Sure enough, there wasn't anything squished about the image we saw of the
LG LX600 a while back -- it was just loosening the belt a couple notches to make room for a full QWERTY keyboard running across its naughty bits. Oh, and it's no longer the LX600; turns out Sprint is releasing it as the Lotus, one of four all-new dumbphones for the autumn months to complement today's
announcement of the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro. It'll be available next month for $149.99 on contract. Others in the mix include the Samsung Highnote -- a music-focused dual slider that dedicates one slide direction to a hefty little loudspeaker -- and the curiously-named Rant, which apes the
LG Rumor's form factor to give text addicts another affordable option. Like the Lotus, the Highnote and Rant will both hit in October for $99.99 and $49.99, respectively. Meanwhile, iDEN freaks (and we use that term in the most loving way possible) will be happy to see that they're getting their grubby, calloused hands on another rugged option, the Motorola i576 flip. It'll start getting beaten senseless at retail come October 19 for $69.99.
Sprint's also using those three new consumer sets (sorry, i576) to premiere "One Click," a new UI paradigm for its non-smartphone devices that allows folks to drop all sorts of commonly-used features with information-rich icons right on the home screen for... well, one-click access, hence the name. New
Katana Eclipse colors coming later this fall will feature the new software, too.
posted Sep 10th 2008 11:06AM
Am I the only one that REALLY likes the design of the Lotus? As in REALLY.
Seriously, I'm intrigued by that Lotus.. finally something unique out of sprint's lineup.. Too bad its an LG, but still intriguing.
I have used the Lotus and have to admit, the screen clarity for such a compact device is pretty amazing. Not crazy about the purple color with a print I found in my grandmothers bathroom, but its another option for qwerty, mid range phone users.
The Rant looks decent as a possibly replacement for my Ocean. Can't go without the QWERTY now. I would make a comment on how bad Sprint's service is, but my Ocean uses their network right now anyway... so it would be the same.
Are those Light sensors or front facing camera's on those Samsungs? It would be odd if it had expanded qchat functionality that wasn't in the release though.
I'm going with light sensor.
first VZW releases a squished version of the HTC Blue Angel and now this?
All prospective and current Sprint users, should go to the official Sprint forums at;
http://forums.buzzaboutwireless.com/baw/board?board.id=Samsung_Instinct
...and read about how Sprint has completely screwed it's Instinct customers before considering any of these dumb new phones. Their customer service reps have shown complete contempt for the frustrated masses, mislead repeatedly about crippling the phone to rob users of utility and squeeze them for more money with app sales.
Truly appalling. We've pleaded with Engadget to report on these very relevant concerns and lend some voice to recently f@#ked over Sprint customers, and blatant abuse of contract terms and advertised function. 6 months and even then we won't be able to use a keyboard or java functionality.... ON A JAVA phone.
In the meantime, we get stories about Dogs sniffing out cellphones in Jail. Thanks guys.
4 Words: Thirty Day Trial Period.
What is a "dumb phone"?
A phone that is not a smartphone (A pda/phone)
phones aimed at people like yourself if you have to ask :)
That samgung slider looks pretty nice
depending on how easy the keys are to press, and how big the phone is, if I didn't have to wait for almost 2 years and wasn't on a grandfather plan, I would consider getting the lotus to replace my rumor. I am so tired of having to lock and unlock my phone, and of my dlo case that scratches worse than my phone that I have to have so that my phone's only screen doesn't get scratched. I would much rather have a flip phone and I just got mine at the end of may this year
not the most attractive phone lg could come out with but definitly slick and a qwerty keyboard on a flip phone
... every real mans dream hahah for the underpaid everyday man that is not every one can afford htc touch screens and iphones other then that this phones got it son
is the lotus only avalible if you get a 2 year contract or does anyone think you can replace your existing phone and if so would the price increase?
The Lotus is awesome. I got it to upgrade from my MotoRazer V9m, and I didn't have to extend my contract or anything like that. If you are big on using your phone for everything then this is definitely the phone for you. It's got easy access to Myspace, Facebook, "Night Life" where you can check for movies, dinner, and so forth, your Account, The Weather Channel, Email, IM, and so on. You name it - you can do it with this phone. The clarity even though it's a small phone is beautiful. The camera is pretty good for a 2.0. The sound quality is excellent. I just wouldn't think of replacing it unless Sprint came out with something better. It's great. The qwuery pad is really cool, athough close together so it does take some getting use to. It is very much worth the buy!