I get by with a little help from my family. In this section, we all take peeks at various cell phones on the market so you can make better buying decisions. Thanks to the Radin family team for contributing to this feature. (Ooh... that sounds as drippy as the Von Trappes from the Sound of Music) DR
LG Rumor impresses Dan
with satisfying design
by Dan Radin
As a teenager without a working phone, you feel completely out of the loop. My first-generation RAZR recently bit the dust, and I got really lucky when my dad brought home the LG Rumor for me to use for a few weeks. The more I explored the phone, the more it captivated me. With its practical, simple features, I quickly decided that this was THE phone to have.
When I first looked at the Rumor, I wasn't too impressed. Aside from the clean, modern-looking white and grey coloring, it reminded me of one of those old brick-like Nokia phones. This is a classic case of don't judge a book by its cover. The Rumor slides horizontally to reveal a full keyboard, with keys large enough for bigger thumbs (like mine) to not press multiple buttons at once. The keyboard makes text messaging quick and easy. When you slide it open, the screen flips sideways and goes straight to the messaging menu, which includes voicemail e-mail, text, picture, and voice messaging, instant messaging, and even a mobile version of Facebook. What if you don't want to always text with a keyboard? Just simply slide the keyboard closed and text with the numeric keys, exactly like other phones.
The Rumor has a 1.3 megapixel camera. It focuses quickly to take solid, clear images, and saves them automatically into the phone's memory. Props to my sister for figuring out that you have to change the resolution in order to access the hidden zoom feature. Zooming in has a slightly lower quality picture, but it may be worth it for capturing distant objects. Moving objects are usually blurry, but the high quality camcorder captures them without a problem. A Micro SD card is highly recommended to store pictures, video, and music because the phone's memory can't hold much on its own.
The speaker has a very clear sound; that is, if you can hear it. The tiny speaker on the back of the phone doesn't project very audibly. Alternatively, there is a small earphone jack on the side. You have an SD card; you can play your music; and video downloadable ringtones are available to purchase using the phone's Web browser.
Sprint's high-speed browser makes it very easy to access and use the Web quickly. Aside from the small font, the web pages are simple to navigate and obtain information efficiently. Standard links to a variety of sites allow you to do things like check the weather forecast or the score of the Steelers' game.
After spending a couple of months testing the Rumor, I came to the conclusion that it is by far my favorite cell phone. Even though most of its features appeal to teenagers, the interface is simple enough that even technologically-challenged adults can navigate it. It has everything you need in a phone without being overly complicated. Someday if I ever get a permanent replacement cell phone, I'm going to seriously consider the LG Rumor because it is that good.
