LG Revolution Love

Features
The LG Revolution's hottest feature is arguably the fact that it supports Verizon's 4G-LTE network. It promises average download speeds of up to 12Mbps and upload speeds of 5Mbps. While we didn't quite reach those promised upper limits, we were overall pleased with what we experienced. Browsing was a breeze, and we were impressed by the quality of streaming video as well. Netflix, for example, streams movies and TV shows surprisingly well over 4G, though it wasn't perfect (for more details, check out the Performance section).
Netflix is certainly a fantastic app to have preinstalled in the phone, especially since not all Android phones support it just yet. Other welcome apps pre-installed in the Revolution include Amazon's Kindle, Blockbuster, Bitbop, Rhapsody, Polaris Office, Rock Band, Let's Golf 2, Slacker, and TuneWiki. We also appreciate LG additions like Facebook for LG and Twitter for LG, but we're less enthused about the multitude of Verizon apps. They include the VZ Navigator, City ID, V Cast media manager, Backup Assistant, My Verizon Mobile, and of course, the V Cast App store. You can get more apps via the V Cast App store or the Android Market.
We should also note that due to a Verizon partnership with Microsoft, the Revolution's maps and search functions are powered by Bing instead of Google. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's unfortunate that we're not given a choice. Fortunately, the Revolution supports many other Google services like Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Music, Google's recently released cloud music service. As with all Android 2.2 devices, you also get great contact and calendar management, corporate e-mail support (plus regular POP3 and IMAP too), social networking integration, and the full Android Web browser with the Adobe Flash player.
Interface
The LG Revolution ships with Android 2.2 Froyo, and though the interface doesn't stray too far from the stock Android experience, LG did add a few of its own touches. The shortcuts on the bottom row of the home screen are laid out in a tiled fashion and consist of the phone dialer, the contacts list, the messaging app, and applications menu. The phone also comes with LG's own In Touch widget, which provides quick visual access to the phone's media library organized by Videos, Photos, Albums, Artists, and Playlists. There is also a Friends widget that compiles all of your phone's contacts with your Facebook and Twitter contacts into one big list.
Another departure from vanilla Android is the main menu, which is organized into categories. For example, the Contacts, E-mail, Facebook, Gmail, Messaging, Phone, Mobile IM, Twitter, Voice dialer, and Voice-mail apps are under the Communication header. Other categories include News & search, Media, Tools, Applications, and Downloads. The Revolution's phone dialer has a slightly bolder design with larger digits and black lettering on top of white buttons. It also provides haptic feedback when digits are pressed. As for the virtual keyboard, you can choose between LG's own keyboard or Swype. With the former, you can opt for sound and vibration feedback as well. The LG keyboard works well and offers choices for up to seven languages. Still, we preferred to use Swype most of the time. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to switch back to the default Android keyboard.
Design
File the LG Revolution under the massive Android phone category. Like the HTC Thunderbolt and the Samsung Droid Charge, the Revolution's big 4.3-inch display results in quite a heavy and imposing handset. Measuring 5.1 inches long by 2.6 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick, the Revolution is clad in a soft matte material on the back, curved corners, and smooth gun-metal sides. While some might be put off by such a bricklike phone, the Revolution's impressive heft does result in a solid and luxurious feel in the hand.
Besides, the luscious 4.3-inch display will make you forget the Revolution's size soon enough. The 800x480-pixel LCD is beautifully vibrant and sharp. The colors are not quite as deep as that on a Super AMOLED screen, but the Revolution still offers a great video viewing experience. The capacitive touch screen is intuitive and responsive, with hardly any lag when flipping through the phone's seven home screens.
Beneath the display are four touch-sensitive buttons that correspond to the menu, home, back, and search functions. They provide haptic or vibrating feedback when pressed. Above the display on the upper left is an LED indicator, while the upper right houses the front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. On the left spine is the microUSB port, while the volume rocker and HDMI port are on the right. The 3.5mm headset jack and screen lock/power key sit on the top. The camera lens and LED flash are on the back, set inside a strip of reflective silver that could also act as a self-portrait mirror.