LG Neon GT365 Phone, White/Green (AT&T)

LG Neon is a good value July 5, 2009

Reviewer:  og  (Inglewood, CA USA) -

LG Neon GT365

Pros:
- Medium size, slick appearance and sturdy design.
- Sliding QWERTY keyboard.
- Bluetooth enabled.
- MicroSD slot.
- Easy navigation.
- Threaded messaging*.
- Shortcut button to Create New Message located on keyboard.
- Conference calling.
- Inexpensive.

Cons:
- USB cable costs extra.
- No voice-dial feature.
- Keyboard takes effort getting used to.

Features:
- 2.4 in LCD screen
- Touch screen phone dialing.
- Easy access to Instant Messaging (IM) such as AIM, Yahoo! Or Windows Live.
- Easy access to Email such as AT&T, AOL, Yahoo! and Windows Live.
- 2 MP camera and video.
- Yellow Pages application.
- Music player.
- Tools: calendar, notepad, calculator, world clock, stopwatch, unit converter.
- Automatic key-lock.
- Call speaker.
- Flight mode.
- Call waiting and call forwarding.
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE network

Overall the LG Neon is a good value. It is easy to use and only takes a couple of minutes to set-up and get started.

The sliding keyboard is great for better SMS-ing but the keys could be a bit larger, in my opinion. The USB connection cable is offered as an extra accessory and it will set you back $30 to $40. The LG Neon does not have voice dialing built-in, although AT&T offers a similar service for a monthly fee.

The salesperson referred to the LG Neon as a hybrid touch-screen phone. The only touch-screen feature available is the numerical phone dialing screen which is conveniently accessible from the main interface.

Reading and sending email is quite simple if you have an AT&T, AOL, Yahoo! Or Windows Live account. Internet browsing is provided by AT&T Media Net application, but I immediately downloaded the Opera Mini browser. The Yellow Pages application could be useful but I also recommend downloading the Google Maps for mobile phones.

The Music folder contains limited trial subscription to Music ID and Make UR Tones applications. Demo games include Ms. PAC-MAN and Bubble Bash. The Neon has 14MB internal memory capacity and also features a microSD slot which supports cards up to 4 GB for extra storage. The Bluetooth wireless connectivity supports A2DP technology which can stream audio in stereo directly to the headset.

Aside from the touch-screen dialing pad, the two little features I enjoy the most about this phone are the "threaded messaging" and the "Create New Message" button on the keyboard. The threaded messaging displays full conversations and not just fragmented replies, while the New Message button is conveniently located on the keyboard.

I can get used to the LG Neon GT365 and for my particular needs this is a good phone. I do believe that the voice-dialing should be a standard feature and the USB cable should be included. With that said, I would recommend this phone for those who want simplicity and reliability for e-communication and quality voice calls.
[...]

lots of bad luck July 23, 2009

Reviewer:  Kent Miller "shortstop-ok"  (Norman, OK USA) -

We bought my daughter this phone about 6 weeks ago due to its low price and nice feature set. Since that time we went through 3 of them. After 3 weeks the first one started spontaneously powering off. We returned it to the AT&T store and got a replacement. The replacement wouldn't read addresses from or store addresses to the SIM. After returning that one, the 3rd one started spontaneously powering off after only a few days. We returned it for a Samsung Eternity.

The AT&T store near our house was great through all this, but I'd stay away from this phone.

Not a true touch screen, but still a fun phone. June 30, 2009

Reviewer:  S. Randles "Mom of 4"  (Beaufort, NC USA) -

I was a little disappointed when I received this phone and realized it is only touch screen for dialing. That's it. I really wanted a true touch screen.
I love the QWERTY keyboard slider, it is great for texting. Camera is fairly good quality. It comes preloaded with some pretty nice ring tones. I like that I can choose what sound I like for things like message alerts.
Size is perfect. Fits in my hand or pocket with no problem.
Overall, I am satisfied with the phone. Just wish I hadn't been mislead into believing it was a touch screen, when it really isn't.

poor phone July 25, 2009

Reviewer:  S. Wheelbarger 

The phone worked great for about 3 weeks, then, it started to randomly shut off. It would shut off in the middle of calls and texting. At first we thought it was the battery, but come to find out, this is a manufacturer defect. We ended up returning the phone.

Not a bad entry-level messaging phone September 23, 2009

Reviewer:  I'm Not Kafkaesque "Kafka'd"  (Cape Cod) -

As a salesmen for a large electronics retailer, I try more cell phones per week than most people will try in their lifetime. That said, the LG Neon is a decent little phone when it's used for its intended purpose. The Neon is NOT a smartphone- if you're looking for an enhanced web browsing experience or PDA functions, stick with a Blackberry or an HTC.

The Neon shines at one thing, and that's messaging. The slide-out keyboard feels sturdy to me, which is a huge plus in terms of durability (loose, jammed or just plain broken hinges are probably the most common complaint I get about phones). The keys are round and have space in between them, giving the Neon a totally different feel when typing when compared to other texting phones, including LG's Xenon. I have also been thrilled with the Neon's mobile email integration, which is included in the phone's software for most major email services (Gmail support is not included, but can be added with a free application available from Gmail itself. Just visit Gmail through the phone's browser and download the app).

As a messaging phone, the Neon is great. As a telephone, the Neon is mediocre. I have experienced the strange 10-15 second silence that several customers have complained about (just check out the other reviews here and you'll know what I mean), although most of my calls have gone through just fine. The built-in speakerphone is handy and actually sounds pretty good. As a web browser, I've had a very pleasant experience using my Neon to check headlines and read news articles, but the phone's 2G network does not support graphic-intensive web browsing.

I use my Neon extensively for texting and mobile email and I've been very happy with it. If you're a heavy talker (as opposed to a heavy texter) or a frequent web user, aim for a higher end phone. That said, the overall design of the Neon is sleek, simple and, in my experience, durable enough to merit a recommendation to shoppers looking for a messaging phone. The entry-level pricing on the Neon doesn't hurt, especially if you're looking for a backup phone or a second phone to use strictly for texting.

Looks deceive... September 22, 2009

Reviewer:  Kelley Schaperjahn  (Maine, USA) -

I had the LG Neon for just a few weeks before I had to return it due to utter frustration.

Our relationship started out well enough: the design was adorable; it took good pictures; I liked the ringtones; I liked the slide out Qwerty keyboard and the fact that the navigational buttons were on the left side of the device when the keyboard was slid out (I'm left-handed). I also thought the touch dialing was an interesting feature.

However, the more I used this phone as an actual PHONE, the more disappointed I was. The touch dialing proved to be more trouble than it was worth when trying to navigate phone trees that required me to press a button to make a selection (including my voicemail). I'd press the button to bring up the touch-screen number pad, press my selection, and then put the phone back to my ear... only to have my cheek hit something else and hear "I'm sorry, I did not recognize your selection" or similar.

But probably my biggest issue was the fact that, after several days of working seemingly fine, the phone would basically freeze every time I'd try to place a call. I wouldn't hear anything for up to 30 seconds, and neither would the person I was calling, making both of us think we had gotten disconnected. It also had a lot of trouble with dropping calls. When calling my voicemail, I'd often miss the entire message that I had been left. I've since researched about this online and the whole not hearing anything for a little while seems to be a common issue. I'm not sure why LG even released this phone with the amount of issues people have had with it.

If you want something cute to just text on and take pictures with, go right ahead and buy this. But if you'd like your phone to perform like, you know, a PHONE... I'd suggest looking elsewhere. I exchanged this for the Pantech Matrix and have had no problems whatsoever with that phone.

Excellent value and fun! July 22, 2009

Reviewer:  Pierangelo Espinocilla  (San Francisco, CA) -

I got this phone last week for my 12 year old daughter, and she absolutely loves it - it's her first phone with a full keyboard and she can now text her friends much more easily. She can also dial out with the slider closed, since she can bring up the touch screen keypad in the closed position. She's still playing with all the features but so far she's just thrilled to have it.

There's a few drawbacks though - first, the most glaring one, IMO, is that it's not a 3G phone, it's EDGE only. While 3G tends to suck up battery power like crazy, it's a tad disappointing to be stuck with the slower EDGE network. Would have been better if the option to turn off 3G was present, like on my iPhone.

Second, if you're going to use this phone as an MP3 player, it's got a strange proprietary combination charger/headphone jack, so you're forced to get a proprietary LG headset if you want to listen to music, or use Bluetooth headphones. It's disappointing because I have a set of really good earbuds that would have been perfect for the phone.

Lastly, it supports only up to a 4GB microSD card on paper. (I haven't tried using a higher capacity memory card yet though).

I suspect the color will turn off most guys from getting it too.

Overall, it's a spiffy little AT&T phone, and you can't beat the price. :)

2 failed phones within 3 weeks -- Spontaneously Shuts Off October 8, 2009

Reviewer:  John Weise "Books by Chance"  (Ann Arbor, MI USA) -

Bought one for my daughter. After a few days it started spontaneously turning off, frequently. I returned it to the store and it was replaced with another Neon. After about 1 week the replacement phone started failing in the same way. It would shut off with a full charge, and even when plugged in. Often, shut-off occurred while texting. The problem escalates to the point it is unusable because it shuts down so often. We are returning the second phone and will not accept another Neon.

DO NOT BUY THE LG NEON TE365 PHONE. August 8, 2009

Reviewer:  John R. Byant Jr.  (McKinney, TX) -

It has major defects that will affect phone calls and text messages. Frequently when you make a call, you will not hear the phone you have called ringing. Then when the other person picks up, you won't hear them talking for a few seconds. If you don't know this it may cause you to hang up on people or cause them to hang up on you. Also, the phone will randomly turn itself off when you open it to answer a call or close it when finished. You will then have to wait to turn it back on. This can be extremely frustrating.
These are known defects and you will find other complaints about this in web postings. LG and the various carriers know about this and are not fixing these problems or taking these defective phones back.

Loved It Until... December 12, 2009

Reviewer:  Smokey "Smokey"  (Bloomington, IN) -

I loved this phone when I first got it. It's a great size...fits perfectly in my hand and it's really easy to slide open and shut, etc. I use it a LOT to go online and to text, and the QWERTY keyboard is just the right size and functions well.

BUT...after I had it for a little over a month, it just randomly shut itself off and wouldn't come back on. I took it to the local AT&T store, and the guy there couldn't get it to come on either. He had a replacement phone "in the back" that he said he could give me that day IF I switched over my internet and TV to AT&T, otherwise he would have to send the phone off to be repaired. Uh huh. Kind of had me there, didn't he since it was past the time limit for replacing in-store.

Turns out that the TV and internet really were a good deal, so I did switch. The replacement phone has worked fine until now. It's again shutting off randomly. At least this time it will come back on, but it shuts off again, especially if I slide it open and/or use the keyboard while online. Frustrating and random! Doing a search online for "LG Neon shuts off" brings up a LOT of users with the same problem.

So I had to rate this a 3 star product. I still really love it, and over the weekend I'm hoping it will magically start working right again. Otherwise, I'm going to have to head to the AT&T store, and I'm not sure if I'll take a replacement or get a different one. Sounds like it can't really be fixed, but you know, I'm sure they'll have an even better phone "in the back". *sigh*