With a VGA camera, dual color screen, polyphonic ringtones, and support for multimedia messaging and Cingular wireless Internet services, the LG L1400 packs a lot of power into a sleek package.
Design
The phone sports a clamshell design with a large 128 x 160 color display with 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset features a supplementary 96 x 96 full-color OLED display that can display picture IDs, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The phone's VGA (640 x 480) camera is placed just above this display. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's also a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets.
Calling Features
The L1400 supports polyphonic ringtones as well as Cingular's "Super Tones" enhanced ringtones. With picture and ringer ID functions, you can assign pictures and ringers to your most common callers. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. For times when you want to be discreet, there's also a vibrate ringer mode.
Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names, while the L1400's phone book will keep track of up to 255 contacts. The phone also supports Cingular's "Fast Forward" call forwarding device, which enables you to effortlessly forward your wireless calls to your land line phone.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The L1400 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity. In addition to basic text and picture messaging support, the phone features the AOL Instant Messenger client for easy wireless chatting (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. A number of handy software tools are bundled with the L1400 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with unit converter, a notepad, a calendar and an alarm clock.
Imaging and Entertainment
The L1400's VGA camera features a 4x zoom mode and a 9-shot multi-shot mode for capturing action scenes. Brightness and color balance adjustments are also possible.
The L1400 lets you set screensavers, themes and wallpapers to your tastes. The phone is also Java enabled, meaning it supports games written on the Java platform. Games are available via the Cingular MEdia service.
Vital Statistics
The LG L1400 weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.52 x 1.89 x .97 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 220 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
LG L1400 handset, lithium-ion battery, AC charger, user's manual.
1 Average phone!
When I first saw this phone I bought it, not knowing the the specs and everything before. After a couple of days finding out the features and how-to's I came up with the following verdict.
Pros:
1)Two bright screens
2)Ability to change pictures on both screen
3)Light and easy to carry around
4)Voice/sound recorder
5)Nice camera with 3X zoom, comes with decent amount of camera features (example: color mode, sephia mode, black and white mode, etc.)
Cons:
1)Lacks features (example: speakerphone, music creator)
2)Unable to use voice/sound recording as ring tone
3)Battery life is less than average
4)Comes with average ringtones, pictures, and only 1 game
5)Unable to remove the word "Cingular" from the front screen (so the picture you set can be view without obstruction)
Conclusion:
I bought one and I'm still going to keep it, just because it is a LG flip phone. If you just want a cool looking phone just for talking, I recommend this one. But if you want all the gadgets and gizmos to the maximum, this one is not for you.
2 Not too impressed
I'll say upfront that I am often a negative person. I'll try to be fair. I've had this phone for about 2 weeks now and I haven't found anything I really like about it. Here are the good and the bad (not in that order):
Cons:
-On the menu 3 of the 9 icons will take you online. And you will get charged unless you're quick on the cancel button. The center button on the joystick will also connect you to the net, so don't push it. It seems like Cingular convinced LG to make the phone this way so they could trick you into using their data service.
-The alarm is under "My media" (???) and then "tools". Why media??? Because they had nowhere else to put it. And you better be quick when setting the alarm, because if you stop pushing buttons for about 2 seconds you'll end up at the main screen and have to go back through the menus to get to it again.
-No speakerphone. And the regular speaker isn't that loud.
-Not much storage space for pictures.
-The included ringtones are annoying.
-Sometimes the screen turns off (goes black) right after a call. I wouldn't mind except I don't get to see how many minutes I used. Maybe my phone is defective?
-You usually have to hit the end call button twice to end the call. 4 minutes and 58 seconds... end call... 59 seconds... end call...oops, too late...they got you for another full minute.
-Probably a cingular problem, but I'll have 3 bars for a signal when I'm dialing, but as soon as I hit "call" it drops to one or zero bars. This happens 75% of the time. It also doesn't pick up calls sometimes and notifies me of voicemail 45 minutes later.
-Not many options to customize menus, colors, etc. Oh well... I don't care about this.
-The box it comes with says "drive safe" or "drive courteous" or something like that... but this phone doesn't even come with a headset. If they're pushing safety they should include one like most phones. Maybe they think people won't use their phone at all while driving if they don't give them a headset? Doubtful.
-You can't change the profile (ring volume, vibrate, silent mode, etc.) without openning the phone.
-Battery life isn't great.
Pros:
-Battery life isn't great.... but it could be a lot worse.
-External screen for picture ID, taking pics of yourself is cool.
-Infared port for transfering files is great. This might be the single saving grace of the phone. You don't see this much outside of a Nokia.
-The phone is light and pretty small. It also seems to be built fairly well.
-The price is right.
All in all, it's okay for the price. I might recommend a Nokia instead. And I'd recommend Verizon instead of Cingular if you live in the Pacific Northwest. Or pretty much anywhere west of the Mississippi for that matter.
3 just average..
Very short battery life. 18-20 hrs on standby. Make sure the city you live in has good coverage. Amazon said there was no coverage on the city I live in. Two other retailers said otherwise. Big mistake. I hardly get one bar at all times. It only works when I'm at work, 15 miles up north. Amazon claims there is no coverage there either, but this time they were wrong. Plan on buying extra ringtones and wallpapers since the phone has a very limited amount. Very nice and sleek looking phone though. That is not good enough to give it anymore stars. If you go with cingular and you want a decent priced(or free maybe?) phone with a plan, go with the sony-ericsson one.
4 Oy...
When I first got this phone I was impressed with the small size and seemingly well plotted facilitation of everything a casual cell user would need and want. HEHE...
Yes, it would be cool if it assigned a picture and ringtone to every contact ('common callers') like the product details state. You can't. You can assign ringtones to a limited nuumber of caller GROUPS, and the pictures will not work unless they aren't taken with the camera. (Oh, and you have to have the camera set to "Photo ID" size for it to work. Not just ANY shot will work.)
Yes, there are 2 color displays. You will get sick of the one on the lid because YOU CANNOT CHANGE the screensaver and once again you're stuck using only certain specifically sized pictures. Downloaded ones will not work. (some of the ones that SHOULD have work didn't; maybe the phone was getting tired. Seems to run out of its charge in 18 hours with NO usage, not the 2-4 days the customer service rep claimed was normal under 'casual usage'.) Also, would be nice if all that attention paid to the screens had included the ability to see if the phone was powered on!
Some points to ponder:
It's got good clarity & excellent reception outside (4 bars), but once inside it drops to 1-2 bars.
It's got a big & bright backlit TFT main display and bright full color OLED (organic electro-luminescence) sub-display. Perfect! Because that nonconfigurable screensaver? Screams "Cingular!" no less than 6 times at you before it turns itself off and has to blink at you and your mates like a bloody billboard. The display information (clock, date, icons, wallpaper etc.,) will only stay on for about 7 seconds no matter what setting is used.
The larger-than normal keypad is nice, but is lit rather unevenly; noticeably at the edges; also keys are too flat & hard to differentiate from the others by touch alone.
All those lovely ringtones you can use are rather hard to hear, and you'll be hard pressed to hear the person you're talking to at times...the receiver seems defaulted to a low-setting that doesn't really alter with the volume control. The quality of ring tones degrade dramatically when you adjust the volume higher. There's no speakerphone option either.
This was my first cell phone. What have I learned? Cell phones are like men. After the first one, you're more equipped to select better ones next time. ^_^
5 One of the best phones I have had!
I found this phone to have one of the coolest camera features ever the outside large screen to let u see yourself when taking your own picture unlike the tiny mirror on most phones! It takes good quality pictures and has outstanding sound quality. I also found it easyest to navagate. The only bad side i found is its bulky and has no zoom on camera!
6 I bought one, my girlfriend bought one the next day!
I love this phone, great everything. Only downfall is the ringer selection but you can download ones that are pretty good. Other than that I wouldn't change a thing. The bucket boss mini cell phone case is a great fit for it. Also they do have interchangeable faceplates for it now. I highley suggest this phone over the free motorola. My girlfriends parents have the motorola and they are not pleased with it.
7 Exactly what I expected
I upgraded to this phone because my boyfriend bought it first and I was impressed. I had the chance to tinker with it before buying it myself. The few small complaints I had were purely cosmetic.
CONS:
* The faceplate is not interchangeable, but it's simplistic and attractive so I wouldn't fix it if it's not broken anyway.
* I'm also a little disappointed that there is no speakerphone. Unfortunately, this is a feature that I always look for when I shop for phones, but it's something I can get over, as there are MANY other features on this phone that make up for the fact.
* They don't give you a very wide selection of audible (or attractive) ringers. This wasn't a problem either since I download my own.
* I still haven't figured out how to upload a pic to use for the external screen. You can take pics from that phone and use them as your background for the mini screen, but it doesn't look like they let you use uploadeded pics.
PROS:
* VERY clear main screen with vivid colors and a bright backlight.
* Easy-to-navigate menu.
* Good selection for shortcut buttons. I think someone already pointed this out, but the middle button can be used as "OK" in most menus. On the desktop, it's your Web shortcut button.
* Not too small, not too heavy. (I got rid of my last phone because it was too small & thin. Felt like it would get lost in my ear. I like substance.)
* The camera quality is impressive. You have a choice as to what size picture you want as well as color options (B&W, Sepia, etc.) If you think you'll have no use for the camera then I suggest you find something less expensive. Most of what you're paying for is the camera. I will say this... the SAME DAY I bought this phone I ended up taking pics of a fender bender that a friend was in for her insurance company. You'll never say, "God, I wish I had a camera on me."
This is a very sleek phone without too many buttons or things going on to confuse you. If you're looking for nothing but a DECENT, ATTRACTIVE camera-phone, this is what you want.
8 This is a good Phone
This phone is good, comparing to Motorola V180 that Cingular is giving for free. Motorola V180 sucks!!!!. This phone has a easy access menu and very easy to Program.
Sound is very clear, It's not very fancy, but it does what it suppose to do.
9 I really like this phone :-)
I have had my LG L1400 for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love it! I upgraded from the LG 4015. My hubby liked my phone so much, he upgraded to this phone from his Motorola T721, and is also very pleased with it.
Pros:
*nice size, lightweight (3.35 ounces), not too chunky
*love the color external screen with caller ID-even photo ID if you want
*larger internal screen looks great also
*plays real music ringtones (mp3, music tones)
*most ring tones I've downloaded sound great on this phone
*decent battery life. I recharge about every 4-5 days, and use my phone a lot.
*easy to use camera
*phone & keypad have a solid, quality feel to them - they don't "feel cheap"
*wireless internet capable - chat on AIM, check your email, browse the web with MEdiaNet subscription
*I've had very few dropped calls, and live in an area of limited service
Cons:
*cost me $130 to upgrade to this phone on Cingular
*some hard rock music tones sound distorted
*not many games out there so far that are compatible
*needs to come with a case, or at least a holster or belt clip
*it would be nice if the camera had flash
10 This phone's antenna is easily broken
The Antenna broke while the phone was in my pocket and now the antenna alone is $50.00 through LG. No other places sell LG phone parts.
11 Pretty meh, all around
I have had this phone for about a month and a half, and I'm getting rid of it. The ringer is not loud enough, photo called ID is overrated, it lacks bluetooth, and is big and bulky.
I don't like having to use vibrate just to know if someone is calling me, but I am stuck doing so just to know when I'm getting a call. Having the thing clipped to you while you're watching TV is a little ridiculous. Alas, if you want to know if someone is calling, you need to have it on vibrate, touching you. Forget it.
I'm going to sell this one, and buy a V551 instead. It's what I should have done from the beginning, but I wanted photo caller ID instead. If the photo caller ID is the only reason you're buying this one instead of something like the V551, don't bother: it's not that cool anyway.
12 I'm Getting By With It
This phone is recommended for everybody. I'm only 13, and I think this phone is for people older than I. I like it, but I wish it had these things:
Speakerphone
Louder Ringtone
Sometimes I have to put it on vibrate just to know somebody is calling me. But I like they camera. It has a really clear display also.
13 The Coolest
I don't have really much to say except for this phone is the phone you should buy for it's great quality
14 LG L1400
I think it's a really good phone. It has a really good phone and really clear display.
15 Cingular is deceptive
My review is on Cingular. I bought a phone w/service and was told I could return for full refund and only charged for any air time used. THEY LIE. THE PHONE DID NOT WORK IN MY AREA AND I CANCELLED THE NEXT DAY. THEY ARE CHARGING ME FOR ACTIVATION even though it never worked in my area. If you are uncertain you will keep the phone and service, DON'T BUY from Cingular. Amazon will also do nothing to reimburse.
16 It's got everything but "speakerphone"
We were looking to replace our old TDMA phones with one of the new GSM phones (although I loved my old Motorola V60i) It just so happened this model was free the day we were looking. The main things I wanted, good reception and voice dialing, are the best features of this phone. The features that are kind of nice are built-in AIM, decent games, and light weight. The camera I could live without. Two things I'm not as fond of, as compared with my Motorola, the battery life is not great (4-5 days rather than 8-9 I was used to), and there is no external "hot key" for voice dialing. Voice quality is very good, as expected of GSM.
17 Good phone
I have had the L1400 for a few weeks now, and so far I am generally happy with it. I purchased the L1400 because I could not find the Samsung E317 (which is now available). My impressions of the phone are generally good. I was concerned about getting an LG at first, because thy have a history of producing poor products for Sprint and Verizon (anyone remember the TP1100? And that's just one example), however, my concerns have been assuaged. The phone is of solid build quality, though it is not as good as what a Samsung provides. It is better than you average Motorola phone though (like the V400). The keys make a nice click and feel solid, the hinge feels well constructed and sturdy, and the plastic feels durable. The phone itself is good looking, very sharp. It is sleek and stylish with a nice two tone design with some chrome-like accents, which continues on the keypad. The external OLED screen is my biggest disappointment. Not only is it not as bright as I would like, but the colors are off slightly, and has been mentioned, after a few seconds, the screen saver, which cannot be changed, comes on. Oddly, if you look at the screen on an angle, it gets brighter and sharper. The only good thing about an OLED screen is it is more power efficient than an LCD, so it should help with battery power.
On the inside of the flip, the LCD screen is very good. It is bright and sharp, with nice colors. The keypad is attractive, but it can get tricky to dial when not looking. The keys and numbers are big though, and the key in the center of the directional buttons acts as an OK button everywhere but the desktop, where pressing it takes you right to the web. The menus are easy to navigate, but a lot of functions have been locked out by Cingular and/or LG. Also, you can only choose between icons and list for the menu style, you can't reorganize the structure like on the Motorola's.
The ringers are also a big drawback. They are very quiet and hard to hear, especially in a pocket. The vibration is fairly strong though, and it will ring and vibe at the same time.
It is a comfortable size, not too big, but not too small. It is fairly light as well, so it won't weigh you down.
The software on this phone, unlike that on Motorola phones, is stable and does not crash out on you. The signal is strong and sound quality is good, though the volume is a bit soft.
Overall, it's a solid choice.
18 its nice but some things can be changed
I recently bought this phone to replace an onlder samsung. This phone is nifty and has a great color display. However there are some things i dont like (thing i cant just deal with). First I feel that the menu option is not practical, other phones you can get to where you need with just a press of a button or 2. With this phone i feel like i have to go in a menu within a menu within a menu. Also I guess its nice that the display autmatically turns off to save battery but i would like the option to keep the front one dim so i can look at the time or see when i've had a missed message instead of having to light it up everytime. I also wish i could change the cingular screensaver that scrolls across the screen everytime you close the phone. Also, when you silence your ringer you are also silencing the alarm feature so if you like to turn your ringer off at night (but not turn off the phone) you wont be able to if you have your alarm set. I dont really like the text messangine center on the phone its more irratating than others. Overall, the phone does its job (making and reciving calls) but i'd rather go back to my old samsung which has features worth your while.
19 Awesome!
Ive only gone through two other cell phones and this is by far the best! My first phone, Samsung A460, i really liked that one, i wish that this LG had some of the features that the samsung had, such as an external display that stays on, but dim (i know that would take a extra battery energy but i liked just glancing down and seeing the time). you do have the option to keep the external display on all of the time but dont be decieved, all it does after the time readout goes away is scroll "cingular" across, slightly dissapionting. Also when the clamshell is closed, the top, meaning the portion that you flip open, wobbles back and forth jsut slightly, but enough to notice. it makes it feel less sturdy, but once the flip is open it is solid.
pretty much this phone has every feature that you could ask for besides a speakerfone function. besides that everything is amazing about this fone, the functions, the screen quality and ease of use.
its almost the perfect fone (u know, besides the external display and speakerfone functions)
