Review of Reviews LG Incite CT810 (AT&T) Review

By Contributor Wireless and Mobile News on January 7, 2009 10:37 AM

LG Incite (AT&T) Rated 3.5 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile News Review of Reviews

The LG Incite is a touchscreen smartphone that has many more features than the popular LG Vu but is as shiny as the LG Shine. The best capabilities of the LG Incite, according to reviewers, are fast 3G access, Wi-Fi, external microSD slot, standard headphone jack and good call quality. Reviewers noted that the web browsing on WAP sites was fine, the auto-rotate for portrait/landscape was sluggish, and the mirror-like finish was so shiny it showed smudges.

The LG Incite packs the power of a business smartphone using the Windows Mobile operating system. You can sync your calendar and contacts from your PC in Microsoft Outlook and copy/paste, view or edit Microsoft Word files (these functions are not possible in the LG Vu.) It has email capabilities and handwriting recognition via a finger or stylus. Other neat features include voice dialing, voice commands and built-in FM radio.

Reviewers wrote that the onscreen keyboard works, but takes up most of the touchscreen. The multimedia functions of the LG Incite were not rated highly, with dim photos/video and music playing not as good as an MP3 player.

The LG Incite has been temporarily out of stock for the past few weeks online at the AT&T Store. We think it has to do with the excellent value because AT&T is selling the LG Incite for $99 after a rebate with a contract. When you add the Wireless and Mobile News' $50 Off on AT&T phones or accessories with a plan "online coupon-link" that would bring the price of the LG Incite down to $50 much cheaper than most other full-featured smartphones. If you require a lot of data input or typing the LG Incite may not the best choice. If you don't need the super-slickness of the iPhone, the LG Incite may give you the insight you need from a smartphone.

To see summaries of the reviews we reviewed continue reading.

Nicole Lee at CNET rated the LG Incite 3.5 out 5. She liked the features of this Windows Mobile smartphone that inlcude MS Active Sync, Micrsoft Office Mobile, 3 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, high speed HSPDA 3G connections and good call quality. She didn't like the sluggish performance, too reflective surface and touchscreen functionality (which doesn't have a built-in stylus.) The entire phone has mirror-like finish therefore it shows smudges. The 3 inch 240x400 touchscreen, due to the shiny surface, is hard to see in direct sunlight. The accelerometer for automatic portrait/landscape changes was slow. In portrait mode the keyboard is SureType and has two letters to a key, while in landscape mode there is a full QWERTY keyboard which takes up almost all of the screen. The User-Interface lacks the ability to drag and drop icons. She liked the standard 3.5mm headset jack. The web browsing wasn't as full of multi-touch as the iPhone. It can accept up to 32 GB of microSD and as an FM radio built-in. Photo quality was disappointing and music playing was decent but not as good as an MP3 player.

Jamie Lendino at PC Mag rated the LG Incite 3 out of 5 calling it attractive but sluggish with an obstinate touchscreen and sloppy software design. He did like the design, good voice quality, eternal MircoSD slot, 3G and solid batterylife. He called the touchscreen dim, camera poor, and music playback buggy. He wrote "nothing distguishes from the competition." Typing on the touchscreen keyboards was passable. The acclerometer was slow. The LG Incite comes with a stylus but no where to keep it. The speakerphone didn't work well outdoors. The LG Incite it paired easily with a Bluetooth headset. The camera lacks a flash and took dim photos and video files. Web browsing was fine for WAP websites only. The Windows Media Player had to be controlled with the stylus. The only thing the Incite has over the iPhone is that you can edit MS Word documents and other MS Office files.

Noah at Phone Dog while operating the LG Incite showed some lag, handwriting recognition worked with his fingers, the keyboard worked well although it's small takes up most of the screen. He suggests that it is not a good choice for heavy email user. He likes the integrated headphone jack. He found the touchscreen to be pretty responsive. It's about the same size and shape as the LG Vu and al little bigger than the LG Dare. It's pocketable for the less power hungry more into multimedia Windows Mobile user.

LG Incite Specs:

Camera: Camera Resolution 3 megapixels Live Video Capture and Playback

Music: Music Player Windows Media Player Mobile 10 Supported Music Formats MP3 +AAC + eAAC+. EAAC+ WMA, WAV AT&T Mobile Music Streaming Radio XM Satellite Radio, Pandora Built-in FM Radio Customizable Equalizer MusicID - Identify songs you're listening to Create Music Playlists

Messaging

Text Messaging Insert pictures, video clips and sound clips easily Instant Messaging (IM) AOL®, Yahoo!®, & Windows Live Messenger® Video Share - share live streaming video with friends & family Email Mobile Email Xpress Mail - access work and personal email, including Microsoft® Outlook, Lotus® Notes®, Yahoo! Mail®, AOL®, Windows Live™ and more Microsoft Direct Push Good™ Mobile Messaging

Video & Web Web browser MEdia Net for wireless internet access CV - news, sports, weather, entertainment and more Media Mall Ringtones MP3 Answer Tones - have your friends hear your favorite song or funny phrase when they call you Cool Tools XM Radio + People + Mobile Banking + My Cast Games Ms. Pac-man, Sudoku, BlockBreaker Deluxe Graphics Choose from your favorite music artists, celebrities, sports heroes, and more Themes Wallpaper, background, custom menus/popups, icons and more

Productivity Calendar, Alarm clock, Call waiting, Caller ID, Personal Organizer Address book Call Forwarding Multitasking Use voice and data simultaneously

Extras: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g 3G high-speed data and voice World Phone Quad-band Bluetooth wireless connectivity USB connectivity USB Cable Included Hands-free speakerphone Voice dialing and voice commands.