Mobile Tech Reviews

The LG Rumor is Sprint’s answer to its messaging fanatic customers who want a phone on par with the likes of T-Mobile, Verizon and Cingular. It seems to be a good shot because the phone is currently sold out and the earliest it will be available is January 10’Th 2008.

The phone comes with a 2 inch diagonal display. Display is average (176×220 pixel resolution) and is quite hard to see when under direct sunlight. Unfortunately this cannot be corrected because the phone has no brightness or contrast settings. The phone comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera and while that’s not too bad the picture quality is not all that great either. Also included is a camcorder with a resolution of 176×144 and 128×96.

The phone shines when it comes to messaging and music and GPS. The phone has a hidden QWERTY keyboard that slides out to make texting and messaging easier. When the QWERTY keyboard is out the phone flips its display form portrait to landscape mode so thumb typing can be executed. It also features a five way directional key that also supports quick access to such things as music, content etc. The phone also carries an impressive phone book that is able to hold 500 contacts. It also supports photo caller ID and 35 polyphonic ringtones and 23 tech tones. Other features include clock, currency convertor, unit convertor, notepad, calculator, stopwatch, tip calculator and of course voice recorder.

For all those who have moved from the wired age to the wireless age, the phone supports stereo Bluetooth. Unfortunately the music player is not all that impressive and since Sprint Power Vision is not supported music has to be downloaded from the computer to the phones micro SD card via Sprint’s Music Manager Software. Personalization options include screensavers, wallpapers, text sounds and also a couple games to kill time at the bus stop.

Call Quality is good. Voices are heard loud and clear. Speaker phone is also good though you should expect to hear a little static or echoes once in awhile. Music quality is OK. Those who require Bass though, opt for a headset. Battery Life is 4.5 hours of talk time and FCC radiation tests, the SAR rating is 1.22 watts per kilogram.

All in all the Rumor is a very good phone with some cool features. Not your next Razr but definitely a phone that will keep you happy until next holiday season rolls around.

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