LG CU720 Shine - silver (AT&T)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A. Part number: CU720SLVATT
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Though we had a few quibbles with the phone's design, overall we were pleased with the LG Shine CU720's impressive style and feature set.
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CNET editors' review
LG CU720 Shine - silver (AT&T) price range: $99.00
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 12/17/2007
- Updated on:01/16/2008
The good: The LG Shine CU720 is a very attractive slider handset with 3G support, a nice array of multimedia features, and good call quality.
The bad: The LG Shine CU720 has a tiny and very sensitive navigation joystick, plus a flat and crowded keypad.
The bottom line: Though we had a few quibbles with the phone's design, overall we were pleased with the LG Shine CU720's impressive style and feature set.
One of LG's star handsets this year was definitely the LG Shine, which debuted earlier in the year to quite a bit of fanfare. Back then, the only unit available was the LG Shine KE970, made primarily for the European and Asian market. You could get an unlocked version for the U.S., but it would cost you a pretty penny. Also, it didn't have 3G, and its features were rather underwhelming. Fast-forward several months later, and we finally have its American counterpart, the LG Shine CU720 from AT&T. Not only is it quad-band (and not tri-band like the KE970), the Shine CU720 also comes equipped with 3G support thanks to AT&T's HSDPA network, plus access to AT&T's array of broadband services like Cellular Video and Video Share. Aside from that, not much is improved--you still get many of the same features, the same flat keypad, and we didn't like the CU720's navigation joystick. But if you really must have the shiniest slider phone on the block, the LG Shine certainly fits the bill. It's available for $149.99 with a two-year service agreement.
Design
The LG Shine personifies its name perfectly. Not only does it shine, it positively gleams. It has a lovely polished-metal exterior and a downright sparkling mirror-finish display that exudes luxury and sophistication. In fact, you can use the display as a small compact mirror when the phone is in standby mode. Measuring 3.93 inches tall by 1.99 inches wide by 0.59 inch thick and weighing about 4.23 ounces, the Shine has a solid stainless steel body that makes it feel very sturdy in the hand. The Shine's slider mechanism feels solid as well, requiring a firm push so it can slide smoothly. Similarly to the KE970, however, we do wish there was some kind of thumb grip near the phone's chin to make it easier to slide open--as it is, our fingers often slipped on the phone's glossy surface instead.
If you press any button on the phone, a beautiful 2.25-inch screen will appear underneath the mirrored finish of the display. With 262,000 color support, the screen is simply gorgeous, and images are rich with detail and color. Another nice thing with the display is that it has "multi-angle vision technology" that lets you view the display from almost any angle. You can adjust the dialing font style, the brightness, and the backlight time. The menu interface is pretty simple, plus you have a choice of either icon or list menu styles.
The Shine CU720's navigation array is where the design drastically departs from the original KE970. Instead of a horizontal scroll bar, the Shine CU720 uses a navigation joystick nub, which is a tiny little spun metal circle that can rotate 360 degrees. While we weren't thrilled with the original scroll bar on the KE970, it's still better than the CU720's joystick. Not only is the joystick pretty small, it was simply way too sensitive to any slight movement we made, sometimes triggering an action we didn't want. From the standby screen, nudging the joystick to the north triggers a new text message, moving it to the east triggers the instant-messaging application, to the south it's the contacts list, and to the west it's the MyStuff folder. To the left and right of the joystick are two soft keys marked by two horizontal LEDs. We weren't fans of these keys, either, as they required quite a bit of pressure to be pressed and are flat to the phone's surface.
Once you slide the phone open, you'll reveal the Shine's Razr-like keypad, which looks the same as the one on the KE970. The Talk, Clear/Back, and End/Power keys are crammed on the top of the keypad, meaning you'll have to bump your fingers on the bottom of the slider so you can make or end calls. Also, though there are some minor texture differences between the keys, the keypad is still very flat, and feels much too crowded--we often pressed certain keys by mistake. Though the keys do have a nice give when pressed, we still wouldn't dial by feel. Those with large fingers might have an especially tough time trying to dial or text.
The Shine CU720 moved some keys around from the KE970. On the CU720, the volume rocker is on the right spine, as well as a multitasking key, and a camera shortcut key. The microSD card slot and charger/headset jack is on the left. The camera lens, flash, and self-portrait mirror sits on the back.
Features
Unlike the original Shine, the Shine CU720 packs quite a bit punch when it comes to features. For the basics, the Shine CU720 has a nice 1,000-entry contacts list with room in each entry for two numbers, an e-mail address, and a memo. You can also assign a contact to any caller group, a photo for caller ID, or one of 10 polyphonic ringtones. Other basic features include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calculator, a memo pad, a calendar, a calculator, a tip calculator, a world clock, a tasks list, a stopwatch, a unit converter, a date finder, and a d-day counter. More advanced features include voice-command support, a wireless Web browser, a voice recorder, e-mail, instant messaging (supports AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo messaging services), a speakerphone, and stereo Bluetooth.
The quad-band and 3G support on the LG Shine CU720 is really what makes this so much better than the original KE970. It works worldwide and is compatible with AT&T's high-speed HSDPA network, allowing it access to AT&T's broadband services. They include AT&T's Cellular Video, which lets you watch streaming video clips from sources like CNN and ESPN, as well as AT&T's Mobile Music service that lets you download or stream songs from either Napster or Emusic, provided you have an existing account. The LG Shine is also compatible with AT&T's Video Share service that lets you stream live one-way video during a mobile-to-mobile call (provided the other phone is also compatible with AT&T's Video Share). Other Internet applications include MobiTV, which lets you stream live TV, and MySpace Mobile, which provides instant access to the popular social-networking site.
Going along with the aforementioned AT&T Mobile Music service is a built-in music player. The music player has a fairly generic interface, with the typical player controls, a repeat and shuffle mode, and the ability to organize music with playlists and categories like albums and artists. The music player supports MP3, WAV, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+ files, and you can transfer them to the phone via a simple USB cable without any software. The LG Shine comes with a microSD card slot, so adding more storage for music shouldn't be a problem. Alternately, you can use AT&T's Mobile Music to download songs. Included with the music bundle is Music ID (a song identification service), XM Radio Mobile (which streams satellite radio from XM if you have an account), the ability to stream music videos, a newsletter about the music industry from Billboard, and access to a music fan community.
The LG Shine CU720 comes armed with the same Schneider Kreuznach lens and autofocus 2.0-megapixel camera as the KE970, which we loved. It is definitely a fabulous camera, with great photo quality. Camera options include a range of resolutions, from 1,600x1,200 to 320x240 pixels. Other camera settings include a self-timer, three quality modes, four color effects, white balance settings, shutter sounds, and a multishot mode. There's also an included camcorder that shoots videos in two resolutions (128x96 and 176x144). The camcorder's editing options are similar to the still camera; plus you can use the zoom. Multimedia message video clips are limited to eight seconds, but otherwise you can shoot as much as available memory permits. Video quality wasn't great, but photo quality was fantastic, with sharp images, crisp detail, and rich colors.
You can personalize the Shine in a number of ways. It comes with an array of wallpaper, color schemes, clock and calendar formats, and alert tones. You can download more graphics and ringtones if you wish. The LG Shine CU720 comes with a few applications like Mobile Banking and My-Cast 5 Weather, as well as a few games like Diner Dash, Midnight Bowling, Pac-Man, and Tetris. Similarly, you can download and purchase more applications or games via the Shine's browser.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) LG Shine CU720 in San Francisco using AT&T's service. Call quality was very good, with little to no static, and a good amount of volume. Callers heard us loud and clear as well, though quality did suffer a little bit in a windier area. Speakerphone calls didn't do as well, due to a slightly muffled and tinny sound emitting from the phone's speakers. Callers said that they couldn't hear us as well, either. We managed to pair the LG Shine CU720 with the Cardo
S-2 Bluetooth headset with great results--both calls and music sounded just fine.
Speaking of audio quality, we were satisfied with the MP3s we heard from the Shine's music player. Though the tinny speakers on the LG Shine didn't do the songs justice, the aforementioned headset delivered good, crisp sound. The streaming video quality from AT&T's Cellular Video didn't do so well, though. The videos look horribly compressed with a lot of pixelation and jerky movements--we could hardly read the text on the screen half the time. That said, streaming video had little to no rebuffering time, and downloads were quite fast. We managed to download a game in just a few seconds.
The LG Shine CU720 has a rated talk time of three hours and a promised standby time of 10 days. Our tests revealed a talk time of 3 hours and 41 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the LG Shine CU720 has a digital SAR rating of 1.14 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Beautiful phone, however, completely impractical
by unrittenglory on January 9, 2008
Pros: stylish, nice features, good camera, personalize ringtones
Cons: poor reception, joystick delays, low quality speakerphone, ringtone volume varies
Summary: Sleek and Stylish, I was in awe when I took my Shine home on the first day. After three days of fiddling with it's various features I was pleased ...
Summary: Sleek and Stylish, I was in awe when I took my Shine home on the first day. After three days of fiddling with it's various features I was pleased with the camera, the ability to customize ringtones and upload my own for contacts, and the added bonus of assigning pictures to callers.
After about a week of owning the phone I noticed that a lot of my calls were being dropped, a problem I hadn't experienced often since switching from Verizon. My 2 year old Nokia always had great reception with AT&T and if the occassional instance arose, it would notify me with an alert tone that my call was dropped. The LG Shine does not, and I find that, in an area where I have full bar signal, upon taking the call I will go to no bars instantly.
After a few days of frustration, I googled reception problems on the phone and found that other owners had similar issues. They indicate that the steel casing on the back of the phone is to blame and that when holding the back of the phone, calls can become lost. Unfortunately, picking up the phone, unless you are using the speaker is kind of a no-brainer.
I wish that I wasn't experiencing so many issues with the Shine, since it is an otherwise gorgeous phone.
In addition to reception issues that I didn't have prior to ownership, I find that the phone's joystick is delayed and hard to navigate. Beware if you're a fingernail biter, the slot to charge your phone may cause you to look for small objects to pop up the cover as I often must do. Besides that, it's only a matter of time before the thing breaks off entirely.
If it wasn't for my reception issues I'd probably suck it up and keep the device but because of AT&T's 30 day guarantee, I'll be looking for another.15 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Handsome and sleek -- but I returned it.
by danieljstark on January 10, 2008
Pros: Stylish phone. Volume good.
Cons: Routinely drops signal. Heavy. Hard to navigate.
Summary: Stylish phone with a 2.0 megapixl camera. I'm hard of hearing, so I wanted a phone that had enough volume so that I could hear it without having ...
Summary: Stylish phone with a 2.0 megapixl camera. I'm hard of hearing, so I wanted a phone that had enough volume so that I could hear it without having to turn on the speaker phone and let everyone in the area hear what I heard (my wife's Motorola Razr wasn't loud enough). The button to navigate between functions is too small and very difficult to use. It routinely dropped ATT's signal while other ATT phones in the car with me did not have any problem acquiring or keeping a strong signal. I turned it in for a Nokia N75 which is much less stylish, but is much more user-friendly (and which -- so far -- seems to work fine).
6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Looks good but not thoughtfully designed
by sansan33431 on July 15, 2008
Pros: Shiny, nice screen, good camera
Cons: Bluetooth issues, no bulk select, joystick, camera in low light, volume, battery
Summary: I was so excited to get this phone, but after a week, I am very let down. The volume is very low, ringer and speaker. On speaker phone, the sound ...
Summary: I was so excited to get this phone, but after a week, I am very let down. The volume is very low, ringer and speaker. On speaker phone, the sound quality is very poor. You can not connect to your PC via bluetooth and send files. There is no software to support bluetooth a connection either. The camera takes nice pictures if the lighting is just right, but after an evening where I took about hundred photos, not one of them came out, even with the flash and other settings.
Since I couldn't send the photos via bluetooth to my computer, I had to save all the photos onto my micro card, put them into my Samsung Sync (previous phone) to upload, which took me over an hour because there is no way to select multiple items and transfer them all at once like there was in my razor and sync.
My problem with the joy stick isn't that it moves too quickly, it's that it's too large to use with your finger tip and too small to use by pushing your fingers on it's side. You have to slide your fingernail behind it, which makes it impossible to use the phone with one hand.
There are also a few other little annoyances. For example, If you use the buttons on the front of the phone to select a caller, you have to open the phone to hit the green or red buttons. If you use the buttons on the inside of the phone, you have to use the ones on the front to make changes. Jumping from the bottom to the top is annoying.
Again, I was very excited to have the newest, coolest phone, but I'm sending it back. The Sync and Walkman, though not as cool looking, are both far better phones for design and features.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Beautiful phone but horrible reception
by twiggbert on March 4, 2008
Pros: Bright and beautiful screen
Cons: Terrible reception and call quality
Summary: I purchased this phone and returned it a month later. The phone itself was beautiful and I liked the slider mechanism. The only reason I got rid of the phone ...
Summary: I purchased this phone and returned it a month later. The phone itself was beautiful and I liked the slider mechanism. The only reason I got rid of the phone was because I got a terrible signal. Half the time the phone wouldn't even ring, even if I had a decent signal. I ended up trading it in for the Sony Walkman and have great service with that phone.
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Get your Shine on!
by cosmoler on November 28, 2007
Pros: , Sleek design, camera, slider
Cons: , battery life
Summary: Great quality phone packaged in a super modern design, very uptodate! The shine definitely makes you look cool that's for sure.
Best features:
-sleek minimalist design
-Slider is very ...Summary: Great quality phone packaged in a super modern design, very uptodate! The shine definitely makes you look cool that's for sure.
Best features:
-sleek minimalist design
-Slider is very nice
-Camera works very well
-Metal body
-MobiTV
Cons:
-Battery life5 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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awsome phone.. but scratches easy!
by bazleboy on June 19, 2008
Pros: Sweet design
Cons: bad scratches
Summary: This is an awsome sleek phone, but with its brush meatal finish it tends to get alot of scratches that make it look bad. So i went to PHANTOMSKINZ.COM ...
Summary: This is an awsome sleek phone, but with its brush meatal finish it tends to get alot of scratches that make it look bad. So i went to PHANTOMSKINZ.COM and got a protective film for it. it fits great and you cant tell its even there. it wont scratch!! Anyone that is intrested in protecting their device should check it out!!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This Shine makes me shine!
by mecapot on November 28, 2007
Pros: slider, design, metal body, camera, mobiTV
Cons: louder ringtones
Summary: The combination of a super sleek design with a great quality phone make the Shine a winner phone in my opinion.
Pros:
Slider is very smooth and sturdy
Design is ...Summary: The combination of a super sleek design with a great quality phone make the Shine a winner phone in my opinion.
Pros:
Slider is very smooth and sturdy
Design is so sleek
Full metal body gives this phone a solid high quality designer feel
Camera with flash takes great pictures
2.2� Wide Mirror LCD is unique
MobiTV works great
Cons:
louder ringtones4 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I love this phone
by rat8484 on June 25, 2008
Pros: Excellent display and slider feature
Cons: small keyboard and the joy stick control is little different
Summary: Overall I am very happy with this phone, it has very good battery life and feels real good in your hand. It feels and looks like a quality product. The ...
Summary: Overall I am very happy with this phone, it has very good battery life and feels real good in your hand. It feels and looks like a quality product. The sound is clear and not to low or loud. The keyboard is a little small but that ok to me. I am not big into texting allot. The joystick takes some getting used to, but once you do it not a problem. The camera takes nice pictures too. I am glad that I bought this phone and would do it again.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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difficult to use controller, call hearing is like you are in a can,
by cwskinner on March 10, 2008
Pros: looks good idea is good but
Cons: flash is useless, must go to menu ever time you wish to use it, sucks.
Summary: This is a poorly conceived phone, looks are great but touchy, clumsy and the camera that seems like it should be able to be used in those in the moment ...
Summary: This is a poorly conceived phone, looks are great but touchy, clumsy and the camera that seems like it should be able to be used in those in the moment shots is totally useless, you are better to draw a picture. When you go to flash in menu and click how the flash should opperate such as automatic, it is deleted when you power down the camera, the next time it'spowered up you have togo to menu all over again.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The LG shine is very attractive
by tracky40 on February 1, 2008
Pros: It has very good reception and voice quality
Cons: very small joystick, using it becomes very irritaging and repetitive
Summary: Over all I am very happy with the LG Shine. It's very sturdy, cute, filled with alot of features I'm still learning and the Silver has a very ...
Summary: Over all I am very happy with the LG Shine. It's very sturdy, cute, filled with alot of features I'm still learning and the Silver has a very professional look. Finally a cell phone that looks and feels like a high powered product and not a toy.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Part number: CU720SLVATT
- Description: For those that were born to shine, LG has created the perfect blend of minimalist design and maximum functionality. Shine, when idle, has a unique, reflective mirror finish, but once active, the screen comes alive and is viewable from all angles. Within the elegant stainless steel body, Shine packs in a music player, a 2.0 megapixel camera, video share and Bluetooth capabilities, plus a full array of messaging options, and much, much more. Everything you need in a visually captivating phone - Shine by LG will make you shine.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider AT&T
- Width 2 in
- Depth 0.6 in
- Height 3.9 in
- Weight 4.2 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
- Phone Design Slider
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features microSD card slot, 2.5 mm headset jack
Communicator Features
- User Memory 70 MB
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Messaging Services Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger Service (AIM), Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger)
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- JAVA applications Yes
- HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, Multimedia messages (MMS)
Multimedia Features
- Downloadable Content Ring tones, Wallpapers
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 2 megapixels
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Display Resolution 240 x 320 pixels
- Diagonal Size 2.2 in
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
- Features Wallpaper
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, MP3, WAV
Memory
- Internal Shared Memory Yes
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Battery, Compact wall charger
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Talk Time Up to 180 min
- Standby Time Up to 240 h
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Details 1 year limited warranty
Product series
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Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band), Up to 160 min, 4.2 oz
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LG CU720 Shine - silver (AT&T)
Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 180 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.2 oz
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Manufacturer: LG Electronics U.S.A.
Specs: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Up to 180 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.2 oz
Accessories
- A-Data Speedy Series flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33795596)8.99
- ATP SD Trio Professional PLUS card adapter - flash: microSD - Hi-Speed USB (32128464)17.00
- Centon 2GBRSD3-1 - flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33503634)11.84 - 13.29
- Centon flash memory card - 4 GB - microSD (33362243)16.74 - 70.99
Manufacturer info
- LG Electronics U.S.A.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse LG Electronics U.S.A. products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://us.lge.com/
- Address:
1000 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
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