We'd really
harshed on this phone prior to its release, because... well, when you're used to flip phones looking a certain way, it looks kinda funny. In the flesh, though, the LG Lotus looks just fine -- once you get past the fact that it's basically a perfect square when closed -- and anyone who does a lot of messaging should probably take note.
We were checking out the matte black model this time around, but the
stylized purple version seems tastefully done if you're looking for something just a little fancier (random factoid: the purple version has matching purple numeric keys, while the black's got gray). It's not the perfect shape in the hand nor against the face, which probably explains why every other flip in the world is longer and narrower -- but it's still comfortable enough, and it's a reasonable compromise considering the full QWERTY keyboard you're getting in return.
QWERTY messaging phones are all the rage right now, and for the most part they're being billed as cheapo devices geared at a younger set. While we'd argue that young'uns are still going to be the Lotus' main target demo, the phone feels as well-constructed as anything we've tested recently -- rock solid with no creaks, rattles, or wiggles. We bet this thing could take a beating.
Speaking of the keyboard, this is where the Lotus shines. It's not the best keyboard we've used (we like a bit of curve), but the keys are domed enough to keep typos to a minimum -- and hey, let's keep things in perspective: this isn't a BlackBerry, it's just a text-focused dumbphone. To that end, there's a dedicated Text key in the lower right that'll take you straight to the new message screen, which is a nice touch (and a trend we've seen on other recent phones like the
Highnote). If you're trying to text someone who isn't in your contacts list, you can't just type the number -- you have to first add the contact, which seems like an unnecessary step and a minor annoyance.
Sprint's new standard dumbphone UI really shines on the Lotus; the toolbar is horizontal and the Lotus' display is landscape, so it's basically a perfect match. It looks great and dumps a lot of functionality onto the home screen that you'd have to go several menu levels deep for on competing devices. It also helps that the Lotus employs a relatively large, easy-to-use d-pad that doesn't try to get fancy with doodads or gimmicks -- it's just your basic, well-constructed four-way. You've also got a dedicated speakerphone key up here -- a rarity for a phone in this class. We're not so sure how often folks who are buying the Lotus are going to be talking on a speakerphone, but on the flipside, something like an internet key doesn't make too much sense with the toolbar just one click away on the home screen -- so we're cool with it.
Would we recommend the Lotus? If messaging is a priority, absolutely -- we were shocked by how good it looks in person, the keyboard's serviceable, and Sprint has obviously put a lot of thought into the operation of
One Click. In fact, it looks and feels so good that it could easily be mistaken for a smartphone costing two or three times as much -- and ironically, that might be the phone's Achilles Heel: we can definitely envision people who need a more powerful device being sucked in by this one. If it sticks to the right market segment, the Lotus is a killer.
posted Jan 18th 2009 6:09PM
Don't know if its the same in the US, but Bell Canadas version of the phone is the Reveal, and its pretty good, one feature that dosnt seem to get advertised is that it has a document viewer (at least bells version does) that can open PDF .doc and other word files, go here http://www.bell.ca/web/wireless/en/all_regions/pdfs/userguides/handsets/LGReveal_En.pdf and CTRL-F for document and you will see. Hopefully its on the Lotus also.
The Lotus has the document viewer as well. I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned here, since they brought up the fact that it could be mistaken for a smartphone.
It's not an iPhone so it doesn't really matter to Engadget.
@000000: Your comment is witty, original, and shockingly accurate. Well played.
this phone has been out for a long time why is this posted now?
Why not?
Late. :-/
I've had this phone for about 2 months now, and it's a really great item. I didn't need a full-fledged smartphone, and this handles all the things I need it to handle, and the keyboard is very comfortable.
I'm in love with that desk.
Thanks! Probably shouldn't give away my secrets, but I'll let this one go: it's a Room & Board Parsons table with the solid cherry top.
Your secret may or may not be safe with me.
i love this phone! not sure what the they mean when they say you cant just type a number and you have to make a contact if you want to send a text you just hit the text button then new address... but yeah this phone rocks
The Lotus does have a document viewer, it can also play 3GP files for full length movies and can support up to 10 different email accounts one of which can be an exchange server(pop3 and hotmail supported). Operamini is awesome on this device. It is considered a fashion forward multimedia messaging device. FYI I personally feel the word "smartphone does not apply these days to a business device. WinMo, BB or any other special OS should be considered enterprise phones these days because some of the so called dumb phones have features that would be considered "smart" if you catch my meaning.
How long does the battery last, with normal usage?
Also, any thoughts on music playback?
it doesn't have much talk time, but on the other hand if you spend the day texting and browsing and what not, i still have full battery, and it literally only takes 30 minutes to charge. music playback is nice, very loud and crisp sound, dunno if it's just me, but even if i have music shuffled always starts in the same spot, and shuffles same songs, unless you stop it. (i.e. closing app just takes you back to where you started listening to music that day). This was a good phone I must say, but unfortunately i go through phones like crazy, and ordered the Touch Pro which should be here by Friday hopefully and am so excited!!!
It's funny you mention liking curve in the keyboards...After having a BB Curve, any qwerty I've tested out w/ a straight across keypad has been downright weird.
My gf just got this phone in purple, and I helped her pick it out. So I just wanted to throw in my two cents.
She has always been rather phone deficient, so I went along to check out the phones she was being offered to renew her contract. The freebie ones were utter junk, so I looked at this one. I was shocked at the build quality, as I assumed this was another teeny-bopper disposable phone. But it's not. The build quality is excellent, it feels very solid and has no play or loose-ness, and the plastic is very hard and has a soft-touch feel on it (matte), almost rubberized but not quite. The keypad is superb, again great quality.
The phone is also very light and has a great feel in your hand both open and closed. I was unsure of the form factor at first, but after five minutes of playing with it, it made perfect sense. It's actually a great form factor once you can get your head away from what the clamshell is "supposed" to be, as mentioned in the article.
Now, I'm an owner of an HTC Fuze and a Blackjack II, and before that I had a Moto V3XX and a Moto V3i. So this phone is a bit basic for my tastes at the moment, but for a non-smartphone, it's really great and has a full set of features.
I'm personally not a fan of the new Sprint unified UI (the "carousel"), but I saw on some forums a way to disable the UI and go back to the stock LG one (without having to reflash) which users were reporting big speed increases. She's fine with it though so I'm not going to mess with it.
If I had another line with Spring, I'd probably pick this up in black and carry it when I'm out hiking / bicycling / motorcycling / etc. I owned an LG years ago with Sprint (probably about 8 years ago now) and never bought another as it was junky, but this phone has really impressed me.
I wish the reviewer had mentioned something about email (especially Gmail) and web browsing. Who is NOT using those these days?
The reviewer obviously wasn't familiar with using the phone, either that or he just didn't really care about a proper review. The "annoyance" of adding a new contact in order to text is a complete lie. You hit the text button, and if the recipient isn't a contact, you hit the right soft key for "new address" and then type in an email address or phone number and hit ok. That doesn't save it to the contacts, once you enter the number, it goes straight to the message screen. I've used gmail and aol as well as you tube and opera mini 4.2 on this phone and it all works great! I can surf the web in computer screen mode without having to pay double the price. And the speakers are also loud and crisp. The navigation is extremely accurate too.
I just saw this phone the other day out in public and I must say it's actually pretty sweet looking. I like the black matte finish. If I wasn't looking to get a smart phone as my next phone I would have looked into this phone. I caught the guy off guard asking him if that was the lg lotus. That's pretty much my .05 cent
From the text button, you can text a new person that is not in your contacts, when you hit the text button, the right soft key is for "new address" and you can add a phone number or an email address.
This a good phone for those who are not ready to venture into the "smartphone" world and still would like a flip phone that protects keys a lot better than the candybar-shaped phones.