LG enV Touch spotted on Best Buy's online store

(Credit: Best Buy online store / Screenshot by Nicole Lee)

An eagle-eyed reader has spotted the LG enV Touch available for sale on Best Buy for a whopping $599.99. This is much more than the anticipated $219.99 with a new two-year agreement with Verizon, so we're guessing this is the full price without a contract. Also, somebody at Best Buy must have jumped the gun because the original estimate was that the enV Touch was to be in stores starting June 5 (though that is an unofficial rumored date). Verizon has not responded to us about this at the time of this writing.

The LG enV Touch, as you might recall, is LG's successor to the LG Voyager. It will have a full touch-screen interface on the front and a QWERTY keyboard when you flip it open. Features include a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, visual voice-mail support, MMS and text messaging, a full HTML Web browser, e-mail, EV-DO, V Cast Music access, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot that can support up to 16GB of memory, GPS, and more.

Thanks, Vinnie, for the tip!

This summer will be extremely busy for all of us here at CNET. Not only is the Palm Pre coming in June, but we're expecting iPhone news at WWDC, a new Nokia N97 for North America, the LG enV3 and enV Touch, and more. Phew! We discuss all that, go over our weekly reviews, and answer your questions, too.

Rumors of the week
BlackBerry Storm 2 could hit as early as June
Rumor: Nokia N97 NAM to launch June 2

News
On Call: A summer of cell phones
Palm Pre to arrive June 6 for $200
Sprint CEO: Expect Pre shortages
Best Buy Mobile to sell Palm Pre $199.99 without mail-in rebate
Sprint-branded HTC Touch Pro 2 spotted
LG enV3 to launch May 29
LG enV Touch set for June 5 release?
Nokia lays out three new phones
Android 1.5 Update for T-Mobile G1 delayed one week
Samsung Jack coming to AT&T on May 19
Samsung phone has partial keyboard--Bonnie Cha shall not be pleased
Samsung A167 goes to GoPhone

Reviews
Samsung Magnet
Kyocera X-tc
LG 160
Jabra BT4010 Bluetooth headset
Jabra SP200 Bluetooth speakerphone

Upcoming reviews
Samsung Jack
Kyocera Jax S1300
Samsung SGH-A167
Samsung Smooth SCH-U350
Samsung JetSet SCH-r550
Motorola Hint QA30
Aura Spracht BluNote
Motorola Rokr S7-HD

We finally have a release date for the Palm Pre.

(Credit: Palm)

Update at Wednesday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. PST: A few readers have asked about the North America version of the Nokia N97. It should launch June 2.

Though summer is always a busy time for new cell phones releases, so far the summer of 2009 is shaping up to be a doozy. We expect a full load of new handsets over the next three months with June being an especially hectic time for high-profile models. To help you keep track of the news, here's a handy list.

Palm Pre
After months of waiting (and plenty of rumors), we finally learned today that the Palm Pre will go on sale Saturday, June 6 for $200. Palm pushed its "first half of the year" deadline to the very end, but it appears they'll make it.

We're hoping to have a review unit by the time it hits stores so that we can give you the full scoop on this much-anticipated device. Indeed, we're very excited to finally be able to touch it. June 6 was a bit unexpected since Sprint typically releases new devices on a Sunday. But the date does give Palm a two-day jump on what should be the next incarnation of the iPhone.

LG enV Touch, opened

(Credit: LG by way of Phone Arena)

If you're not a fan of either the Palm Pre or the iPhone, you still might have something to look forward to in early June.

Someone has apparently tipped off Engadget Mobile that the LG enV Touch might launch on June 5. Slated as the much-awaited Voyager replacement, the enV Touch has a 3-inch touch screen on the front, a 3-inch internal screen, a full QWERTY keyboard on the inside, plus a few multimedia features like a 3.2-megapixel camera, a full HTML browser, EV-DO, and more.

The enV Touch will supposedly sell for $219.99 with a two-year contract and a $70 rebate. If this does turn out to be true, I guess we'll have a very busy first week in June.