LG CF360 (red, AT&T)

Most of the recent LG phones from AT&T have either been fancy touch-screen handsets (like the LG Incite) or slim models that can stream live TV (The LG Invision, for example). The LG CF360, on the other hand, takes the midtier approach, much like the LG Shine of two years ago. The CF360 is a slim slider that is easy on the eyes and the hands, and while its feature set isn't that exciting, it's not that bad either. The LG CF360 is available for a very affordable $29.99 after a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.

Design
The LG CF360 has a simple slim slider design, and though it looks quite ordinary, we like it all the same. Measuring 3.97 inches long by 1.89 inches wide by 0.66 inch thick, the CF360 is wrapped in a soft-touch black surface that gives the phone a nice grip and makes it feel comfortable in the hand. The slider mechanism feels solid, and requires a firm push to slide up or down. You can get the CF360 with either a blue or red stripe along its sides. The navigation keys are either blue or red as well. The CF360 weighs about 3.5 ounces, which won't weigh you down.

The LG CF360 has a slider design.

On the front of the phone is the 2-inch QVGA display with support for 65,000 colors and a 240x320-pixel resolution. Though it doesn't have support for 262,000 colors like we would prefer, the display still looks colorful and images look quite sharp. You can adjust the font size, the color of the dialing font, the screen's brightness, backlight timer, color schemes, and the menu style.

The navigation array consists of two soft keys, four directional keys, a middle OK key, a Call and End/Power key, plus the Clear/Back key. The four directional keys are raised above the surface, while the other keys are a bit flusher to the surface. Slide the phone open and you'll find the number keypad. The keypad is roomy, and though the keys are not as tactile as we would like, there are still enough delineations between each key so it's easy to dial and text. All the keys have a nice give to them.

The LG CF360 has a 1.3-megapixel camera lens on the back.

The volume rocker is on the left spine, while the microSD card slot is on the top. On the right spine are a dedicated camera key, a task menu key, and the charger/headset jack. The task menu key lets you tab between open applications. On the back of the CF360 are a camera lens and a speaker grille. There's no self-portrait mirror or flash, though.

Features
The LG CF360 has a generous 1,000-entry phone book with room in each entry for two phone numbers, an e-mail address, and a memo. You can assign contacts to caller groups, a photo for caller ID, and one of 20 polyphonic ringtones. Other basic features include a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a notepad, a calendar, a calculator, a world clock, a tasks list, a stopwatch, a tip calculator, and a unit converter. Slightly advanced features include voice command and voice dialing support, a wireless Web browser, a voice recorder, instant messaging (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger), stereo Bluetooth, and mobile e-mail. The mobile e-mail is limited--it only supports Web-based e-mail like Hotmail and Yahoo Mail, plus a few select ISPs like Comcast and Earthlink. The CF360 also has A-GPS, and it comes with AT&T Navigator, AT&T's turn-by-turn location-based service.