Detailed LG Shine Review: Design, User Interface, Features and Performance

Detailed LG Shine Review: Design, User Interface, Features and Performance
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LG Shine

The LG Shine CU720 is the successor to the LG Shine KE970 which was made for the Asian and European markets in mid 2006. The LG Shine, or simply Shine, is no different from its predecessor with basically the same features, a flat keypad, and a navigational joystick.

Design (5 out of 5)

True to its name, the LG Shine does have a shiny case and gleaming design that makes it stand out in terms of looks. It comes with a well polished metal exterior and a display that has a mirror-like finish. For the design alone, the LG Shine is worth all the positive LG Shine reviews. How shiny is the Shine’s display? One can use it as a mirror whenever the phone is on standby mode. The LG Shine has dimensions of 3.9 inches in length, 2 inches in width and a thickness of 0.5 inches. It weighs about 4.2 ounces. Users will find the handset quite sturdy when holding it thanks to its stainless steel body. The LG Shine has a sliding mechanism that will not disappoint at least in overall feel, as it requires a push to smoothly glide. The screen has a measure of 2.25 inches and is capable of displaying 262,000 colors.

User Interface (4 out of 5)

The display of the LG Shine is very commendable, with images displayed rich in colors and details. One of the more amazing facets of the LG Shine is its multi angle vision technology allowing the user to view the phone’s display from any angle. Users can also adjust the details like brightness levels, font style and backlighting time. Since the menu interface is pretty straightforward, users will have no trouble at all in browsing the main menu.

The LG Shine has a navigational joystick which can be rotated 360 degrees. The small joystick is also very sensitive to any movement of the user, so you need to be careful when controlling it. It is not unusual for actions to be done unintentionally by the user no thanks to the very sensitive joystick. There are also quick shortcuts using the navigational joystick- moving it to the right opens the instant messaging feature while to the left opens the MyStuff folder. Moving the joystick upwards opens the new text message while downwards triggers the opening of the contacts list.

Sliding the phone open will show the keypad of the LG Shine, with keys like Talk, Power/End and Clear/Back located on the upper portion of the keypad. The cramped spacing means the user will have to adjust in texting or pushing the buttons.

Features (4 out of 5)

LG Shine

The LG Shine has basic features like a customizable contact list capable of storing 1,000 entries and allowing assignment of photos, ringtones and caller groups. The phone comes with a vibrate mode, calculator, tasks list, multimedia messaging, text messaging, memo pad, and unit converter. Other advanced features of the phone include web browser, voice recorder, instant messaging, email, stereo Bluetooth and speakerphone.

The LG Shine has a 2 megapixel camera with a Schneider Kreuznach lens. It has options like up to 1,600 x 1200 pixels, shutter sound, white balance, color effects and multishot mode. The camera also has a camcorder that is capable of shooting clips at a resolution of 176 x 144. Editing can also be done although clips are limited to a mere 8 seconds.

The phone can be personalized as it has a wide array of color schemes, wallpaper, calendar and clock formats and alert tones. Users can download additional graphics and tones from the web. The phone also has applications like My Cast Weather and Mobile Banking, as well as games like PacMan, Diner Dash and Tetris.

Performance (4 out of 5)

The phone delivers in terms of performance. Voice quality during voice calls is excellent with minimal static and nice volume. User will clearly hear the other person on the other line using this phone. Likewise the Shine comes with a stereo Bluetooth headset capability with good results in voice calls and music playback.

The media player of the LG Shine is pretty decent. While the phone has tiny speakers that will play crappy audio, using the Bluetooth device will deliver excellent sound. Video quality is nothing to be impressed with, however, with videos looking compressed and having too much pixelation. The web browser however makes up for it with the fast downloading and display of pictures and websites.

The camera is pretty limited in terms of video quality. But expect to have very good photos with sharp images and rich colors using this phone. The phone can last up to 10 days while on standby, and about 4 hours during talk time.

Verdict (4 out of 5)

The LG Shine is not the most impressive of phones but it sure gets a lot of points for its excellent design. Looks alone make the LG Shine one of the more popular devices from LG. But considering the limited features and so-so user interface, this LG Shine review gives this mobile phone an overall rating of 4 out of 5 which is a good score.