LG must have known it was on to something when it launched its VX8500 Chocolate cell phone last year. By the time the pretty phone with the touch controls made its formal debut with Verizon Wireless in August, it had become one of the most anticipated handsets of 2007. And though the reality didn't live up to the hype completely--the controls were frustrating and its multimedia performance was below par--it still gathered a crowd of fans and almost made Verizon cool again. And now after launching a GSM version of the phone and a selection of colored Chocolates, LG takes the concept in a new direction with the LG Shine KE970. Like the Chocolate, the Shine comes with a lot of hype and glowing first impressions (from CNET included), but like the Chocolate, beauty isn't everything. The features are pretty average, and the keypad is downright terrible. The Shine isn't offered by a U.S. carrier, so you'll have to buy it unlocked. As such, you can expect to pay around $575.
We'll warn you off the bat that much of our review of the Shine is in this section. The Shine is without a doubt a design-first phone, and LG has no qualms about pushing its beauty. In all seriousness, it really is quite lovely. The slider phone's polished-metal exterior gives it a sophisticated, posh look, and the stainless steel case gives it a sturdy, solid feel in the hand. At 3.9 inches by 2 inches by 0.54 inch, it's a little wide for our tastes, but it slips easily into a pocket. And though it's a tad heavy, at 4.4 ounces, it won't weight you down.Of course it's obvious why they call such a glossy phone the Shine. But it does more than just shine; it positively sparkles when the mirrored face catches the light just so. (Note: this is not a phone for the understated.) The mirror is also handy for checking your teeth before a big date, provided you can see your choppers through the fingerprints and smudges that the mirror holds so easily.
At first glance you may wonder where the heck the display is on the Shine, but a quick press of a button will cause the large 2.25-inch (240x320 pixels) screen to appear underneath the mirrored face. Like the phone itself, the display is quite brilliant with an eye-popping 262,000 colors and richly detailed graphics. You can change the dialing font style, the brightness, and the backlight time, but be advised the changes apply when the phone is open. The menu interface is simple and easy to understand, and it's available in two styles.
Just below the display is the Shine's thoroughly unique navigation array. Instead of a toggle or a joystick, the KE970 features a scroll bar set between two buttons. The scroll bar is used for up and down navigation, and the buttons move you side to side. It goes without saying that the arrangement takes some getting used to, but we found it much more comfortable to use than the Chocolate's touch-sensitive controls. The scroll bar is a little less than an inch wide, so it should be large enough for must users, but the two buttons on either side of the bar are much too small.
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