Discount LG CU720 Shine: Raising the Bar in Elegance for Slider Phones with the LG Shine

One glance at the LG CU720 and you’d understand why it was named by LG as Shine. The Shine is a very good looking slider from LG. It has a very shiny polished-metal exterior and the design simply glitters. The whole look of the LG Shine shouts elegance and luxury. It measures in at 3.93 x 1.99 x 0.59 and weighs in at 4.23. The body is made out of stainless steel, giving it a very sturdy feel. The front of the Shine is dominated by a 2.25-inch LCD screen that is polished to mirror finished. Thanks to its 262,000 color support, images are vibrant, rich in color and detail.

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To navigate the Shine, a little metal circle acts as a joystick. However, it was much too sensitive. Aside from the joystick, you also get two soft keys that required a bit of pressure just to activate. Sliding the phone open would reveal the keypad. Overall, the keypad looks too crowded and poorly spaced. The dedicated keys for End and Send are place uncomfortably at the very top of the keypad.

Some of the advanced features of the Shine include stereo Bluetooth, voice-command technology, a Web Browser, e-mail system and even instant messaging. Unlike its predecessor, the KE970, the Shine now has quad-band support as well as HSDPA. Using the 3G connection yielded fast web browsing experience, though speed is dependent on location as well as carrier. For multimedia fans, the Shine has its own music player. However, the music player is the bare minimum. You get the traditional buttons and a few features such as music organizer. You can play MP3, WAV, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+ files. In case you run out of space, the LG Shine has a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The Shine’s built-in speaker proved to be too tinny for you to enjoy your sounds.

Built with a Schneider Kreuznach lens, the 2-megapixel camera of the Shine produces excellent images. Resolutions can go up to 1,600 x 1,200. Image quality is exceptional, with rich colors and just the right levels of saturation. However, video quality isn’t as good as the still images.

The LG Shine performed great in the call quality department. There was almost no static or hissing noise and the volume was adequate. Due to the poor quality of the speakers, the speakerphone function was mediocre. You would be better off with a stereo Bluetooth headset. Battery life isn’t spectacular, with only 3 hours of talk time and 10 hours of standby. You would probably want the phone charger in arm’s reach. All in all, the LG Shine looks like a great phone, but the many flaws might give pause.