We scooped the first LG Cookie Fresh GS290 photos back in February, and we’ve now nabbed a finished version of the touchscreen phone for a first UK review. Is this an affordable, finger friendly blower, or does it simply show its cheapness? Read on and find out in our full LG Cookie Fresh review.
Read the rest of our LG Cookie Fresh review
LG Cookie Fresh review: Music and media skills
LG Cookie Fresh review: Touchscreen, build and battery
LG Cookie Fresh review: Meet the rivals
LG and South Korean arch rival Samsung have been battling it out to create budget touchscreen phones for years, and the LG Cookie Fresh GS290 is the latest shot across Sammy’s bow. It’s a curious proposition though, as it feels like LG’s simply shaken up standard LG Cookie range specs a bit, and dumped them in a new shell.
That new shell is lovely, mind. While previous budget touchscreen phones from LG, like the LG Viewty Lite, looked like chunky props from the original Star Trek series, the LG Cookie Fresh is slim and sleek, with lovely curves and a great feel in the hand: the plastic doesn’t scream cheap, and it’s surprisingly smudge resistant. We’re also quite taken by the band of colour around the edges.
To get this look at this price though, the LG Cookie Fresh has suffered a few concessions and compromises. The camera is actually lower resolution than the original Cookie (Two megapixels, down from three), and has no flash. More irritatingly, there’s no 3G or Wi-Fi, so if you want to use Facebook or email, we suggest you start training by watching paint dry. Speaking of time consuming features, the screen is resistive, and since there’s no stylus supplied this time round, you might want to start growing your nails too, as it responds better to them than the softer side of your pinkies.
Credit where it’s due though: the LG Cookie Fresh GS290’s media skills are respectable for a knockdown price touchscreen phone. The 240×400 resolution 3-inch screen isn’t great for watching videos, and it refused to play most MP4 files we threw at it, but on the music front, it handles MP3s with aplomb, serving up cover art and a homescreen widget. And crucially, a 3.5mm audio slot makes the cut, wisely placed on the top of the phone. Bring your own buds though if you want tunes to sound acceptable.
Unfortunately, the LG Cookie Fresh really suffers from its OS in most other respects. While the huge icons are to be commended, since you’ll never miss opening one with even the chubbiest digits, it’s the sort of barebones software we really don’t feel obliged to put up with in 2010, even on cheap handsets. There are few useful tools, like a gesture unlock feature to launch an app or a contact, but some gaping holes too: there’s no Google Maps though it’s quite happy to run other Java apps like Facebook and Twitter (And the latter rather well).
Another example: the LG Cookie Fresh doesn’t download the contents of emails in the background, just the headers, so you have to wait a good 15 seconds to open each and every individual message. We don’t know what it was thinking when we tried to use our Gmail account either: it downloaded 100 messages from 2007, and then gave up the ghost.
For the same price, you can pick up a Samsung Genio Touch on Pay As You Go, with a more responsive capacitive touchscreen, or splash out a little bit more for a Samsung Genio Slide, with an exceedingly useful landscape QWERTY keyboard, 3G, Wi-Fi and BBC iPlayer support.
Frankly, you shouldn’t even have to settle for a dumbphone on Pay As You Go either these days, even if you’re watching your wallet’s waistline. The Android fueled T-Mobile Pulse Mini can be had for under £100, while its bigger brother with a vastly more usable screen can be had for £150.
Even if you’re not considering a smartphone switch, the LG Cookie Fresh is a odd sell. It’s prettier than previous Cookies, sure, but what use is that when it’s no more functional?
LG Cookie Fresh review sample provided by Play.com
Read the rest of our LG Cookie Fresh review
LG Cookie Fresh review: Music and media skills
LG Cookie Fresh review: Touchscreen, build and battery
LG Cookie Fresh review: Meet the rivals
