LG's KE770 looks nice, but we needed to know if it could perform so we took it for a spin.
THE latest addition to LG¡¦s Shine family, the KE770, is a slim candy bar phone measuring only 10mm in depth.
As with all Shines, this model ships in a full metal housing with rounded edges as well as a screen that doubles as a mirror when its display switches off.
The phone comes with a nice chrome-plated and blue backlit keypad which provides sufficient tactile feedback.
However, just like any other gloss-finished product, the KE770¡¦s screen and body tends to attract smudges and fingerprints.
The Shine has all its quick access and shortcut buttons ¡V which let you access the MP3 player, camera, volume controls as well as power switch ¡V bunched on its right side.
The KE770 uses a single proprietary port, also located on the right side, for all its data and audio out connections as well as to charge its battery.
Other features include a 1.7in TFT 262,000 colour screen; basic PIM functions, including a calendar, calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch and an easy to manage phone book, as well as Bluetooth connectivity with A2DP support.
Additionally, there is also a built-in document viewer for users to read their Word and PDF files while on the move.
We found that the KE770 to be quite a delicate device: Perhaps best suited for gentler feminine hands.
It is small, thin and light ¡V attributes that most female users often look for in a mobile phone.
Additionally, its screen¡¦s shiny, mirror effect, we feel, deprives it of some machismo. :)
Sound and picture
KE770 comes with built-in music and video players that support various file formats such as, MP3, AAC, AMR, WAV, 3GP and MPEG4.
You can also view JPEG, BMP, GIF, WBMP and PNG still images on it.
However, the phone does not come with an FM tuner.
As mentioned earlier, the KE770 only offers a proprietary port for audio output, and it comes bundled with a special wired remote control as well as standard earphones.
You connect the remote control to the port and then, plug in the earphone to its standard audio jack. This means you can also connect a better pair of earphones or headphones to it.
alternatively, since the KE770 also supports A2DP, users can also connect Bluetooth headphones.
Unfortunately, when we tried pairing the new Motorola S9 Bluetooth headset, it failed as the phone refused to recognise the device.
We have no problems establishing a connection between the headset and other phones. There is also nothing in the manual to help us resolve this issue.
Camera
Moving on, its 2-megapixel camera allows users to take still photos at up to 1,600 x 1,200pixels while video can be captured at up to 176 x 144pixel resolution.
Here, users can tinker with the LED flash, self-timer, a digital zoom and its shooting modes (night, macro and multi shot).
In still mode, what you get is a clear albeit slightly washed out image in a bright environment and poor picture quality under dim lighting.
In short, the KE770 only offers picture quality at par with most other camera phones in the market.
There is no need to worry about storage space as the KE770 comes with an ample 70MB of usable memory onboard for all your multimedia and messaging needs.
Additionally, you can even expand the space further by inserting a TransFlash memory card (a 128MB card is included).
The phone can go on up to four days of normal usage on a single charge, which in our view is quite good.
SMS tracker
The KE770 comes with an interesting feature, the Lost Mobile Track (LMT) which we think is really cool.
It is a security feature that you can use to try and retrieve the phone if you¡¦ve lost it.
It¡¦s quite easy to use: Set a password, enter two phone numbers (either a second line or that of a friend or family member) and activate the function.
Whenever an unauthorised user inserts a new SIM card to replace the original SIM card that was set with the LMT, the phone will automatically send an SMS every 12 hours to the predefined numbers without the unauthorised user¡¦s knowledge.
The SMS will state the new SIM card¡¦s phone number and IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) ¡V a number unique to every GSM and UMTS mobile phone.
You can probably call the person asking him or her to return the phone or if he or she refuses, call the service provider for assistance by providing that unauthorised user¡¦s number and your phone¡¦s IMEI.
Conclusion
The KE770 provides all the essential functions that most users will likely use but it might just prove to be a little too basic.
But its slim, stylish and shiny profile never fails to attract attention so if looks are more important than functionality, and you have the cash to splash, consider the KE770.
Pros: Nice slim design; Lost Mobile Tracker feature; long battery life.
Cons: Very basic functions; A2DP failed to connect to our headset.
++++
KE770 Shine Bar (
LG Electronics)
Triband/EDGE candy bar phone
Camera: 2.0-megapixels
Screen: 1.7in TFT 262k Colour Screen with mirror effect (176 x 220pixel)
Messaging: MMS, EMS, SMS, IMAP4, POP3, E-mail
Connectivity: Bluetooth (with A2DP profile), EDGE, GPRS, mini USB
Phone memory: 50MB
Expansion slot: MicroSD
Battery type: Li-ion 800mAh
Standby/talk time: 200/2.5hours
Other features: Full metal body, multimedia players, document viewer, Java applications and voice memo.
Weight: 79g
Dimensions: 105 x 46 x 10mm
Price: RM849
Website: http://my.lge.com
