CONS
Sometimes the phone shut down for no reason.

SUMMARY
Overall the LG RUMOR is a great phone with many features likes, tip calculator, note pad,mp3 players, extensible memory up to 4Gb,ect. this phone is perfect to send text message very fastly.Is't a good alternative to smart phone. ]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog7/28/2009 3:17:44 PMhttp://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx#comments?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog6/10/2009 11:36:30 PMPROS

CONS

SUMMARY
This phone works so good i love it i had it for 2 years and it did not die on me it worked like it was brand new and it still does i recommend this phone : it has a full keyboard,media player/musicplayer,camera videocamera,games,mesaging,web broswer and much more]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog5/16/2009 12:33:34 PMhttp://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx#comments?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog5/3/2009 11:22:10 PMhttp://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx#comments?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog5/3/2009 11:32:29 AMPROSqwerty keyboard, easy to use

CONS
durability, poor camera

SUMMARY
overall for 50 dollars under a 2 year contract this is a resonable phone to get. It has its pro's and cons though. I have had this phone for about a year now and it has broken about 4 times already. And it not like Dropped very high either. one time i dropped my lg rumor in the sink with no water in it and it just slid down it. As i pick it back up I notice my screen is completely white. So i recomend going out and buying a case which will cost you 20-30 dollars but it is worth in the long run so you dont have to go through all the hassle of getting your replacement lg rumor. On the upside though the rumor gives you a nice querty keyboard with chick lit style keys that are easy to use. And it is spaced out enough from the screen that your finger dont get jammed when you are trying to type letters on the top of the keyboard. Overall this is a good buy for $50 for a nice querty feature phone]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog4/9/2009 5:06:10 PMPROSquerty keyboard, easy to use

CONS
durability, poor camera

SUMMARY
overall for 50 dollars under a 2 year contract this is a resonable phone to get. It has its pro's and cons though. I have had this phone for about a year now and it has broken about 4 times already. And it not like Dropped very high either. one time i dropped my lg rumor in the sink with no water in it and it just slid down it. As i pick it back up I notice my screen is completely white. So i recomend going out and buying a case which will cost you 20-30 dollars but it is worth in the long run so you dont have to go through all the hassle of getting your replacement lg rumor. On the upside though the rumor gives you a nice querty keyboard with chick lit style keys that are easy to use. And it is spaced out enough from the screen that your finger dont get jammed when you are trying to type letters on the top of the keyboard. Overall this is a good buy for $50 for a nice querty feature phone]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog4/9/2009 5:04:20 PM]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx#comments?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog3/13/2009 4:34:43 PMPROSamazing keyboard, awesome music player, and just about everything else

CONS
breaks easily

SUMMARY
had this phone forever and i love it. it has only failed me once and that was because i dropped it. luckily the warranty was still not expired.
excellent phone]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog2/8/2009 4:37:05 PMPROSIt has a nice keyboard that is spaced just right.

CONS
the phone is just a bad one.
bluetooth on any of the four i have had hasnit worked. it wont call people when i tell it too.

SUMMARY
if you drop the phone 1 foot onto the ground it wont work anymore. that is the reason i am looking for a phone now-only the outside keypad works. i have gone through 4 of these and its just not worth the time it has spent in repair. my screen also just went black and also it went to different colors one time. i really like LG product but this one just isnt worth it. ]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/lg-rumor-black.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog12/14/2008 8:54:19 PM

Palm Centro: Free after $100 mail-in rebate
(offer good through Jan. 4 at Sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1)

LG Rumor: Free INSTANTLY
(offer good through Dec. 26 at Sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1)

Motorola i335: Free INSTANTLY
(offer good through Dec. 20 at Sprint.com only)

Sierra Wireless Compass 597: Free INSTANTLY
(offer good through Jan. 10 or until supplies last via all Sprint channels)

SamsungM300: Free INSTANTLY
(offer good through Jan. 10 or until supplies last at Sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1)

Sanyo S1: Free INSTANTLY
(offer good through Jan. 10 or while supplies last at Sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1)


The company also has customer service reps manning the online chat 24/7, so visit Sprint.com if you have any questions.
Happy shopping!

]]>http://www.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/blog/cybermonday-goodies-for-sprint-customers.aspx?utm_source=Rss&utm_medium=CellPhone_lg-rumor-black&utm_campaign=PhoneDog12/1/2008 5:45:00 PM

Beyond the new HTC, Sprint users can (supposedly) expect these other releases this Summer ... unless this thing is a complete and total hoax ... or it's for real but the launches get pushed back, as often happens:

• July 13: Palm Treo 800W, BlackBerry Curve (Red) -- These could actually be slated for 7/21, it's hard to tell from the image
  
• July 27: LG Rumor (Blue)
• August 17: MotoRAZR VE20, Sanyo Katana Eclipse (SCP-6750), Two PC Card refreshes
• September 2: HTC MP6950 (as per above), Samsung M220 & M320, Motorola Renegade V950 & i365
  

Check out the original post over on Sprintusers.

The service will be included in Sprint's Everything plans, and also be available as a $9.99/mo add-on to other plans.  Sprint also offers Mobile Email for non-workplace accounts, don't worry.  Want to learn more?  Click right here,

If you ask me a question via YouTube messaging, I'll probably get to it.  But it'll take awhile.  Nothing personal, I just respond to the PhoneDog messages and comments faster.  And we like the traffic on our blog comment rolls, too.  So ask away, but do it right here on the Dawg.

That said, here's the latest YouTube mailbag of your Q's and my A's, some of which might even be helpful to you:

Q:
i just watched your rumor review and i was wondering if you can make a more detailed one because i'll be getting my rumor in a couple of days and i have no idea about any of the features and i also think many other youtubers will find that resourceful too thanks blandfordski

A:
Blandfordski,

Thanks for watching the Rumor video.  We try to keep it to one video per phone, so we probably won't do another Rumor video. 

BUT ... I wrote a full-length review of Rumor that goes into more detail and gives my opinion of the phone after testing it for a few weeks.  You can read the review right here on PhoneDog.

Q:
Hi...can you please tell me the process of unlocking the iphone so that it can be used with t-mobile?..im due to get it this week and also can you tell me which plan features i would need to have all of its functions working such as stocks, youtube, internet. etc. thanks

A:
You need to use an unlocking program - I used Ziphone to upgrade and unlock/jailbreak my iPhone to the most recent firmware version.  I used the Mac OS X version and it was free, easy, and worked like a charm.  There's a Windows version available, as well.

You'll also have to make sure you have a T-Mobile data plan and then perform an additional step to get data services working on your iPhone.  I have the $5.99 T-Zones plan and it works great.  There are different methods of enabling the data plan on iPhone, but the one I used is super easy.  Once your iPhone is Jailbroken you'll have a program called Installer installed on it (you'll see the blue Installer icon on the home screen).  Open installer and you'll see lots of software you can download and install on your iPhone.  One of the programs is a "T-Zones hack" that tweaks the settings you need to use iPhone with the T-Zones plan.  Worked for me. 

You also may need to perform another hack to enable YouTube.  YouTube worked just fine at first for me, then it stopped connecting.  I haven't tried in in awhile.

If you search the Internet for "T-Mobile iPhone Jailbreak YouTube" you should get links to lots of different methods you can try.

Good luck!

* * *
Q:
 if you jailbreak/unlock iphone (I have TMOBILE) can you factory reset the phone after you unlock it???

A:
What do you mean by factory reset? Restore it to original, locked firmware? Yes, you can, but I'm not positive if you can restore the baseband to the factory settings in all cases. I know that I'm able to relock my iPhone to AT&T and restore the jailbroken firmware to the original Apple firmware.

Hope that helps!

* * *

Q:
hey i just ordered a moto z9 from att and was wondering if the phone was capable of applying ringtones saved to your memory card as your ringtones because i know for sure that the rizr z3 from tmobile did that i was just wondering because i like that feature and also can u apply ringtones longer that 30 like a full song cuz again the old rizer did that thankz

A:
Looks like the answer is no, unfortunately.

I asked my reps got this official response, which actually came from AT&T:

Checked with AT&T on this one and this is what we were told:

"Setting a size restriction for ringtone use allows us [AT&T] to display
only the smaller sized content that would logically be a ringtone when
someone pulls up the folder of ringtones on their phone."

So the official answer seems to be "No, you can't, but it's for your own good.  We want to easily separate ringtones (shorter) from full music tracks (longer), and the best way to do that is by setting a length limitation on ringtones."

* * *
Q:
hey im Ron,
 
ok my question is i hear that the Nokia N810(the pocket pc) is similar to the iPhone. but, it cannot make cell phone calls, is this true? i hope not because i have the iPhone and i really really want this nokia n810 phone. but, if it does not make or receive calls (like a regular cell phone would) then ill just stick to my iphone. anyway, i have a laptop i would not need a "pocket pc" just for the internet and does not make calls. p.s. i like all of your videos about this phone, they are very imformational that's why im asking you these questions.

A:
Hey Ron,

The N810 is not a cell phone.  It's an "Internet tablet" with WiFi and Bluetooth, but no cellular radio.  The new WiMax Edition will have a WiMax radio in it when it launches, but no cellular radio.

Nokia ships the device with Skype software pre-installed so you can make Internet (VoIP) calls from the device.  In order to use Skype you'll have to have a Skype account and also be connected to a WiFi network for Internet service.  So no, it's not a phone capable of making and receiving cell phone calls.

I actually just posted a full text review of the N810.  You can read it here if you want more info and my full opinion of the device.

Thanks for watching the videos!  Glad you find them informative.

* * *

Alright, that's it for now.  Stay tuned for Part Two of the April YouTube Mailbag in a few days ....

On Thursday Noah reported on Motorola's intentions for splitting their mobile phone division away from the rest of the company into a seperate division.  With the company losing market share in the industry after the success of the infamous RAZR, let's hope they can surprise us all at CTIA next week.

Also highlighted on this episode of Unlocked, a new website, Billshrink.com is available to help consumers find the best cellular phone plan based on their current usage.  This free service is easy to use and could really help you save next time you are shopping for that perfect calling plan.

What does Noah find in his FedEx package?  Watch this episode of Unlocked to find out!

While the Fall CTIA Show is, as the "Wireless IT & Entertainment" moniker would suggest, more about business-to-business services than new phones for consumers, I did get to play with some cool handsets yesterday.  I also got some interesting insight into the state of the cellular world from folks as diverse as Nokia Execs, the head of Telecom for Deloitte & Touche, and some of my fellow bloggers.

The general consensus is that the line between phones and smartphones is getting blurrier by the minute here in the states.  Folks from Nokia pointed out that the working definition of "smartphone" is different in Europe - where people use advanced handsets more for entertainment purposes than in the US where "smartphone" equals "productivity."  That may be changing somewhat this holiday season, however, with a bunch of new entertainment and productivity-rich models hitting the stores.

LG showed off the Venus and Voyager, new handsets that should be in Verizon Wireless stores by the end of November.  Both models are VCast Music and Video compatible, and the Voyager also works with VCast Mobile Television offerings.  And both phones are hot - you can see them in action in the video I posted earlier today.

Something of a successor to the enV, Voyager features horizontal clamshell design - there's a 3" touchscreen display on the outside and a smaller display and full QWERTY keyboard on the inside.  A two-megapixel camera and dual stereo speakers make this phone an entertainment monster as much as it is a messaging maven.

Venus, on the other hand, is a slim slider with a large display split into standard and touch-sensitive sections.  What's cool about Venus' design is that there's a standard keypad for dialing and texting, but the touchscreen area can be programmed for different application-specific controls.  It's an interesting way to raise the tech/feature level without sacrificing much in the way of style or bulk.

LG was also showing the Sprint Rumor, a messaging phone that looks kind of likeLG's F9200 for AT&T.  Rumor is interesting - it's a sleek, nice-looking device that marries a small screen to a slide-out QWERTY board, packs a decent feature-set, but doesn't do 3G data speeds.  Instead of buzzing along on Sprint's EV-DO network, it's relegated to the slower 1xRTT data path.  Rumor will be inexpensive, though - $79 with contract, so it could turn out to be a good choice for messaging addicts on a budget.  I tapped a few sentences out on it and generally liked it - I'm looking forward to getting a review model to play with awhile.

Speaking of Sprint, I got a Palm Centro in my paw for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised.  Currently available for under $100 with contract, Centro is a total 180 from the old days of big, bulky, PDA phones that screamed "Geek!"  Centro is stylish in that "functional" way like Nokias are, and in addition to phone, email, and Web functionality it also supports Sprint TV. And while the QWERTY board on the Centro looks tiny in photos, it actually seemed pretty usable in hand.  Even with my giant thumbs.

T-Mobile had their new Sidekicks - the Slide and LX - on display.  The LX is also now available for purchase, as well.  I liked the Slide's smaller, lighter form factor and new sliding display/keyboard cover.  Slide also features a 320 x 240 resolution display to the LX's 400 x 240.  Both models also feature cameras and music players.

And while the Nokia booth on the show floor was primarily geared towards showing off their Ovi ecosystem of Web 2.0 services (more on that in another post soon), they did have handsets, too of course.  The N95 8GB is slick.  Finished in black with a larger LCD display than the original N95, the 8GB model is a total powerhouse.  I also checked out the N81 8GB, and came away really impressed by its graphics performance during gaming.  Nokia's serious about rebirthing N-Gage, and while the new NGage is a platform and not a specific handset, the N81 was a good choice for showing it off.  FIFA soccer, in particular, looked terrific on the S60 slider.

Motorola had the Z6tv and Q9h (amongst others) on display at their booth.  The z6tv is a Verizon Wireless slider that supports VZW's MediaFLO-powered VCAST Mobile TV service.  What's nice about the Z6tv is that it's the first VCAST TV handset without an ugly external antenna.  It's basically a RIZR done up in a nice, black and chrome finish.

The Q9h is the forthcoming GSM variant of Moto's newest smartphone - the Q9m has been available on VZW for awhile now.  Aside from with a few cosmetic differences, the big differences are under the hood.  Q9h will run Windows Mobile 6 and feature HSDPA support for 3G data along with a 2 MP camera.

Available in two color options, white with silver or black with blue, this device offers one touch access to messaging through a softkey from the idle screen and it automatically populates the messaging menu when the slider is opened. With easy access to Sprint Mobile eMail to check and send mail from multiple accounts through familiar providers including Yahoo! AOL, Gmail and Microsoft Live, Rumor by LG is the perfect device for anyone who needs to stay in touch on the go.

Sprint offers a variety of messaging options beyond text including Voice (SM)S, which allows customers to record a voice message and send it to any mobile phone, email address, or landline phone just like a text message, and text to landline, which allows Sprint subscribers to send a text message to a landline phone where it is automatically converted to a voice message.

The number of Sprint customers using text messaging has increased by more than 20 percent since the beginning of this year. Sprint's unlimited text messaging plans are very affordable at just $10 for individuals or $20 for families.

"We are excited to introduce Rumor by LG because it is great-looking, easy-to-use and very affordable," said Danny Bowman, Sprint's vice president of product development. "This device makes it convenient to stay connected to the office or social networks. Rumor will be an ideal gift for teens, parents or busy professionals during the upcoming holiday season."

"In 2006 over 18 billion text messages were sent on a monthly basis in the US, according to CTIA the Wireless Association. Text messaging has become a mainstream vehicle for communication," said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing at LG. "We are proud to partner with Sprint to bring our consumers the Rumor by LG. This multifaceted device not only makes text messaging effortless with its full QWERTY keypad, but also includes the latest in social networking options, such as Facebook, IM and email."

To personalize the text messaging experience, Rumor by LG offers the ability to assign "text tones" to address book entries for audible identification of text message senders. Preloaded with Sprint Navigation, Rumor by LG provides full-feature GPS navigation including voice and on screen turn-by-turn driving directions and more than 10 million business listings.

Rumor by LG is packed with essential features including a 1.3 megapixel camera/camcorder with a 2x digital zoom, Bluetooth® technology and an MP3 player. It works with Sprint Music Manager, available through an easy software download, to give users the power to quickly transfer unprotected songs from a PC to the handset and manage songs on a PC through an intuitive interface. Music-lovers will also value Rumor by LG's microSD memory card slot with 4GB card capability.

Rumor by LG measures 4.3" x 2.0" x 0.7" and weighs just 4.13 ounces. This device will be priced at $79.99 with a two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate. It will be available at www.sprint.com, 1-800-SPRINT1 and Best Buy in late October and in Sprint retail stores on November 4. Customers can register to be among the first to purchase Rumor by LG at www.sprint.com/rumor.

Fortunately the Rumor will be priced at $79.99 with a 2 year service agreement making it affordable to its target market - teenagers. Key features include a 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom, Bluetooth technology, MP3 player and up to 4GB of additional storage via a MicroSD slot.

Look for the Rumor to be available in Sprint stores on November 4th.

Read full press release after the jump here