We slide open the LG Shine, the newest member of LG's brushed metal family, on AT&T's 3G network. Does it reflect the best LG has to offer?
Review summary of the LG Shine (AT&T):
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_it00.jpg) We were a bit surprised by how poorly the LG Shine tested in our review, especially because we liked the LG VX8700 enough to recommend it to family members. Of course, we have higher expectations since that phone was released, especially when it comes to multimedia features and 3G services, but the LG Shine just didn't succeed in the area where it counts: calling. Sound quality wasn't great, and dialing was a pain thanks to the cramped keys. We would like to see this phone revamped, as we like the Shine family style, with taller keys, better sound quality and maybe some new multimedia features thrown in. Release: January 2008. Price: $150.
Pros: Very shiny metal. Ooh, I can see my reflection!
Cons: Cramped design makes dialing, messaging and even navigating menus difficult. Call quality should have been better, just like everything else on this phone.
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Full LG Shine (AT&T) Review:
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Design – Mediocre
We've seen a few phones from LG in this general design style. Basically, the Shine family means a brushed metal finish, a mirrored display that, at its best, seems to come to life from behind the reflection, and a flat, almost etched keypad. We liked this design on the LG VX8700 on Verizon Wireless, but on the LG Shine on AT&T, things just don't seem to come together. Because of all the metal, the phone is heavy, and we didn't mind the weight, but the slide is a bit more difficult to use one-handed. Also, it's tough to find a place for your thumb to lift the slide without smudging the beautiful, polished-mirror screen. The screen is indeed beautiful, with a rich depth of color at 262,000 shades. It is easily the phone's best feature.
The phone's worst feature is that tiny joystick. While the European version of the Shine gets a more useful scroll bar, the AT&T Shine gets a tiny, nubby joystick that acts more like a laptop trackpad. It has very little travel, so you can almost think about moving it and it will move. But, it's hard to control how many steps it takes, and often it registered a click because we tried to move up and down a bit too hard. Also, the phone's keypad was not pleasant to use. It wasn't just that the keys were flat, they were also very narrow vertically, so pressing "6" meant we'd sometimes hit "9" or "3". And the top row butted up against the upper cliff of the slide a bit too much.
Calling – Mediocre
Call quality on the LG Shine was lacking. We didn't have any trouble with static or dropping out, but voice tones sounded very muddy and deep. Also, dialing on the keypad was trouble, thanks to the poor key design. For a contact list, LG has polished the normal cell phone fare to look nice, but don't expect a wealth of fields or capabilities. For calling features, all of our favorites are here, including a speakerphone, Bluetooth for hands free talking, three-way calling and even voice dialing. Talk time was also disappointing. Though we exceeded LG's estimate of three hours by a few minutes, we think that three hours is not enough talk time for this phone. We would have liked to see four or five at least.
Messaging – Good
Most of the important messaging features are present, with a few notable omissions, but the messaging experience on the LG Shine is obviously hampered by the difficult keypad. We had plenty of typos, and moving the cursor back and forth relied on the tiny joystick, which was also a problem. Of course, the phone pack SMS and MMS messaging, instant messaging for AIM, MSN and Yahoo, and a list of presets for a few e-mail providers, so it won't be hard to find your favorite way to get the word out. However, the lack of Gmail is surprising, especially when the preset list includes some local cable providers. We found no way to add Gmail or other POP or IMAP services to AT&T's included Java mail app.
Multimedia – Good
The quality of music and video playback on the LG Shine was actually quite good. We had no complaints with how our music sounded, and the phone paired with our Bluetooth stereo headset easily. Video clips from AT&T's Cellular Video service played as well as we expected, and didn't usually stutter, though the quality of streaming videos in general lags behind mobile TV (well AT&T? got some mobile TV in your pocket, perhaps?). Music is handled by AT&T Music, which means you can load PlaysForSure DRM tracks onto the phone. Video is all clips from AT&T's providers. Some cost extra, all are about three minutes long. AT&T has more advanced services on the way, including an over-the-air music download service, and we've heard rumors of mobile TV. Both of those options would be preferable, but the phone also needs a better media player, as the music and video players are incredibly basic, and lack advanced playback or sound control options.
Camera – Mediocre
Looking around back on this phone, we find a 2-megapixel camera with an LED flash and even a self-portrait mirror. But don't get excited, because image quality on the LG Shine is seriously lacking. Photos were blurry, with abundant jaggies and colors that felt soft. Even in good lighting, images were unusable at full size, though they looked better on the phone's 2.2-inch screen. Videos were wavy looking and also of poor quality. For image management, you get a simple photo browser. We used it to send photos, which was easy and quick, especially transferring to our desktops via Bluetooth.
Price and availability
The LG Shine is available from AT&T for $150 with a contract agreement. A mail-in rebate of $50 is available, when signing up for a qualifying plan.
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