LG Rumor Review

Permalink: LG Rumor Review by Franz Bicar

If you are looking for the convenience of a QWERTY keyboard without the hassle of a smartphone, then the LG Rumor might just be the thing for you. As successor to the LG F9200, the Rumor is an attractive handset with a hidden slide-out QWERTY keyboard plus a few advanced features like a megapixel camera, a music player, and Sprint Navigation support.

To describe the Rumor in one word, it would have to be, simple. Simplicity is beauty, as they say, the the LG Rumor certainly is a simple device which is very easy to use especially when sending text messages and e-mails. You can even access social networking sites like Facebook in just a couple of clicks.

For messaging addicts, the Rumor is definitely for you. It may not have the complete power of smartphones, but it makes up for its user-friendliness and ease of use.

When looking at the LG Rumor, you can see a rather bulky candy-bar handset. It measures at around 4.3 inches by 2 inches by 0.7 inch. Its not very ergonomic and feels very bulky when placed in your pants pocket. It is a heavy device weighing in at 4.13 ounces.

But there’s a reason for its heft; the LG Rumor has a hidden slide-out QWERTY keyboard. To reveal it, you have to slide the phone’s front face to the left lengthwise, at which point the screen orientation switches from portrait to landscape mode. You can then reposition the phone horizontally so that you can thumb-type on the keyboard.

At the front of the Rumor is a 2-inch diagonal display with a rather disappointing 176×220 pixel resolution. Colors really are not displayed brilliantly and under bright sunlight, you can hardly see the display. You can change the backlight time as well as font size, but not the brightness or contrast. On the left spine is the volume rocker and dedicated camera key, while the headset jack and microSD card slot are on the right. The camera lens sits on the back.

The navigation controls of the LG Rumor consist of two soft keys underneath the display, plus a five-way navigation toggle that doubles as shortcuts to a new text message, the music player, the My Content folder, the calendar, plus the Menu/OK key in the middle.

There are also two soft keys to the right of the display that act as the screen’s soft keys when the QWERTY keyboard is slid so that the screen’s orientation switches to landscape mode. To either side of the five-way toggle are a dedicated speakerphone key, a Back key, and Talk and End/Power keys.

The LG Rumor, as mentioned, lacks the power of a conventional smartphone. It has limited multimedia features and is not really meant for power users. Instead, the Rumor is equipped with standard functions that simple users will be happy about.

The basics, you have the phonebook, which holds about 500 contacts with room in each entry for five phone numbers, e-mail and Web addresses, and a memo. You can save callers to groups, assign them a photo for caller ID, and pair them with one of 35 polyphonic ringtones. You can also assign one of 23 “text tones” for incoming text messages. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calculator, a currency and unit converter, a notepad, a tip calculator, a stopwatch, and a voice recorder.

Aside from this, you also get a stereo Bluetooth, a wireless Web browser, e-mail, and instant messaging (supports AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo). You even get instant one-click access to Facebook via the messaging menu. There’s also an application called Social Zone, which gives you instant access to social network communities like Vox, LiveJournal, and Xanga.

The Rumor’s music player is pretty bare and is not much different from other music handsets. The interface is generic, though you can create playlists, and there’s a shuffle and repeat mode.

Another disappointing aspect of the LG Rumor is its built-in 1.3 megapixel camera. Although it is an improvement to the F9200, it still is rather lacking in punch. But hey, what can you expect from a 1.3 mp camera?

The camera takes pictures in three resolutions (1280×960, 640×480, and 320×240), three quality settings, and four color tones. Other options include a self-timer, a brightness setting, white balance, and the choice of four shutter tones (plus a silent option).

There’s also a camcorder that can record up to two resolutions (176×144 and 128×96), with similar settings and options with the still camera. Photo quality was surprisingly disappointing for a 1.3-megapixel camera. Images seemed pixilated and overcast with dull colors. Video quality did not fare much better.

There are a number of personalization options with the LG Rumor. You can customize it with wallpapers, screensavers, text sounds, and more. If you want to kill a little time, the LG Rumor also comes with a few games like demo versions of Midnight Pool, Ms. Pac-Man, Tetris, Tornado Mania, and World Series of Poker. You can download more via the wireless Web browser.

The LG Rumor has a rated battery life of 4.5 hours of talk time, and a tested talk time of 3 hours, 45 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the SAR rating is 1.22 watts per kilogram.

Sources:
http://www.phonescoop.com
http://www.phonearena.com
http://www.mobileburn.com