My cell phone is about to go to cell phone heaven. I think I want an LG Shine. I’m eligible for an upgrade with AT&T, so I can get one for $10.
I like that it’s slim (unlike my current phone). The only thing I’m concerned about is its durability. I used to have a Razr, which I loved, but it died right after the warranty expired, but before I was eligible to get a new phone for less than $80. At no time in the near future do I plan on having a spare $80, so I need something that will last me at least 1.5 years.
I’ve read a bunch of reviews online, and some say it is sturdily built (I believe most of it is metal.) while others say the screen is very fragile. I couldn’t care less about it getting scratched up - I just don’t want it breaking just from being in my purse.
I have the red LG shine. I got it only a few weeks after it launched, so it’s been a while. That said, I love it. I have had to no issues with it other than getting used to the “joystick” feature which is a little sensitive. Once you get that down, it’s been a breeze. It isn’t a shiny as it appears in the commercials, but it is a sturdy, well-made phone that I have been really happy with.
I don’t personally have one, but a friend of mine has one, and loves it. She has given it “normal” wear and tear (dropping it a few times, etc), and hasn’t had a problem.
Could you buy phone insurance on it? I have that on mine, and it is usually relatively cheap (like 5-10 dollars a month). That way if it does break, you should be covered.
I’ve had one since last July or so. It’s got a couple of small scratches from bouncing off the sidewalk a few times, but otherwise it’s fine, as far as durability is concerned.
I only have one or two caveats, unrelated to durability:
Its texting is less than stellar. It takes too many keystrokes to get to the point of actually entering text, the symbols menu is awkward to use, the interface for the T9 dictionary is frustrating, switching between T9, tap-text, and numeral input is not as quick as I’d like, and there’s no workaround for the SMS message length limit, so if you go over you have to send what you have and then go through all the steps to begin another message. I text waaaay less with my shine than I did with my last phone, because it’s a bit of a pain in the ass. So consider that if texting is important to you.
Also, the camera function has something annoying – you have to save each picture after you click it. Several times I’ve wanted a quick picture of something, put it in camera mode, press “take picture,” hear the “shutter” sound that says “Yay, you took a picture,” then snap my phone closed and swear when I get home and realize that I forgot to press “Save picture.” I imagine you’d get used to this if you used it a lot.
In general, I’m a little dissatisfied with the user interface, but otherwise it’s a fine phone.
I love mine and I drop it all the time. The back pops off but the battery has only come off once (during a particularly hard drop) but since yours is new IMMEDIATELY get yourself a little sleeve or something to keep in in so the mirror stays shiny. I wish I had done that with mine. It is full of little scratches now.
