LG Fusic LX-550 Mini-Review
These days you can never get enough features in cell phones. It sure seems like each new handset on the market has something new that then becomes the must-have thing for the next several months. The LG Fusic stakes claim to being the first clamshell flip-phone with an FM transmitter built-in. This little feature lets you listen to MP3s on any FM radio provided you tune in to the frequency used by the Fusic. In additon to the FM transmitter you get a decent quality handset that also features stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, changable faceplates, and high speed EVDO internet access. All things considered, this phone really has a ton of great features at a fair price.
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Being able to playback MP3s is nothing new to cell phones, most newer handsets can also double as basic MP3 players these days but the Fusic comes to the table with a few nice extras that make it stand out from the crowd. One nice feature is the placement of the music playback controls, right on the front of the unit. This lets you navigate your tunes without having to open the phone. The external display is bright and easy to read, even in direct sunlight.
Of course the biggest music-related feature of the LG Fusic is the FM transmitter. This little gadget lets you play your tunes back over any nearby FM radio by tuning it onto the frequency used by the Fusic. Personally I have never really been a fan of this type of connection for music playback since it is often prone to distortion and poor reception issues. Unfortunately the Fusic is no exception to this, and the FM transmitter’s performance is best described as mediocre with a very limited range. I would also only recommend the use of this feature if you have the phone plugged-in since it drains the battery quite a bit.
Although the music side of the Fusic did not really meat expectations, the rest of the phone more than made up for it. The ergonomics were solid, with easy to manipulate buttons which seem to have a almost Star Trek feel to them (LCARS anyone) and a great overall placement of the controls. My only gripe is with the internal display, which I felt could have been a bit larger. Size of the display aside, it did produce bright and clear images and was adequate for daily use.
As for voice service on this phone, Sprint provided a clear signal and voice quality was very good overall. Since I did not have the opportunity to try this phone is a low-signal area (it always seems to get almost full signal in the Boston area) I can’t really say how it handles that type of situation but based on my experience I would say this phone has better than average voice quality. Data service was also very good, and the EVDO speeds made downloading media (including some streaming video) a great experience.
One important aspect that I always look for in a phone is overall build quality. There are far too many cheap phones out there that fall about after only a few months but thankfully, the LG Fusic is not one of them. The Fusic is a great size, not too big but not so small as to be hard to use. The quality of the plastic LG used in construction is very good, and the phone has a nice smooth feel to it when you hold it. I also give LG kudos for going with the nice white cream color vs. the very overused boring black so common to phones these days. Another nice touch was the included changeable faceplates, blue, red(more pinkish than red), black, and neon green.
Something else I really liked about this phone was how fast you can navigate through the menu system. Navigation is quick and precise, with no lag whatsoever. Too many phones out there feature great looking displays but suffer from being woefully underpowered making you struggle through the menu system whenever you are in hurry. No the Fusic, everything I tried was fast and operated as expected. The built-in camera also performed well and produced decent 1.3 megapixel photos that were not bad for a cell phone camera.
As with all cell phones battery life is a top issue. I can say with certainty that the Fusic’s battery life is it’s only real drawback. Depending on which features you use, battery life can be a major problem. My girlfriend is the primary user of this phone and she quickly discovered that it needs to be charged at least once a day if you are going to be using Bluetooth or the MP3 playback even a small amount.
Overall I really like the LG Fusic for several reasons, great build quality, solid ergonomics, speedy menus, and the sheer amount of features the phone has all make for great handset. Although LG is pitching this phone as a music handset don’t let that fool you. This is a great all around phone that works great even if you never listen to music at all.
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Whats the trick or the back door to using music from my computer as a ringtone on the Fusic phone.
Sadly Pooh, you can`t ): That`s what many reviews out there sad. That`s the only down side of this phone.
*said
Actually Pooh, you can use your MP3′s as ringtones. I used a program called BitPim that allowed me to overwrite composed melodies (from the Music Composer tool) with MP3 songs. It works well but the only draw back is that it stores the MP3 overwrites on the phones memory not the memory card. I edited the MP3 songs I wanted to around 30 secs of time which was near 600kb of storage.
Google BitPim and LG Fusic and you will fine the instructions on how to do it.