The LG Xenon might be my new hero
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 12:08AM A while back, I saw this commercial featuring Heroes starlet Hayden Panettiere:
That was my first inkling of curiosity for the LG Xenon GR500, a slider cell phone which doubles as a fun smartphone. When my Blackberry's charger port lost a couple pins [plug in your mobiles with care!], it was impossible to charge/sync and as good as gone. I quickly needed a new phone, and after having the Blackberry Pearl for a few years, I figured trying something new wouldn't hurt. At first, I wanted to try the Samsung BlackJack II as I thought it would be an easy switch from Blackberry. Because the price was important to me [hello, recession], I decided to go with the more modestly priced and fresh on the market mobile, the LG Xenon. Plus, the LG Xenon is rumored to be an incarnation of the flashy LG Prada phone which was the hot item a couple of years ago. What's not to like about Prada? 
With a novel touch screen interface and a much cheaper data plan with AT&T, the LG Xenon has so far been a welcome change. I don't miss the SIM Card Error message that I would frequently get on my Pearl and I really love the smooth QWERTY keyboard on the slider. As I was discussing with my friend Erica a couple of weeks ago, LG phones tend to have a nice spring tension with their keys [she owns an LG enV]. I also like how the picture can rotate on the screen when I am looking at any media or when I open up the slider to compose and email or text. The touch screen is different than the Apple iPhone or the Google Android. Xenon's touch screen is a little more jerky and not as sensitive as the aforementioned phones. It does, however, provide the same wonderful make-up sponge capability as the iPhone and Android. Another drawback is detailed selections on the screen [i.e. links, buttons, etc.]; if you have fingernails or small fingertips, maneuvering through the web, menus and address book may not pose a challenge. If not, you may want to invest in a stylus.
For a price point of under $100, I would recommend the Xenon to any data lite consumer. It's adequate for emails, chatting, texting, Twittering, and visiting basic websites. It also has a microSD slot that supports and additional 16GB, 2MP Camera with VGA capabilities, MP3 player, and applications that can be useful. I've had the Xenon for almost a month now and I am happy overall with its performance. The LG Xenon is more cost efficient than most smartphones on the market, and may not have full smart capabilities, but is close enough for this (former) Blackberry girl.
Apple iPhone, Blackberry Pearl, Google Android, Hayden Panettiere, LG Prada, LG Xenon, LG enV, LGE in Gear, Ramblings, Review
Reader Comments (3)
Its a nice phone though. Big keyboard and it fits into a small profile. I'd happily trade in my iPhone for this LG.
Not long ago it was much easier to choose a smartphone since there were only 3-4 major ones to choose from. Today, it seems like there are too many choices to filter through - which isn't exactly a bad thing. I can't wait to see the Palm Pre and the next gen iPhone.
As a prospective smartphone buyer, thanks.
Any thoughts about Nokia E71x? Heard some good things about it.