LG Shine II Isn’t Aptly Named
Although a significant improvement over its predecessors, the LG Shine II isn’t quite as standout as the name would have you believe.
While the physical appearance of the phone is all smooth silver that catches the eye and the high-resolution screen is sure to attract attention, the actual usage of the phone is still a bit clunkier than many Mobile Phones in a similar price range.
The most major design problem are the tricky to use buttons scattered throughout the phone’s design. Two soft buttons below the Menu screen are easy to feel, but entirely too thin to easily press.
The keypad buttons are flat and dialing by feel is difficult to do. A stiff four way toggle makes scrolling difficult, even if it is sizable enough to easily maneuver. Overall, the use of this phone is just clunky and awkward, which directly opposes the sleek modern style of the clean slider design. Match this with a somewhat subpar performance and the Shine just fails to match up to the competition.
LG Shine II Quick Stats:
- Dimensions: 4.2″ x 2″ x .53″
- Weight: 4.4 oz
- Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels
- Camera: 2 MP
If you can get around the awkward usage issues, though, there are plenty of higher end features that can attract users. Beyond the basic personal management features like a calendar, speaker phone and large phone book, the Shine II offers some interesting high tech features.
The voice dialing option makes the problematic keyboard less of an issue, and Bluetooth features and PC syncing are sure to draw interested techies attention. A customizable camera and generous in phone and expandable memory are all definite reasons to overlook the clunky physical interface in favor of the phones many other attractions. Do the features turn your head? Leave a comment below and let me know.
