LG Rumor White Review - Introduction
Introduction A growing number of consumers use their “cell phones” more for messaging than for actual voice calls. Texting, IMing, and Emailing from handsets has become more and more popular amongst privacy-minded teenagers, business folk, and people like me who sometimes just don’t like talking on the phone. As such, when shopping for a new handset many people now try out the keypad before holding it up to their ear - messaging-related ergonomics and software are just as important as call quality for more and more would-be cell phone buyers in today’s market.
Sprint and LG have addressed the text-minded shopper with their new Rumor handset. Rumor features a full-QWERTY keyboard and messaging-centric software in a compact design that eschews full smartphone functionality in favor of simplicity and a low price point. While Rumor lacks the high-speed data access and advanced functionality of higher-priced models in Sprint’s lineup, its ease of use, rugged, comfortable form factor, and text-friendly keypad makes it a solid choice for users who text first, talk second, and barely if ever use their handset to browse the Web or snap pictures (though you can do those things on Rumor, too).
Next: Design & Features »Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this In-Depth Review by using the links below. About our in-depth cell phone reviewsWe take great pride to ensure that the our reviews are thorough and accurate. In no way are our editors directed or influenced by any manufacturers, advertisers, or partners; we believe that honest, opinionated reviews -positive or negative - are the only way to maintain credibility and serve our users. Reviews by companyApple, BenQ, BlackBerry, Eten, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, o2, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony EricssonOn the eve of Noah, Courtney, and camera man Doug heading for CTIA in Las Vegas, Noah filmed episode 3 of his new unlocked review series. This video highlights the happenings at Motorola this wee, the new Billshrink.com website, and what did the FedEx man just deliver for Noah to review next! Looking for a great messaging phone to use on the Sprint network? Well, Noah has found one in the LG Rumor. The bar style device come equipped with a slide out QWERTY keyboard that when opened, automatically switches the phone to messaging mode. Other key features include a 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x zoom, media player, and expandable memory card slot. What’s Good: Compact, rugged design with full QWERTY keyboard; Easy to use; Auto-rotating display; Good SMS, IM, and Email integration
What’s Not Good: Limited functionality beyond voice calling and messaging; No Power Vision access makes for slow Web browsing; Reports of laggy software and keyboard issues (I encountered none); Weak camera
Bottom Line: Rumor is a basic candy bar phone with a focus on messaging, and in this regard it really... Rumor is, on first glance, a somewhat chubby candy bar phone with a standard dialing pad, D-Pad, display layout on the front and a camera on the back. My review sample is finished in all-black with chromed silver plastic trim, and the soft touch paint used throughout made the handset really easy to hold onto. Sprint also offers Rumor in white and green color schemes.
What sets Rumor apart from your basic bar phone - and justifies... I tested Rumor on Sprint’s CDMA network in the San Francisco Bay Area with generally quite good results. Signal strength and voice quality were very good in most cases, and callers were able to hear me loud and clear with only very occasional minor static. The integrated speakerphone was okay in a pinch but not great, and the handset worked well with mono and stereo 2.5mm headsets (not included). I also wired some higher... All in all I really like Rumor. It’s designed to do two things well — make phone calls and send messages — and it succeeds on both counts. While power users want their handsets to do everything including high-speed Web browsing and advanced multimedia playback, Rumor isn’t for power users. Like it’s cousin, the Alltel Scoop, Rumor is meant for budget-minded folks who text as much as they talk, if not more. As such it... On the eve of Noah, Courtney, and camera man Doug heading for CTIA in Las Vegas, Noah filmed episode 3 of his new unlocked review series. This video highlights the happenings at Motorola this wee, the new Billshrink.com website, and what did the FedEx man just deliver for Noah to review next!
On Thursday Noah reported on Motorola's intentions for splitting their mobile phone division away from the rest of the company into a... Looking for a great messaging phone to use on the Sprint network? Well, Noah has found one in the LG Rumor. The bar style device come equipped with a slide out QWERTY keyboard that when opened, automatically switches the phone to messaging mode. Other key features include a 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x zoom, media player, and expandable memory card slot.
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4.5
