LG Xenon GR500 Phone, Blue (AT&T) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)And what are those needs?
- I wanted a phone a step below a smartphone with cool features... no need for web browsing, navigator or the higher priced data packages.
- small enough to fit in my pocket
- physical qwerty keyboard for tons of texting (the touchscreen qwertys really irritated me so buh-bye iPhone and Samsung Eternity)
- decent cameraI narrowed it down to the LG Xenon and the Samsung Impression. They are both great and are almost identical in looks and features. The Xenon won for two reasons: the price on amazon at the time of purchase (a penny vs. $49) and the size... the Impression is just a tad larger. Also, I've owned many LG phones with Verizon (switched because of no reception at my parent's new home) so I guess I could throw in brand loyalty to that list.
And after five days of ownership, here are some PROS: great battery life, very intuitive, responsive and bright touchscreen, memory slot is easily accessible on the side, three tabs on the homepage to organize/group your favorite contacts(very useful!), the camera (with flash) is AWESOME even at just 2MP, the huge and rubbery qwerty keyboard and I actually like the blue "xenon" color. And judging from the LG phones I've owned in the past, this phone should be very durable and reliable.
CONS: the speakerphone is horrible for both the talker and the listener (kind of a shocker because all my past LG phones had great speakerphones) and I'd like it if the slider were a bit more resistant (now I'm just nitpicking).
Overall a great phone!
**** UPDATE: 5/15/09 ****
I had to return the phone. AT&T's service was horrible in my area (San Francisco Bay Area). Tons of dropped calls and static. I asked a few friends who also have AT&T (which I should've done before switching over) and they agreed about the service. Most of them are iPhone users and put up with the terrible service just to keep the iPhone!
It's a shame because the phone really is good... but I think a phone is only as good as the service you're getting. Also, I did find a few more flaws during my three weeks with the phone:
- noticeable scratches and scuff marks on the keyboard from the slider.
- slight freezing with the three homepage touchscreen buttons on top (favorite contacts, home, star features)
- the enunciator drop down menu (accessed by pressing on the top edge of the touchscreen) stopped working altogether
- phone randomly didn't ring for incoming calls, but would alert me if caller left a voicemail. (not sure if it's a phone issue or an issue with AT&T's horrid service)
- phone would occasionally freeze when trying to make outbound calls
The freezing issues with the touchscreen and outgoing calls may be a bit of a concern. I noticed it started to do it after I loaded the phone with contacts, pictures, text messages, etc... So I would take away one star if I could.
And I have to just mention that it was a bit of a pain to return. It took about four days before I finally got the right info. I spoke to three Amazon reps and some were clueless about the return process. One guy put me on hold for five minutes before telling me he would just email me instructions... the email arrived two days later but required I call AGAIN to get authorization. Just a very clumsy and disorganized return process. So my suggestion is if you're going to go through Amazon, be sure that this is the phone you want.
I decided to go with another online retailer for my replacement. Not sure if I can post the company on here, but feel free to ask me privately for the info. They were great and definitely instilled more confidence in their buying and return procedures. (this is the first time I've had to return anything to Amazon, so I'm not sure if this is common or just isolated with the cell phone department.)
So now I'm now with T-mobile and received my new Blackberry Curve 8900. The service is awesome... no dropped calls and the call quality is superb. I never thought I would own a blackberry, but this phone is GREAT! Review on that will be coming shortly =)


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A quick messaging phone boasting a full keyboard for text messaging beneath its vibrant colors, the LG Xenon for AT&T also offers a large touchscreen display with a customizable and intuitive user interface. The phone can quickly download video, music and more over AT&T's lightning quick HSPDA 3G network. Additionally, with AT&T's 3G network, you can listen to a conference call on a headset while sending and receiving e-mail attachments, picture messages or Web pages at the same time. This GPS-enabled phone can access the AT&T Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions as well as its Video Share serve, which enables you to send video of yourself to another compatible phone while making a voice call.
The Xenon's large touchscreen with vibration feedback and enhanced user interface make menus, shortcuts, and contacts available right at your fingertips. And with its compact, slideout QWERTY keyboard, you can quickly send text messages and e-mails. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), organizer tools, access to mobile e-mail and instant messaging, and up to 4 hours of talk time.

AT&T Service This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA), which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and e-mail on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) While using Video Share with family and friends is a fun way to communicate, it's also very useful for business. For example, a majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so.

You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal.

The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send e-mails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.

It's also pre-loaded with AT&T's Mobile Banking application, which is compatible with accounts from banks including Wachovia, SunTrust, Synovus, and BancorpSouth. Mobile Banking from AT&T affords you the flexibility to stay on top of your banking needs while you're on the move, enabling you to check your account balance, securely transfer funds between your eligible accounts, view and pay bills, and review your transaction history. AT&T customers pay no additional fee to access mobile banking and, because the application resides on the handset, the service is optimized to reduce the number of new page views necessary to complete a transaction. Minimal data usage charges apply and vary based on individual use.

Phone Features The LG Xenon has a 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen with a 240 x 400-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors. It provides haptic vibration feedback when you touch icons or the onscreen keyboard, and it also has an accelerometer for auto-rotation of the screen when you turn it from portrait to landscape view. Below the screen you'll find just three buttons--one for accessing the main menu and standard send/end keys. The Home screen menu from LG's Flash user interface (UI) provides quick access to your calendar, alarm clock and digital audio player, and it provides an intuitive tab-based layout for accessing phone, multimedia and other tools. The phone also offers a four-row full QWERTY keyboard that smoothly slides out from the left side of the phone (when viewed in tall portrait mode).

The phone comes with an 80 MB internal memory, which is expandable via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook can store up to 500 contacts, with each entry providing space for up to five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and a picture ID. The phone also includes nine speed dial options (eight entries plus one voice-mail) and support for caller groups as well as designating a specific ringtone to a contact.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send e-mail, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable). You can save up to 20 Bluetooth pairing and the phone supports two simultaneous pairings.

The digital audio player is compatible with MP3, AAC/AAC+, and WMA files, and it allows you to create and manage playlists directly on the phone. Other features include a customizable equalizer and visualization, the ability to multitask in other phone applications while still playing music, and easy transfer of files from your PC via USB (optional cable available separately). The phone also includes a flight mode, which allows you to continue playing music while turning off the cellular radio.

The 2-megapixel camera offers four resolution modes (1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, and 320 x 240 pixels) and it has a 2x digital zoom. It also features white balance and brightness controls, multishot capabilities, night mode for enhanced imagery in low-light conditions, multiple quality options, and your choice of shutter tones (including silent). Additionally, this phone can capture video clips with audio in either 320 x 240 or 176 x 144-pixel resolutions. You can record clips up to 32 seconds for sending via MMS messaging or up to 60 minutes for saving to your PC.

Other features include:

SMS text and MMS picture/video messaging
Threaded messaging displays messages in time-order from a contact
Mobile e-mail--Yahoo!, AOL, AIM, Windows Live, AT&T Yahoo!, & BellSouth Accounts
Instant Messaging--AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo! Messenger
Organizer tools: alarm clock, calendar, notepad, calculator, tip calculator, world clock, tasks, stopwatch, unit converter
RSS Feed Support--quick access to updates on regularly changing web content
Speaker-Independent Voice Commands
USB mass storage capabilities and charging via computer (cable sold separately)
Java 2.0 support for application and game downloads
10 unique ringtones with vibrate and silent modes; compatible with MP3 real-music ringtones
Shortcuts menu--add up to 9 shortcuts to the standby screen
Voice memo recording (MMS and general modes)
Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, e-mail), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures)

Vital Statistics The LG Xenon weighs 3.81 ounces and measures 4.16 x 2.11 x 0.62 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours (11 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as AT&T's HSDPA 3G network (850/1900 MHz).

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