CrunchGear

As promised we’ve given the LG Glimmer a good drubbing and came back satisfied that almost everyone would enjoy this sexy haptic slider from LG.

With the demise of the RAZR, phones have gone one of two directions — gloss black/dark or odd metals. The RAZR brought us into the chrome and steel era of cellphone design and I believe that LG is taking that aesthetic to the next level with the brushed metal of the Glimmer. In fact, this thing doesn’t glimmer at all. It’s very staid and elegant with a bright 2.8-inch touch screen and pop down buttons.

This phone is a standard slider with some cool features. It has music and video playback as well as A-GPS support. It supports Bluetooth and USB mass storage and voice dialing. It records video and plays Alltell’s Axcess TV service.

The phone runs LG’s own OS and features cool haptic feedback with each screen press. There is a four panel menu - phone, media, tools, and set-up - and everything happens off of those menus. From the main screen you can pop into the menu, make a call, send a message, or view contacts. A quick menu allows you to easily add and remove applications or you can drill down through the menu system to get to your desired application.

Some sites call this an iPhone rival. I’d say it’s more of a RAZR/Voyager rival. The screen is beautiful, the styling is great, but the features just aren’t there, especially in terms of smartphone features like email and chat. It’s a beautiful phone — I’ve never faulted LG on their design — but it’s just a slider.

The phone is $129.99 after rebates and I’d actually recommend it at that price. It’s a sturdy cell with a lot going for it and it should last as long as similarly priced cellphones. This is a workhorse with media abilities, yet it’s easy on the eyes — something most manufacturers can’t say these days.