LG Rumor White Review - Usability & Performance
Usability & Performance 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 quality 3.5mm headphones to Rumor by way of an adapter, and was pleased with the results when listening to music via the phone’s media player.
I was able to easily pair Rumor with a variety of mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets. Wireless range and voice quality over Bluetooth were good.
Though I’ve read some reports online complaining about keyboard lag and software bugs on Rumor, I experienced nothing but smooth sailing in my tests of the device. The handset’s display auto-rotated and its messaging app launched without a hitch every time I slid the QWERTY board out, and the device registered my keystrokes just as fast as I could tap them out with my thumbs. In general I was very pleased with the performance of the phone relative to its capabilities.
That said you’re not going to be happy with Rumor if you want a full-on smartphone or an advanced multimedia or Web browsing handset. Rumor’s 1.3 MP camera lacks a flash or self-portrait mirror and the photos it took for me were average at best - low-light performance was notably poor. While the camera is capable of video capture, the results were similarly low-quality. Rumor’s display is also on the lower end of phones in its class, though its decently well suited to the phone’s features. The 176 x 220 resolution display is smaller and of lesser quality than the 320 x 240 screen that’s become standard on mid-range devices, its fonts tend to look a bit outdated, and it’s hard to read in bright, direct light. Then again, it’s perfectly usable for messaging and phone-related tasks in most indoor situations.
While I understand that Sprint wanted to keep Rumor’s price point as low as possible to widen its appeal to budget-minded parents of the teenagers the device is being marketed to, I really do wish they’d included Power Vision access. Sprint’s Music Store is one of the best in the business, and for the number of teens and young adults I see every day tapping away at their thumbboards while plugged into earphones, I’d imagine that texting + music = revenue generation. A Rumor with EV-DO access to 99 cent per track over the air downloads would seem a teenager’s dream - or, rather, a marketing person’s dream in the face of selling gadgets to teens. Again, the Samsung Alias for VZW comes to mind as another compact, messaging-focused device that bests Rumor in the areas of multimedia and high-speed Web/data access.
Next: Conclusion »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... 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... 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... 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
