LG KS360 review: Of teens and twitters

LG KS360 is a mid-ranger that will easily catch your eye with bold colors and quirky controls. LG have managed to create a handset that's cunningly full of character, though it's kinda hard to think of it in the hands of a grown-up. It does seem like a toy at first glance and those color combos are to die for if you are of certain age and attitude.

Yet quite unexpectedly, LG KS360 is quick to serve a bunch of nice features such as a large and vivid 2.4-inch display, full QWERTY keyboard, a 2 megapixel snapper and… believe it or not… a wee tot of touchscreen.

This midrange phone isn't exactly hard to keep your cool about and the flashy paintjobs don't help much either. But we were pleasantly surprised by the ergonomics and performance of the KS360. So while we gear up to put the LG KS360 through its paces, you better get yourself ready to be surprised too.

LG KS360 official photos

The LG KS360 will be available in several color combinations, some of which will be exclusive to various carriers - the full list of color options includes Black and red, Black and silver, White and soft pink, and Titanium and bright blue.

Key features

• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Large 2.4" TFT display of QVGA resolution
• Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard with screen rotation
• Touchscreen dialing
• 2 megapixel camera
• Stereo Bluetooth
• FM radio
• microSD memory card slot (up to 4GB)
• Threaded SMS
• Attractive 3D image gallery
• Office document viewer

Main disadvantages

• No UMTS support
• No camera autofocus
• Poor video recording resolution (fit for MMS only)
• Awkward file manager - no user-created folders
• Uncomfortable phonebook (takes two clicks to get to the contacts list)
• No smart dialing
• The FM radio lacks RDS and cannot play in the background
• Poor web browser and basic music player

The young and texting-savvy are two obvious targets of the slide-out QWERTY KS360. And while 18+ is not very likely, bill payers are given some sort of say with pay-as-you-go. The manufacturer is teaming up with operators such as Orange to offer the devices with the added value of free messages and free access to social community websites such as MySpace, Bebo, and FaceBook on Pay-as-you-go basis.

Currently the handset can be found for around 80 GBP (140 US dollars or 99 euro) at Orange UK (the pink color version is one of their exclusive deals too). So if you are looking for a LG KS360, we guess your carrier's retail stores are the place to start.

The unusual form factor puts the LG KS360 into a really narrow market segment currently cornered by the T-Mobile Sidekick family (the Sidekick Slide - a joint effort of Danger and Motorola - being the recent model at T-Mobile UK).

What both devices have in common are lively colors, QWERTY keypad and the young targeting, but with a decisive difference. T-Mobile is offering the Sidekick only on a Pay-monthly basis, while the KS360 is available on Pay-as-you-go. Additionally, the Sidekick Slide is way larger and heavier than the LG KS360.

Two of the LG KS360 color versions

That said, the KS360 probably has solid chances of market success for being adequately equipped and quite properly focused. It's also a nice performer, as you are about to find out. Join us after this very small jump as we explore the looks and feel of LG KS360.