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Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

Summary: LG has a pair of smartphones set to run on Windows Phone 7, but the only one headed to the United States is the LG Quantum. Here's our initial hands-on review.

Rachel King

By for The ToyBox |

LG has a pair of smartphones set to run on Windows Phone 7, but the only one headed to the United States is the LG Quantum. Here's our initial hands-on review.

The Quantum takes a stand as it is the only Windows Phone 7-based device with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. The keypad doesn't slide out as fast as lightning, but hopefully it is only sluggish when first out of the box.

Typing on this keypad is much easier than others given the large frame of the phone to start with. (For reference, the Quantum sports a 3.5-inch display.) The only commonly-overheard complaints with the Quantum's keypad was the odd Shift key and the lower placement of the Delete key (where you'd normally find the Return button, which is now a bit lower than usual too).

[Image Gallery: Hands-on with the Windows Phone 7 smartphone collection]

The DNLA-enabled LG Quantum has a slightly different design on the bottom. Most of the WP7 mobile devices are operated by the touch screen only, with a few buttons on the side. The Quantum has a distinctive home button at the very bottom, which isn't really a good or bad thing. It just is, and maybe that will be more appealing to certain consumers, but I can't see it being annoying.

As far as the operating system goes, all of the loveliness and few qualms that exists with WP7 are fairly standard across the board. Beautiful interface, fast loading (with few exceptions), a bit clunky on the home screen but still a revolutionary user experience over all.

AT&T will start shipping the LG Quantum this November for $199 on contract.

Topics: AT&T, Hardware

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8 comments
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  • RE: Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

    It would be nice get a bit more insight as to how the PlayTo capability works. I can see this being ideal for quickly sharing recent photos in a family room setting.
    USArcher
    Reply Vote

  • Let's hope they can generate a positive margin

    On these devices, or we may see LG leave the sector within a fiscal year.
    matthew_maurice
    Reply Vote

  • Could you explain just one point, please.

    What did you mean by a "revolutionary user experience"? Was that in reference to a prior Win 6.5 mobile experience? Or was that simply your word substitute for "magical".
    kenosha77a
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

    It's not a "full" QWERTY keyboard for me unless it has a row of number keys across the top.
    wwcarley
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

    This phone is not perfect but to make the windows phone the best phone ever:

    It must tether or act as a wifi hotspot. Must.

    When plugged into the computer, it should work as a remote control for the Zune program running on the computer.

    It must be easier to get office files on and off of it? It used to be that I could copy them directly to the micro-ssd? but that is not possible now.

    Also, I should be able to upgrade the internal memory when I can afford it by replacing the ssd? why not?
    oKing4
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

    The number of alert sounds are too limited. Beyond that, I need to be able to assign ?sound profiles? so that I can assign sounds to situations. I like to have one for each of these times: A normal profile, when I am asleep, one for being quite, and a last one for being silent. Currently, this phone only allows a volume slider, but no alert is appropriate for all situations. Here is a redesign for you: Change the slider to only 5 steps. Each step gets a default volume and alert that would be appropriate for these different environments with different noise level. You can have 5 or so alerts for each of the 5 groups. In the ?Noisy Places? environment, you can suggest more crazy alerts. In the ?bedtime? environment, you can suggest more pleasant alerts. Etc. If you really want to kick it up a notch, then have the volume level set only in a fuzzy way so that when the phone send an alert, the phone compensates for the ambient noise that it can hear with its mic, but if no-one answers the alert, the volume escalates. That would be sweet.
    oKing4
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

    I should be able to use any app on the phone independent of what else is going on with the phone? other than talking on a call. If this is to work, a hard button on the outside of the phone must be able to pause and resume the player, and maybe a second to switch from the ?player screen?, the ?phone screen?, and the ?front screen? (being that the ?front screen? is either the app chooser or the current app). Again, sweet.
    oKing4
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Hands-on review: AT&T's LG Quantum

    This phone's biggest problem is that it is far too fragile. I had one and accidently dropped it only a few inches and the screen shattered.
    robedw_y2k@...
    Reply Vote
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