Don't envy me (emerging shut-off issues with my LG env3 phone)

[UPDATE 10/17: POSSIBLE SOLUTION.]

I used to own a smartphone - the initial version of the Motorola Q smartphone. In fact, one of my most popular posts in one of my old blogs was a November 11, 2006 post that described how to fix a sound issue on that phone.

A couple of years ago, I left the smartphone world and switched to a dumb phone - in my case, the LG env3. Although Foursquare doesn't want me as a customer any more, the phone has worked well for me - until recently.

LG env3 phones have a reputation for shutting themselves off. In some cases, people would notice the problem immediately, take it back to Verizon, and get a replacement.

In my case, I have had the phone for nearly two years and never had a problem until recently.

I couldn't really find any definitive solution, but this post from bartosch gave me an idea:

My env3 was shutting itself randomly. I went online and saw that this is a common problem. I found a solution online that worked for me. I was told that I could force the shutdown by turning the phone face down and pressing with my thumbs at the top and bottom end of the battery cover. Sure enough, it shut down my phone every time I tried.

The proposed solution was to cut a piece of paper into a 3" x 3" square. Fold it in half and then in half again so you have a 1.5" x 1.5" square that is four pieces of paper thick. Put that between the battery and the battery cover.

That solution solved my problem instantly. I'd suggest that you give that a try.

Well, I tried bartosch's test - the dumbphone version of the iPhone death grip, I guess - and could not reproduce the results. The phone still stayed on.

But a couple of days ago, I happened to set the phone down on a counter and it immediately shut off on me. I couldn't reproduce this, but I'm wondering if (at least in my case) the issue has to do with the connection between the battery and the phone.

If so, could I solve the problem by getting a new battery? Or would that have no effect?