Customer Reviews

LG Quantum Windows Phone (AT&T)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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 :)

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.

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 ;-).

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.

I have had this phone for about three weeks. So far so good. Before I got the Quantum I had the Blackjack II. Compared to the quantum it was ancient. I only had to pay .01$ for it, but since I live in the glorious state of california they tax you on the retail price of the phone not the sale price. That would have been nice to know before hand, of course that's how they suck you in. Since it's a smart phone you need a data plan. No big deal to me I just got the cheapest one out there and mostly use the wifi, which I absolutely love. The slide out keyboard sealed the deal having already been spoiled by a full qwerty keyboard with my Blackjack II. The fn and shift buttons are a little flush with the phone as is the wake up button and camera button. I think it's ingenius. Yes it takes some getting used to but it also means that you're not pocket dialing or taking pictures of the inside of your purse. The touch screen is very responsive and I like it better than the iPhone. It doesn't have as many apps as the iPhone but I'm sure they'll come with time. I wish I could customize it more other than changing the color of the live tiles and moving them around. I don't like it that you can't get your own ringtones or that there isnt an app for it either but I'm willing to wait for that too. I don't like Zune at all. I own an ipod and find that I don't need to combine my phone with my music player. I don't use the xbox live either since I don't even have an xbox. I don't use the people tile to access my facebook. I just have it bookmarked in my browser and go to it and sign in because I don't want all the people I have on facebook somehow ending up in my contacts list. I like the IM look to the messaging, the font is a bit small and you can't text and drive which is always a plus. I wish there were more colors to change the theme too as well. Bing is ok for searching usually I am a googler. If I don't find what I'm looking for on Bing, no big deal just go to internet explorer and go to my bookmarks and viola! there is google. I've had a couple of problems with it freezing. I have yet to have to reboot it though. It gets hot quick and I have an irrational fear of it spontaneously combusting...but the keyboard outweights that so I just give it time to cool down. It's very heavy, and I feel secure in knowing that If someone tried to rob me or etc..that I could throw it at them and knock them out no problem. It has a durable feel and I like that.

Overall not everyones perfect phone. Microsoft has a wee bit of kinks to work out and they have a lot of people waiting for updates. I am happy with it and I'm sure others are too. Hey, can't please everyone.

This phone is fantastic. I switched from an iPhone 4, mainly because I could write apps for it in Silverlight (since I am a .NET developer by day). While I knew it would be limited compared to an iPhone, I was pleasantly surprised by many features that actually surpass the iPhone. The best feature of the phone, by far, is the music app. Having already had a Zune Pass subscription, being able to download entire albums for "free" (apart from my monthly subscription, that is) even over-the-air is a great feature. One thing that the iPhone does not support is the Bluetooth AVRCP profile, so after pairing the phone with my car stereo, i can turn on the car, press Play on the dash, and it starts playing music from the phone, entirely wireless, without me even taking it out of my pocket. Then, if I don't like a song, I can hit "next" on the dash and skip it. The iPhone doesn't support AVRCP, so you have to control it on the phone itself, and the quality of the iPhone audio over bluetooth is no where near the quality of this phone!

The browser is okay, but should be getting much better with the update later this year. Many sites optimized for mobile will recognize the mobile version of IE so you can use most iPhone-optimized sites.

The only complaint I have about this phone, really the ONLY one, is that the camera is awful compared to the iPhone 4, even compared to the iPhone 3GS. I was really disappointed in the camera, having been spoiled by the iPhone. However, compared to older smartphones and other Android devices, the camera is pretty good, and has an LED flash which helps. Shots outdoors in full sunlight look pretty good, but indoor shots are near worthless. Maybe a software update will help this in the future *fingers crossed*. However, it still doesn't make me wish I had the iPhone back -- the Zune app alone makes this phone killer!

just to clarify, the phone has 512mb of RAM (see data sheet on LG website), not 256mb that many websites list. its cpu and memory spec is exactly on par with Samsung Focus, the difference is Quantum has 16gb more memory built in, while Focus has 8gb plus a microsd slot (though with compatibility problems).

i bought the phone as an upgrade. at the time it cost me exactly a penny. at the time, my options were limited to ATT, which means i get to pick between samsung captivate, blackberry torch, and the 3 wp7 phones (focus, quantum and surround). i played with all these phones in stores. eventually i decided i couldn't live without GPS and a physical keyboard, so it boiled down to torch and quantum. quantum beat torch in specs, browsing experience and price.

i'll look at the hardware and software separately. first the hardware.

likes:
-solid build quality. feels very nice in hand. metal back plate. rubberized corners easy to grab
-slider is rugged
-keyboard works very well, except two keys
-separate windows button. many reviews rile this design, but since you use this key a LOT in wp7, a physical key that you can feel (and spaced away from touch screen) is much easier to use. i give LG kudos on this.
-with wifi on all the time, a lot of reading and browsing (brightness at full blast), my phone lasts a full day with juice to spare.

yikes:
-power, volume, camera keys too flush and hard to press. all of them are used often (wake up phone, switch between ringer/vibrate, camera/wake, respectively).
-i hope i can use the windows button to wake up the phone.
-yeah, a bigger fm key and caps lock key would be real nice
-camera cover glass is not flush with the back of phone, and with the metal back plate, the phone can slide around on table top.
-a bit on the heavy side

other:
-the phone does have the lowest radiation rating but i feel the phone does a bit worse picking up signals (cell or wifi). it's a trade off.

now software, and undoubtedly there's room to improve. this review is written BEFORE the first wp7 update

likes:
-UI is smooth, touch response is good
-live tile provides at a glance updates
-native integration with gmail and facebook is good
-AT&T bloatware can be removed without any hassle. YAY!

yikes:
-limited landscape support. this chips off the physical keyboard advantage.
-cannot use physical arrow keys to navigate drop down menu
-need option to place battery, wifi and signal indicators permanently on the screen. battery needs to be in % or a numeric display.
-marketplace (on the phone) SUCKS. freezes and requires phone reboot to fix. the marketplace search is a joke. (supposedly fix coming in update)
-yeah yeah, limited apps at the time
-switching between apps sometimes result in documents closed. i can live without multitasking if the apps can resume
-no sideloading, no USB mass storage mode (existing usb hack still needs zune). to be fair, zune works pretty well. i just don't like being forced to use it. if i have to use it, at least give me a freaking system wide file manager.
-no way to organize app list other than start page and alphabetical order.
-cannot import contact directly from exported files (.csv, etc). but you can do it through gmail or windows contact.
-no easy option to merge duplicate gmail/facebook/live contacts

FYI, my phone came with microsoft feedback turned off, and i have not had any phantom data problem.

android users have to wait for updates to pipe from google to phone maker to carrier to finally reach their phones. i'm hoping MSFT can work faster than that in updating wp7.

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.

The Environmental Working Group recently conducted a study of radiation levels in cell phones and blacberries (which is available in full on line), and the LG Qunatum was rated the lowest on the market for radiation, and thereby the safest.

I just got my LG Quantum. And I must say - I like it.
What I like:
Integrating my peeps: All my contacts (Facebook, Work, Personal) all merged into one place.
Integrating my calendars: I have my work calendar and my personal calendar - all in one!
Live/Hotmail is finally on the phone!: My biggest beef with previous generation Windows Phones is that I could get my Hotmail email, but couldn't get my hotmail contacts or my hotmail calendar to sync over the air. You had to plug it into the computer and sync via ActiveSync. This generation of Windows Phone fixes that - finally!
Photos: I take a picture and it automatically saves to SkyDrive!
MyPhone: I've lost my phone many times. I love that I can ring it, lock it, and even wipe it if needed - all from my computer.
Windows Home Button: Other Windows Phones have the same Windows Home button - but on the LG - it's an actual "button" that you have to press. It's a small thing - but I like it.
Keyboard: Sorry, but I just can't do the virtual keyboard thing (different strokes for different folks). I think the LG does a good job with the virtual keyboard, but I like having a physical keyboard better.
Windows Phone Homescreen: I like the interface. I like the live tiles.

What I don't like:
Having the USB charger on the side (vs. at the bottom or at the top). Just seems like a bad placement compared to previous phones I've owned.
Physical keyboard layout: I wish somebody would come up with a physical slide-out keyboard that has a layout like the Dash (or just about any blackberry).
Camera Button is a bit sensitive: More of a nit-pick. But I've gotten used to it, and have just grown accustomed to how/where to place my fingers.
Live Tiles update: I'd like to see more apps that have updates on the tiles themselves (I haven't found a good stock app that does this.
Windows Tile colors: I wish you could customize the color of each tile (vs. having them all green, all magenta, all red...)

All in all - I couldn't be more pleased. I hope Microsoft takes the feedback and updates some of the things that seem like they'd be simple software fixes. And thank you for delivering Cut & Paste!