Review: LG Rumor Touch
As a strict improvement over the LG Rumor2, the LG Rumor Touch offers significant benefits, including faster networking, a larger keyboard and better social networking support built in. But it still falls behind with a lackluster, and occasionally frustrating interface design. The addition of a sub-par, unresponsive touchscreen didn't help matters, and much of the long, list-based menus and tiny buttons were more difficult to use because of it. Worst of all, the new interface still doesn't live up to the Sprint One Click interface that you'll find on a phone like the Samsung Exclaim, without the bother of the touchscreen.
That isn't to say there's nothing to recommend the LG Rumor Touch. The phone does a fine job handling calls and contacts, at least better than most feature phones, and the contact list acts as a nice jumping off point for the rest of the phone's features, including messaging, calling and even GPS navigation. The music player is simple, but the hardware is solid, and you can use high capacity memory cards as well as your own headphones, which means the Rumor Touch has some potential. I was even impressed by the new Social Zone software, which gives some proper respect to social networking communities that I haven't seen represented elsewhere.
So, the LG Rumor Touch is a better than average quick messaging device. It won't replace a smartphone, but it doesn't require a smartphone data plan, either. I'd be happier to see this phone polished up a bit without the touchscreen; maybe stock a better camera and Web browser instead. At launch, I'd still check out other QWERTY devices that use Sprint's One Click interface, but when this phone is eventually free with a contract, it will be a better deal.
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LG Rumor Touch / Banter Touch
