CTIA 2009: Live Report

LG has co-operated with Swarovski to make the Crystal GD900… we’re kidding, but they could have said they did and we would´ve bought it. Unlike the PRADA II, the Crystal doesn’t feature a fashionable Italian brand name, but is a real head-turner. We can almost imagine pulling it out of our pocket, sliding it down and then everybody in the club going like “Oh my, its transparent!!!” – yes, it is transparent, the world’s first. The keyboard is eye catching, as its module is hollow – you can squeeze the soft plastic. Isn´t this too fragile we wonder? What happens if you drop it onto the dance floor?

Pretty is by no means dumb when it comes to the LG’s fashion toy. The keypad is touch sensitive: scroll on it, use it as handwriting area for text input, or slide your finger in a circular pattern to control the volume of the music player for example. Unfortunately, if you are using the touch screen to navigate with the phone open, you may accidentally press on it, so you’ll have to keep it closed when you aren´t using it.

Speaking of the screen, it won’t be boring to play with either. The GD900 features the S-Class 3D UI we first saw on the ARENA at MWC in February. It is … smooth! The new UI looks great, runs well and these transition animations are eye-catching. We like the multi-page home screen, the colorful main menu that can be displayed in both portrait and landscape mode and everything else about the phone.

LG has definitely come out with an attractive model here. It not only has an unique design, but also comes bundled with great features and UI. We are wondering if the gesture control and handwriting will turn out really usable, or just another show-off feature. We are definitely dying to test it!

LG Crystal Preliminary Specifications

The LG Banter is identical to the Rumor2 (Sprint) with minor design differences. It is a on-the-budget messaging phone and although the Rumor2 looks OK, the Banter unit we tested feels very cheap with the slider slightly wobbling while using the numeric keypad on the front. You can check our complete review on the Rumor2 here.

LG Banter Specifications










The Neon is the other LG phone that fits the pattern of the young generation (the other one being the Xenon). It is colorful, cheery and fresh and with its toy-like appearance it should appeal to younger users. Do not expect something too classy though – after all, it is supposed to come with an affordable price-tag.

We were glad to find out that the manufacturer has paid attention to the side-sliding keyboard here, alongside of what we saw on the Xenon. Opening and closing the slider feels smooth, using its keys is more comfy and they provide a better feedback.



Unfortunately, just like the European version of the device (the KS360), the touch-sensitive screen can only be used only to dial numbers, which is so not cool at all.

However, we shouldn’t expect too much from teen-oriented phones, such as the Neon and the Xenon. After all, these shouldn’t impress with an incredible feel or functionality, but reliability, and that is something we hope they are able to deliver.

LG Neon Specifications