If only looks could matter



Not all manufacturers are innovators of style. Ever since it launched the Chocolate a year ago, LG has been on to something, and that something is its new classy mobile line-up, of which the Black Label Series KE970 (a.k.a. Shine) is what we got to lay our hands on.

Encased in a full-metallic body with a rich brush finish, the KE970 is as rugged as a tank. It is wider than most mobiles. The highlight here is its 2.2-inch LCD, which not only looks good while it is on, but doubles up as a mirror when not lit up!

The keys offer good tactile feedback. LG has introduced the rolling scroll button for the first time, but we found it rather inconvenient: it is very frustrating to keep scrolling through long lists and Web pages. Probably because of the scroller, the UI is vertical menu-based rather than icon-based—rather unintuitive.

The Shine has an excellent 2.0 MP camera with autofocus. It is certified by Schneider Kreuznach, the German company that certifies photo-optics. The camera does live up to its hype, and is one of the best we have seen thus far. You can choose from a host of different resolutions and there are five white balance settings, along with a few artistic effects. The camera is a bit sluggish, though.

The media player is decent. Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP support—wirefree stereo music on a supported headset. There is support to view most common office formats, but the internal memory is just 50 MB, and you’ll need to use the microSD slot to add more—irritatingly, it’s not hot-swappable. Lost Mobile Track (LMT) function is inbuilt to allow you to trace the phone in case you lose it.

We found the call quality decent, the KE970 is weaker at signal reception than most phones we have seen. You can’t make a call or even send a message when the phone is connected to the PC.

To sum it up, the LG Black Label KE970 is über-high on style, but there are certain issues that need to be addressed. The price tag of Rs 19,000 is a little too much—there are better deals out there.

Specifications
GSM 900/GSM 1800/GSM 1900; Display: 2.2-inch with mirror finish; 240 x 320; 256K colours; Camera: 2.0 MP, autofocus, flash; Memory: 50 MB internal, microSD; Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP, USB; Weight: 118 g; Dimensions: 99.8 (H) x 50.6 (W) x 13.8 (D) mm; Accessories: Charger, USB cable, stereo handsfree, lanyard

Contact : LG Electronics India P. Ltd
Phone : +91-9899302514
E-mail : viveksingh@lgindia.com
Web site : www.lgezbuy.com
Price : Rs 12,990