Review: LG Intuition for Verizon Wireless
Apps
The Intuition has more bloatware than any other device I've reviewed in recent memory, and a lot of it cannot be removed. Verizon-branded stuff includes VZ Navigator, Viewdini, Tones, My Verizon, NFL, and Verizon's own app store. If the Google Play Store and Verizon App store aren't enough for you, the Amazon App Store is also on board. Why are there two different file-management apps and two different task-management apps on this device? You got me.
Bluetooth
The Intuition's Bluetooth radios connect with other Bluetooth devices with no problem. Phone calls, however, don't sound all that good whether through dedicated headsets or my car's hands-free system. There was plenty of noise and not enough volume. Music playback via stereo Bluetooth was fine, and I had no trouble using Bluetooth to pass files around.
Browser
The Intuition is a fine browsing device. It ships with the stock Android 4.0 browser, but don't forget that Chrome for Android is a free download from the Play Store. Paired with Verizon's LTE network, web sites loaded quickly and looked fantastic on the Intuition's huge display.
Clock
Press the lock button on top, and the time appears in white numbers near the top of the lock screen. I had a hard time reading the clock outdoors under the sun in the stock configuration. Thankfully, you can switch between several different lock screen clocks, including one with numbers so huge you can read them from across the room. Way to go, LG!
GPS
Google Maps and VZ Navigator both put the Intuition's GPS radio to good use. The device was quick to locate me, and accuracy was generally within about 25 feet. That's more than good enough for driving or walking directions. Both Google Maps and VZ Navigator worked well on the Intuition, and showed no problems. Point-to-point, voice-guided navigation was flawless.
QuickMemo
LG's QuickMemo app is not as robust as Samsung's S Note app, not by a long shot. Let's say you're browsing the web, and you see a page that you want to annotate and send to a friend. No problem. Press the QuickMemo button. It automatically captures a screenshot and then opens the Notebook app. The Notebook app lets you scribble on the screenshot with various pen styles and in various colors. You can add your own scrawled text, or insert actual typed messages. You can erase the notes and leave the background unaffected. You can attach additional content, such as photos or videos, and send them all together as a package via email, SMS, Google+, Picasa and so on.
Like the Galaxy Note, the Intuition includes a stylus. There's a problem, though. The stylus cannot be stored in or on the Intuition. Instead, you have to carry it around separately, whether in a backpack or purse. This alone negates the usefulness, because the last thing I want to do when I am in a hurry to scratch down some notes is to waste time looking for the stylus. Total fail, LG. Total fail.
The stylus itself is comfortable to hold and use. It has a rubber tip much like a pencil eraser. The word "Rubberdium" is stenciled on the stylus, but I'll be darned if I am ever going to utter that word out loud. It works fine with all parts of the Intuition's user interface, but doesn't have the button offered on the Galaxy Note's S Pen for triggering secondary actions.
QuickMemo and Notebook are really limited to just scribbling on top of images/screenshots and then sharing them. Sure, you can insert other files and create a bit of a pastiche of a document to send someone, but S Pen and S Note together have a much deeper feature list. S Note, for example, can insert geometric shapes, equations, and convert scrawled letters into text.
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