Net10 LG 320g Review
Basic Prepaid LG Phone for Net10
The Net10 LG 320G is a basic candybar-style prepaid phone. It is very similar to the Samsung T105g available from Tracfone, sharing the same basic look. This phone is compatible with both the new Net10 30 day plans as well as the pay as you go 10 cents per minute plan.
One bad feature of this new generation of Net10 phones is that they do not (as of Nov. 2010) come with 300 minutes upon activation. Nowadays you just get 10 minutes to start with, even if you activate it online, as I did.
LG 320g Package
What you Get
When you get the phone, the package includes the phone, its 3.7 volt battery and a wall charger. The charge has the smaller but more common microUSB connector that is compatible with the LG 420g and higher models, but not with the older LG phones such as the LG 410g.
The other models in the "20" series is the LG 620g slider phone.
Physical Features
Lightweight
The LG 320g weighs just 2.3 ounces. There's no "flip" to add weight, plus it has a relatively small screen, so there's less glass as well.
Good Battery Life
The phone has a decent talk time rating of five hours and a standby rating of 19 days.
Keyboard
The keyboard is made up of distinct separate buttons, I think. There three rows are definitely separate. As for each of the three button in each row,it's hard to tell, but I think they're separate as well. In any case, the keyboard is nicely arranged and helps prevent accidental key presses.
There is no OK button at the center of the navigation arrows, so if you're used to that, it can take a while to get used to using the top right hand button above the red PWR END key as the OK button.
No Web Access
Good or Bad?
There is no web access on this phone. This can be a disadvantage if you were looking for a phone with web access. On the other hand, if the only time you use web access on a phone is when you accidentally press the “browser” button, then it’s great that this phone doesn’t have one!
On the other hand, here’s what you can do.
Calls and Messages
Make Calls
Of course, you can make calls with your Net10 phone. Under the pay as you go airtime cards, calls cost ten cents per minute. Under the 30 day plans, you get 750 minutes with a $25 card which is just 3.3 cents per minute or you can get unlimited minutes for 30 day with the $50 card.
Send Text Messages
You can send and receive text messages. Text messages cost half a minute each: 5 cents under the pay as you go plan and 1.7 cents (or unlimited) under the 30 day plans.
T9 Predictive Texting
T9 predictive text messaging can make texting faster if you're used to it. To turn off the predictive texting feature, when you start to compose a message, go to Options -> T9 Languages and select "T9 Off".
No Picture Messages
You cannot send picture messages.
Features
Voice Mail and Call Waiting
You can set up your voicemail so you can either return (or avoid) certain calls. The only cost is the airtime you use while checking your voicemail which usually takes one or two minutes, unless someone’s left you a really long message.
Phonebook
You can have up to 500 entries in your phonebook of your Net10 LG 320g. These can be divided into caller groups. There is a speed dial list for your most frequently called numbers, and you can even set up a business card. This is useful to have in a basic phone like this. Combined with voicemail, this actually makes it possible to use as a cheap business contact phone or when looking for a job.
You send your business card via a text message either by itself or as part of another message. If you fill out your name and mobile phone number you will typically use up about 50 characters or less when all the info is transferred to a text message. This give you another 100 characters or so until you get to the 160 character limit.
Tools
The following tools can further help your productivity: alarm clock, calendar, notepad, calculator, tip calculator, world clock, stop watch, and unit converter.
Alarm Clock, Calculators and Calendars
The alarm clock (which has its own separate position in the main menu) gets you up on time. The calendar reminds you of appointments or birthdays. The two calculators help you rein in your expenses so you can be generous with your tips (they deserve them, usually)!
Stopwatch but no Timer
The stopwatch, though not as useful as the missing timer can help you keep your day going as efficiently as possible or maybe just see how long it takes you to get across town or just your subdivision.
Games
Is it time to be a little less productive? Great, then you can play some Sudoku or Battle Reversi. Both are pretty good time wasters. One drawback is that you cannot download additional games onto this phone as it doesn’t have a web browser.
Ringtones
There’s a pretty good selection of MIDI ringtone in “My Folder”. These sound almost though not quite like one of those music boxes with the twirling ballerina. It’s cute, in a way.
Wallpapers
You can choose among four additional wallpaper in addition to the default one. These are the Landscape, Sunset, Skyscraper, and Phantom.
Manual and Tutorial
You can find the interactive tutorial here which is pretty useful. The Net10 LG 320g manual (pdf) is here.
Conclusion
The Net10 LG 320g is a good basic phone with a few additional features that help you pass the time. At $14.99 it is a pretty good deal which would have been better if Net10 still included 300 minutes with the phone. Without these minutes, you may be better off with a phone and airtime card bundle. If you buy two LG 320g's or a bundle you can take advantage of FREE Ground Shipping on any phone order over $19.99.