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MARCH 3, 2009
LG INCITE for AT&T
My usual format when testing a product is to use it in place of my own for two or three weeks. This gives me a pretty good idea as to how all the functions and services work. When I received the LG Incite without a SIM I thought about sending it back without writing about it as the SIM is what gives access to the service provider’s programs and services. I decided to charge it and take a look anyway. After a few minutes I found the LG Incite for AT&T was worth a little more time.
The LG Incite is a Smartphone. It has a touch screen with vibrating adjustable feedback. The phone itself has a mirrored finish that shows all my fingerprints. So does the touch screen. It all cleans up easily with a soft cloth. With a weight of 4.23 ounces and measuring 4.21 X 2.2 X 0,55 inches the Incite is on the large size. The pricing of $349.99 is softened by an AT&T 2 year contract price of $199.99 and an AT&T mail-in rebate promotion of $100.00. That brings actual cost to an affordable $99.99, a savings of $250.00 over list.
In the Box LG Incite Stylus (can be attached to the Phone) Battery AC Travel Charger USB Data Cable Getting Started Guide Getting started CD with Users Guide and Microsoft Active Sync
Features The Windows Mobile software is version 6.1. A short list of other interesting features: WiFi, GPS, AT&T 3G network, Office Mobile including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, and many other AT&T or Microsoft programs. The MicroSD card slot accommodates up to 32 GB cards so you can create and store a bunch of stuff.
The camera is 3 MegaPixel with some programmable settings. There is no flash. Video recording and Video Share is included. The camera provided good daylight photos indoors and outside.
Getting Around Without a SIM I was limited to looking around the phone and its resident functions. I was able to connect with Wi-Fi hotspots and use Bluetooth. Instant messaging includes AOL, Windows Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger.
I found learning my way around difficult. At times the menus in Windows Mobile are hard to follow. Although the Touch screen worked well in most instances others were difficult. Rotating the screen to landscape mode did not work smoothly. I found the keyboard easy to use once I got it up on the screen, The QWERTY keyboard that is supplied in portrait mode is somewhat hard to get used to. It has all the characters in the right place but 2 characters on most keys. I also had to tap the keyboard near the bottom of the screen to bring up the keyboard in many situations. Adding contacts was not as easy as on some phones. Typing in landscape mode left one line of the contact form available. The tradeoff is either a large workable keyboard or a clear view of the contact item list being filled in. I need the larger keys as I don’t work well with a stylus. The changing of nomenclature between EXIT, DONE, and BACK, depending on where I was at the time, was confusing. I did like the Jog Wheel. It helped move around the many menu screens.
The LG Incite is packed with features. Getting familiar with the menu system would take some time for most of us. I often was frustrated by the interface. Sometimes I would go to a function window but could not leave it unless I turned off the phone. There seemed to be no BACK button available to leave that screen. I have enjoyed testing many other LG phones. This one seemed more like work.
To see more LG products CLICK HERE.
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