Customer Reviews

LG Muziq LX-570 Phone (Sprint, Phone Only, No Service)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I got a LG 550 Fusic in June 2007 and traded it in for this one a month later, not knowing at the time that a successor was in the works. The Muziq is an excellent upgrade to its predecessor, but is similar or identical in most respects. Its footprint is a little larger, but the phone itself is slimmer and lighter, making it easier to fit in a pocket.

Unlike the Fusic, which had separate music players for memory card and downloaded content, the Muziq has one multi-capable music player which integrates the online Sprint music store. It contains most standard music player features, including shuffle and repeat. Although the music player is capable of displaying album art, this feature seems to be erratic. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't, for content I've loaded from my computer using the bundled software (some of the artwork was manually added and some automatically added, all using iTunes), and the artwork didn't appear on the external screen either. Still, album art isn't a big deal if you're not staring at the phone constantly, and with a 2 GB microSD or 4 GB microSD HC card, the phone does a decent iPod Nano impression. The phone comes packaged with half a headset - it's basically the microphone/clip/button/cable assembly with a standard size headphone jack. So, once you insert your headphones of choice, the cable effectively turns the combination of the two into a headset. Naturally other cell phone headsets work as well without the adapter; I haven't tried a Bluetooth headset yet, though. The phone also includes an RF transmitter, which has decent enough quality and works well but has a short range (5-10 feet) which means results will vary widely depending on where your car's antenna is located. My Pontiac Vibe has no problems with it at all.

The Muziq's earpiece has a bit of a sweet spot, but the volume and quality are good once you find it. Use of the speakerphone, however, is not recommended. It sounds okay for music (certainly not as good as stereo headphones, but not too tinny and the volume range is passable), but people on the other end aren't able to understand me most of the time. This is disappointing, because the Fusic's speakerphone was much better. Call quality in general is good though the person on the other end can tell it's a cell phone. Dropped calls are typically not a problem.

Camera quality is to be expected. I use the 1.3 MP camera for caller ID photos and not much else. One setting, the "image enhancer", I highly recommend turning on. I don't know what it does, but it improves the quality noticeably. Although the camera has a "flash", it's not terribly effective. You can also take videos with it, though those over 500 KB can't be sent by picture mail. Still, the camera is good enough for what I use it for.

The side keys are reliable but impossible to read. I had to memorize their positions before I could use them effectively. Also, the power/USB port has a door that must be removed, making it somewhat annoying to plug in, but I certainly don't mind not getting dirt in there. The headphone port and microSD card port also have doors, but I found them easier to manipulate than the ones the Fusic had. Also, the music controls on the outside are tactile, but not in a standard way - they don't depress like normal buttons. Instead, they vibrate when you put your finger on them. You can also increase the vibration to a second, harder setting if desired. I've found that the keys are reliable but a tad disconcerting to use. There's a key guard setting, also, so you don't activate them when you don't mean to, and naturally this can be turned off.

Three major PC connectivity gripes: The phone comes with a USB cable, but it CANNOT be used to charge the phone; when the phone is in file transfer mode, it cannot receive calls; and there's no Bluetooth file transfer (though you can transfer contacts with another Bluetooth phone). Despite these glaring flaws, if you have a decent size microSD card, you can use this as a USB flash drive in a pinch; it just can't be a phone at the same time. For the mildly computer-impaired, the Muziq is packaged with Sprint proprietary iTunes-like music synchronization software which is more than happy to find all the music on your system and make adding it to your phone as easy as drag and drop.

I highly recommend switching the phone from the default theme to the LG theme. I found it to be ugly and washed out looking; that's probably why CNET's review mentioned that the screen looked washed out - once the LG theme is in place, I couldn't disagree more with that assessment, as both of the 262,000 color screens look vibrant and detailed. It dispenses with the options cluttering up the main screen if one does not or cannot use the On Demand or Text Messaging functions. Also, with this theme active, the four directional buttons can be set to shortcuts, similar to many other Sprint models.

The phone has many preset simple, MIDI and polyphonic ringers, but you can't use MP3 ringers unless you download them from the Sprint music store. There are ways of tricking the phone into accepting a user MP3 ringer for the resourceful, though the process is by no means straightforward (do a web search for adding MP3 ringers on the Fusic; it's similar for this one). It would have been nice if LG made this easier, but seeing as how it would most likely result in a sharp drop in music store sales, I'm not too surprised by it.

One big advantage, in my opinion, that this has over the Fusic is the ability to independently control the vibration ringer option. On the Fusic, you could only enable vibration by itself or with the lowest and highest ringer levels. With this model vibration is a separate option that can be enabled at any ringer level. It's a little thing, but it's little upgrades like this that make the Muziq truly superior to its predecessor.

I don't have a data plan, but the small amount of internet I've used on the phone has shown speedy downloads and good quality. I can't speak to the TV features of this phone as a result.

Battery life is excellent. I've had the phone on for nearly a week without having to recharge it, talking about an hour a day and not using internet or music. It would be nice if the included USB cable functioned as a second charging cable, though.

Overall I have found the Muziq to be an excellent phone in the short time I have used it, nearly three weeks now. Aside from the slight USB gripes mentioned above, I'm very satisfied with it and it definitely catches eyes with its sleek design. There's no way to know how it will hold up over time, but I'm hopeful it'll last out this two-year contract better than the miserable experience I had with the Sanyo 8200.

Pros:
Lots of bells and whistles. Sprint navigation with GPS is very useful. The interface is good for common tasks (phoning, contacts, sms, web, calendar, alarm). The music and TV capabilities of the phone seem cool but I haven't used them much. It can take good photos and video for a phone (though you'll still get much better results with a real camera).

Cons:
I have problems hearing the other person in a phone call. My wife and I both got a Muziq and the problem is especially bad when we're talking to each other. I got a bluetooth headset and it didn't help much. The signal that I get is ok but not great. Same with battery life (acceptable but not amazing).
I would have liked a bigger screen. The screen is not small for a cell phone but still feels cramped for applications and internet.

Overall I would recommend this phone to a technophile like myself who is going to be using their phone more as a pda than for talking. If voice call quality is your primary interest then I'd recommend testing out some other phones for comparison before buying this one.

Due to the very informative review by J. Harvey, there is very little I can say without simply repeating what they said. However, I can attest to the fact that it is a good phone. My experience and satisfaction with the phone mirrors theirs. Here are some of the things that impressed me about the phone.

-Music: Adding music was a breeze, and the sound is good. The FM transmitter is a VERY NICE bonus and worked well. Being able to put the music in the background and use the phone for other things is great.

-Sprint Power Vision/Internet: Performance is good. Both regular speed and EV-DO are satisfactory, although EV-DO areas are somewhat limited right now.

-Tools: The usual suspects are here- Calendar/Scheduler, Calculator, Voice Memo, Note Pad, 4 Alarm Clocks, etc. It also has a Music Composer which allows you to make your own melodies/ringers by humming into the microphone, using your keypad, or scoring using bars and notes.

Overall, I love the phone and am very happy that I got it. It seems to be quite reliable and easy to use. If you are looking for a good phone/music player combo, you cannot go wrong with the Muziq.

I have owned this phone for a couple of months, so I'm still getting to know its many "talents". So far, I will say that this is by far the best phone I've used. Even better than the smartphone it replaced. It handles music, voice calls, speakerphone, bluetooth, Sprint TV/radio, and messaging flawlessly so far. It feels solid and looks beautiful. Battery life is decent (some days are better than others, with more of the good ones by far) As will all electronics, I'm sure I'll find an annoyance eventually, but so far, it's all quality. I still need to test the GPS feature.
The FM transmitter works beautifully! The phone has to be close to the antenna.
All this and a great price!!! Most highly recommended indeed.
As for Sprint's customer service issues: It will get better (could not possibly get any worse!) I too disagree with giving bad reviews to the phone because of a problem with the service provider.
Cheers!

I have had this phone for about two weeks now, and I can say that overall I am pleased with the phone. This is a good phone if you are a person who uses their phone primarily for calls, listens to music occasionally on the go, and who uses mobile web or uses their phone as a modem for their laptop. I live in an area where there is EVDO internet access, and I am amazed how fast the phone zips through web pages. It also works great when connected to your laptop to use as a modem. Pages were loading on my computer almost as fast as my home DSL connection. As far as the music player, in my opinion it is pretty basic. In the song list, the songs are not listed really in any order, so it takes sometime to find a specific song. For call quality, on my end I can hear people almost as good as a landline, and when I called people, they knew I was using a cellphone, but said that my sound quality wasn't much different from a landline. Another note about the phone itself, after a day's use, the phone is coated with fingerprints. I usually wipe the phone off with a cloth once a week to keep it clean of prints. So, I guess overall a good phone. Only other complaint is Sprint Customer Service. Sometimes you get a halfway decent rep, but most of the time you get someone who does not know what they are doing. However, I find if I call during the week, the wait times are shorter and you get more knowledgeable reps.

I had this phone for two weeks. It was fun at first, but got annoying very quickly.

First, there are 9 buttons on the face/sides. Only 2 display the clock (the volume control buttons) when pushed while the phone is flipped closed. The other 7 buttons display a warning that you have to hold the camera key to unlock the buttons. This message takes several seconds to go away before you can see the time. So I quickly resorted to just opening the phone to check the time. Guess it's no big deal if you wear a watch.

When the external music controls are activated, you obviously can't put the phone in your pocket. So hold it carefully on the sides or set it on your desk. And they take several seconds to activate, so it's quicker to just flip open the phone to skip a song or whatever. Thus rendering the external buttons virtually useless. Looks nice, though.... :P

The music play is a shuffler only, no folders. Though you can create play lists, you lose any organization that you had if you copy files from your computer. Unless you un-shuffle and then re-shuffle the songs, they always play in the same order. Regardless, it always starts with the song at the top of the list...always.

Music quality is good, but poor bass. No options to adjust treble/bass/etc.

The volume is TERRIBLE. I was always having to ask people to speak up, even on my bluetooth headset.

Ringer volume is also very quiet. I missed almost every call I recieved because my phone was in my back pocket, purse or another room. Only if it was on my desk next to me was I sure to catch a call. Vibrator is fairly light, so that didn't help much.

Never got a clear signal using the FM transmitter. Could be because I live in LA area.

Screen quality is good, but fuzzy and pixelated. Could have been much better! Sharp, clear screens are practically standard, so I don't know whay such a feature-packed phone would have such a low resolution.

I use the calculator a lot. Having to watch the cute animation each time it loads is annoying.

Camera quality was TERRIBLE. Never got a clear shot. Always dark and faded. The flash is useless, actually makes things worse. My old VGA cell phone camera was much better.

Slow operating speed. Applications take way too long to load. Changes take too long to be saved. Not enough internal memory for smooth operation.


THE GOOD:
Call quality was amazing...when I was in a quiet place and could hear it. Got a signal everywhere. Never dropped a call.

Takes a 4GB micro SD. Cool.

I loved the headset adapter it came with. This allows you to plug in any headset you like to listen to music. The adapter adjusts for the plug size, but also has a microphone and volume control, so you can use your regular heaphones and the adpater to make/receive calls. You actually get sound in both ears. My husband has a fancy Motorola wireless bluetooth stereo headset, and when he makes calls he only gets sound in the left ear.

When you recieve calls while playing music, your song is automatically paused, and you have the option to resume when the call is over.

Loved the voice activated dialing. After I did the "training" it worked very well.

In general, though, I would NOT recommend this phone. I switched to the LG Rumor (Sprint offers one exchange withing 30 days). I LOVE IT!!! Every problem on the Muziq is fixed on the Rumor. I would give it 5 stars, but it's not on Amazon yet to review. The only thing I miss is the voice dialing. Oh well. And it didn't come with the headset adapter, which I bought on Amazon for $8.00 + $5.00 S&H. TIP: If you have the Muziq and you want the Rumor, keep the headset adapter. After I returned the phone, the guy told me I could have kept the accessories and no one would have noticed or cared. Gee thanks, then why not give it to me? But they're never THAT helpful at Sprint, are they?

My husband also traded in his Muziq (he didn't like it either for many of the same resons) and got the Motorola Motorazr2 V9m and it's also a great phone. Pricey, but all of it's awesome features actually work.

Muziq was a great idea, but feature quality was sacrificed for the quantity.

I just got this phone and all i can say is it is great. Before i got it i read a lot of reviews that were off and on about it. These proved to be very wrong. i have had no problems with it and it has some really great features on it. The MP3 player has really followed through. The quality is pretty good and using the touch sensitive buttons is very fun and feels great. If your not a big money spender then you won't like the sprint store. It is 2.50 yes $2.50 a song. that is not a problem thought because you can use windows media player or itunes to get your music onto the phone. The phone comes with the USB cord to do all of this. The phone comes with 3 themes that you can set s your backround and some catchy ringers. my only complaint is that it is sort of hard to figure out how to set all of your ringers to what you want. going back to the music, the phine comes with a micro SD card that has only 60 mb which is nnot a lot if you want muic and videos. i would recomend getting a 2 or 4 GB card. The Camera is nothing special and is probably only good for picture messaging and posting youtube videos. the phone feels very comfortable when holding and the keys are big and easy to use. WARNING! you will be getting finger prints on this phone. it is just what the phone is made of. Overall this pho

I just wanted to negate as much as possible the very low rating given by someone upset with Sprint. However one might feel about the service provider, the fact is the phone is an exceptional value.

The LG LX-570 Muziq is pretty much what I expected. I've had it for about a month, and so far I like it.

Pros:
*Multitasking ability- though sometimes choppy, it's really useful.
*Music Capabilities- It recognizes a bunch of different music formats (AAC/m4a even)
*Bluetooth- Can transfer basically anything via wireless connection
*Good voice quality
*Surprisingly loud speakerphone- you can play music pretty loud, though it starts to sound crappy
*OK Internet- I don't have a data plan, but I've downloaded a couple of things and it's not too bad
*Sprint TV- Again, no data plan but I hear it's a cool feature
*Comes with a headphones adapter that has a mic and clip on it; haven't used the mic part yet
*Menus aren't hard to navigate, make sense
*Comes with a 64MB flash card
*Good Camera (for a phone)
*Haven't had a single dropped call yet (not so much to do with the phone but...)

Cons:
*Speakerphone voice quality isn't very good
*Battery life could be better, though it's not too bad
*Terrible camera (for a digital camera)
*Some navigation is a tad sluggish
*Music player isn't that great, but it's better than most phones'
*Bulit-in ringtones are crappy IMO
*Bluetooth is rather slow
*Software is PC only
*Doesn't do my homework

Only annoying thing I've found is accidentally bumping the "music button" when closing the phone, it starts playing music, and you can't stop it without opening the phone back up unless you unlock the phone, hold down the music button, and press stop.

It's vibration function isn't as vigorous as other phones; sometimes I don't feel it ringing unless it's in my pocket, right up against my leg.

I think it was worth giving up Verizon to get this phone. My next step it to get a 4GB Flash card and put some music on it.

I returned my Samsung Upstage (see review by me under this model) for this LG Muziq phone.

I don't really use the MP3 player capability that much, so I will focus my review on the PHONE itself.

I love it! It's large enough to cradle on my shoulder so I can do other things while talking on the phone (my bluetooth stays in the car), but it's thin and light enough that it is easy to carry, slip into a pocket, etc.

The screens are bright and nice resolution, keypad is nice and big for texting and navigating menus and the user interface is really easy to figure out.

It's very easy to connect this phone to my laptop to upload songs, OR I just take my 2 gig micro SD card (bought on ebay) out and use the adapter to upload songs directly to the card. Photos are easily uploaded and downloaded using this method as well.

If I *had* to say one bad thing about this phone I might say that since it's such a shiny finish it gets fingerprinted really really easily. But that's easy to wipe away without issue.

A GREAT phone, I high recommend it!