LG Quantum Windows Phone (AT&T)

A Quantum leap in phones! November 21, 2010

Reviewer:  Andrew D. Lossing "Go real."  (Coquille (nowhere-ville), OR, USA) -

Windows Phone 7 came along with just enough fanfare to catch people's attention. Even with the ill-fated Kin on their recent record, Microsoft managed to raise some excitement and anticipation for their latest foray into handheld computing. And this time, it met and exceeded all expectations.

There were several smart things Microsoft did with Windows Phone. One, they moved as far away from Windows Mobile 6.5 as possible. Windows Phone is a new breed, and has none of the ponderous weight of that operating system. Next, they satisfied their small but loyal handheld fanbase by, essentially, creating the Zune Phone we asked for. Also, they managed to cleverly elude all of the (ignorant) ridicule the Zune brand of electronics has endured by not labeling the device as such. But, as those who've played with the amazingly simple and sexy interface of the Zune HD recognize, this phone's workings are essentially the same, albeit matured and expanded upon. Then, Microsoft successfully implemented what is arguably their best project aside from the computer OS, Xbox Live. Another sure way to gain followers, putting some of the Xbox 360 experience in our pockets, at last!

The other elements of Windows Phone are equally impressive. A mobile version of Office comes with the phone. Whatever your preferred email provider is, it'll interface fully with the phone (I use Gmail). Responsiveness and reliability are a joy. Every aspect of the phone shows careful attention to detail, a great sense of artistry, and a mature understanding of what a mobile device should be.

I went into an AT&T store to check out the available hardware. I was a bit disappointed that Microsoft opted to contract out their hardware instead of going the proprietary route, a la Apple, simply because the Zune HD hardware is so good. But these phones are still impressive. I chose the LG model for its materials and finish, which I found to be the best of the three. The Samsung, while attractive, was simply not on par with the solid, quality finish of the LG, and the HTC's slide-out speaker seemed a little too gimmicky for me. The Quantum's keyboard wasn't strictly a requirement, since the onscreen keyboard is quite good. But it is a bit easier for my fingers, and is very high quality and solid feeling. The 16GB capacity also made it easy to bring all my media from a Zune to the phone, which is now my main device. The LG phone also offers a Play To feature, which is essentially a Windows Media Center extension, allows you to stream media to your Xbox 360 via a wireless home network. Microsoft has included a free game, Ilomilo, which has undeniable charm, and is strongly reminiscent of the excellent original artwork that Zune Originals offers for their custom players. It's a joy to behold.

I can't recommend this phone highly enough. Finally, an alternative to the iCulture not only exists, but harnesses the power of some of the biggest and best established media and productivity entities around. not only that, but the whole experience is pure art, and some of the best work Microsoft has ever produced. The only thing better than this? The sound of an achievement unlocking right there in the palm of your hand :)

Great with more features to come November 30, 2010

Reviewer:  WP7Duke 

I've had the LG Quantum for 5 days now and I really like it. I moved from an iPhone and don't regret it at all. One of my favorite features is the ability to wirelessly sync your music and pictures to and from the phone. Even better, when you are syncing you can still use most of the phones functions, with the exception of marketplace and zune, unlike the iPhone.

I admit that there are still a few flaws in the system which some people may find irritating. First, landscape mode isn't quite solid throughout the OS yet, which is sometimes irritating with the Quantum. Also, we have to wait another month or two for copy and paste and (hopefully) custom ringtones. Neither of these were deal breakers for me because Microsoft has acknowledged their absence and that they will be changing these features, unlike certain other companies who are never wrong. I have some problems using WiFi occasionally and don't know why. A specific complaint for the Quantum is the Shift and Fn keys. I would have preferred one of those to replace the ae key which is used very rarely by most people in the States. However, it's not a deal breaker and you will get used to it very quickly. The volume rocker could stick out a little further, along with the camera button, but these are also easy to get used to.

Positives: The screen is great. I was initially concerned because it doesn't look as nice as the Focus in stores, but the screen looks great on every setting. The live tiles are fun and make using your phone take less time in some circumstances. The people hub is fun and I'm happy we have the ability to only see people in our contacts list. The keyboard is great. I'm a guy with average sized hands/fingers and have few problems with it. I really like the sliding mechanism better than the Droid2. Another great feature: WP7! It is really an experience you need to try. It's not iOS and it's not Android, it's somewhere in its own world between the two. It's user friendly but not too simplistic. I also applaud Microsoft for their system requirements to ensure a great experience across all devices, they did it the right way. Last but definitely not least, Zune. The Zune pass is great, especially for those who really enjoy listening to a lot of music. Right now you get 1 month free through AT&T and 14 days free from Microsoft. The Zune Marketplace isn't the easiest to sort through, but I never thought the iPhone marketplace was easiest to sort through either. Also, you can download songs straight on the phone using your Zune pass but it's slightly hidden. You have to press and hold on the song title and it will give you the option to download. Lastly, the Zune software is great. If you haven't tried the Zune software for just listening to music, give it a try, even if you don't buy a WP7.

My conclusions; are there problems with this system? Yes. Are there problems with all phone operating systems? Yes. WP7 will be perfect for some people and not others. My last note, read the user manual or the tips on Microsoft's website. There are certain features that are slightly more difficult to find and these are usually the really cool features.

Solid phone for solid price... January 17, 2011

Reviewer:  G. Gillen "daddy-oo"  (Northern Virginia, USA) -

I have had a Samsung Blackjack II for about 3 years and have looked with envy at my kids iPod Touch devices and it didn't help that I got my wife an iPad for Christmas. Time for Dad to get a new toy!

Anyways, I researched this to death and read / saw / handled most of the following: iPhone 4, Samsung Captivate, Samsung Focus, Blackberry Torch, and of course, the LG Quantum. What I found is, there is NO "perfect" phone for everyone so take my review for what it is, given that I am a tech marketing manager who:

- Reads / writes maybe 20 or 30 e-mails per day on his phone for each his company Outlook and Yahoo personal e-mail accounts.
- Enjoys the occasional game (free!)
- But mostly the apps I use most are weather, stocks, and sports news / scores.
- OK, YouTube, Facebook and Netflix are also nice to haves

With the mobile phone industry moving so fast, I was wary of plunking down even $150-200 for one of the phones listed above (2 year ATT renewal price). I was enticed by a $49 offer for the Torch, but my IT guys say we have problems occasionally activating phones for Blackberry's messaging service, and I am too comfortable with ActiveSync / Outlook to risk problems with sync. Also Blackberry seems just a step behind on latest hardware / GUI design: no one raves about the slower chip on the Torch, or the new browser, compared to the other phones. So I waited... and ALMOST pulled the trigger on $199 for the iPhone 4. Go with #1 right?

Well I guess ATT wanted to really push WP 7 phones, so the promo dropped the price to $49. Having been a fan of the LG Focus's keyboard and the VERY solid feel of the device when I handled it, I figured you really can't go wrong for $49. Plus you won't have buyers' remorse 4 months later when the iPhone 5 comes out and you just spent $199 for the old model.

As this is my first *real* high-powered smart phone, my experience was 80% very good, 20% so-so - hence the 4 **** rating. So here's quick list of GOOD / BAD:

GOOD
- This baby is SOLID; rubberized edges and brushed metal back make it the most solid feeling one of the three current ATT WP7 phones
- Thought I wouldn't like it, but the new user interface is very nice and functional, intuitive, and uses the real estate well.
- The screen is very nice and touch functions (pinch / zoom) etc. are very fast and very nice
- Slide out keyboard very nice (apart from shift and FN keys placement), though the screen keyboard and auto-suggest was decent also
- Browser works very well (3G and WiFi) - by the way, using Wifi as much as possible will keep your data usage way down
- Music / video synch and playback was very nice; FM radio a nice plus
- Facebook / people tiles is pretty cool to post your status or quickly review what's going on with Friends
- Very solid calendar and e-mail interfaces
- Overall, very nice graphic action / screen transition effects
- Voice commands work great: "call", "open", "find" - including map based search for restaurants, etc.
- Free LG app allow you to speak an e-mail or text message; very cool.

BAD / MEH!
- Just like Apple forces you to get an iTunes accout, you really need Zune software and a MS Live account to use all the features
- Doesn't work as a pure USB drive if you plug it in (despite the hacks I have read)
- Camera is mediocre, especially in low light, and flash gives washed out look (I have heard the iPhone has the best by far)
- I'm sure it will change, but apps count still low compared to Android or Apple
- This applies to all phones, but I used to go 3 or 4 days with my old phone between charges (medium usage); most people will have be lucky to get 2 days out of the LG (which I've heard is actually GOOD for a smart phone)
- Battery indicated only shows bars and not % (my goes down to almost empty but seems to last quite a while at that level)

Like most phones over time, you will find dozens of tips and tricks online to get the most out of your phone.

So maybe I'm just happy to have *any* new smart phone, but the moral of the story is you really can't go wrong for $49 for this phone.
1) Do your homework, handle / see as many phone models as you can before buying,
2) Learn all the tips and tricks online to the most out of your phone, and
3) You will love it...at least for a few years ;-).

The Coolest Phone I've Ever Owned January 10, 2011

Reviewer:  Malia S.  (Los Angeles, CA USA) -

I was trying to decide between this phone and the Samsung Focus. I ended up choosing the LG Quantum because it's slightly smaller than other smartphones currently on the market and I love that it has a QWERTY keyboard. I've had my phone for about a week now and I absolutely love it! The LG Quantum very easy to pick up and start using immediately. The first things you'll notice are that the interface looks great, the touchscreen works very well, and the new Windows 7 Phone operating system is FAST and intuitive. Some of my favorite features of the phone are the excellent Facebook integration (you can choose to sync only to existing contacts if you don't want all of your FB contacts on your phone), excellent sync with my Google calendar, being able to check all my email accounts easily, and the threaded messaging which saves text messages in the form of easy-to-read conversations.

Most of my complaints about the device relate to the camera, but it's not the reason I purchased this phone. The camera flash is way too bright, it has a tendency to completely wash out subjects that are close to it, but I've had some success by diffusing the light by covering the flash with paper. Additionally, it annoys me that the camera settings revert to default every time you exit. The battery life is pretty standard for a smart phone, I charge it once a day and I'm good to go. Heavy users may want to consider a car charger. I'm impressed with the number of high quality applications that are available for free in the marketplace and I've had a lot of fun trying them out. This is a great phone and it will only get better over the next few months as more updates roll out. I highly recommend it! :)

Pros:
Fast & User-Friendly OS
Excellent & Responsive Touchscreen
QWERTY Keyboard
Great Web Browser
Live Tiles! (Instant updates on weather, emails, etc.)
Music/Zune/Radio (Phone even comes with pretty good headphones!)
5 Megapixel Camera
Microsoft Office Mobile
16 GB of Space
Compact Size

Cons:
Camera Flash Too Bright! :O Cannot Save Camera Settings
No Instant Messaging Programs (Yet)
No Flash Browsing Support
Power Button Wakes Phone (I wish you could wake it with the button on the front.)

NOTE: Other reviewers complained about the size of the text messaging font being too small. They must have extremely bad vision because I wear glasses and definitely don't have any problems with the size of any of the fonts or icons.

Great Multi-use Phone May 23, 2011

Reviewer:  A. M. Manuel  (Dallas, TX USA) -

After having this phone for several months, I have found that I use and love this phone more and more. This is my first "smart" phone, and my transition from "I just need a phone to make calls" and "Where's my phone? I need to look up something/ watch Netflix/ listen to music." was almost immediate. Meanwhile, my friends and family with iPhones or Android phones took a while to get used to the interface. I've had a very good experience with my Windows 7 phone and would recommend it to others.

Of course, most of my comments have been about the operating system. The phone itself is responsive and quick, has a prodigious battery life, and is able to stream videos and music easily. Even looking at new phones that have been released more recently, I would still choose this one. It has the same amount of internal memory and the same processing speed as other Windows phones, higher rated battery life, and the bonus of the slide-out keyboard which is very handy--so handy in fact that I have used it to type this review.

The only caveats I have is that the sound is not very loud when streaming video and music, and while all the major apps that are available for iPhones and Android phones are available for Windows 7 phones, many of the other apps from smaller companies are not. However, these will probably come in time.

Overall, if you think the slide-out keyboard will be a boon to you, you're right. Also, if you're wondering if this phone is able to perform entertainment-type tasks, it can and it will perform them well without dying. I have not regretted choosing this phone over Mac, Android phones, or other Windows 7 phones and you won't either.