LG Spectrum LTE Smartphone Review

The LG Spectrum runs on Android 2.3 and features some custom user interface tweaks from LG. LG and Verizon Wireless plan to offer an upgrade to Android 4.0 sometime in the first half of this year.

On each of the home screens, you'll notice LG has placed four static icons at the bottom. These icons provide access to the Phone dialer, Contacts, Messaging, and Apps.

From the Home screen, the Menu button provides access to a number of predesigned Themes you can use to customize the phone very quickly. You can also create your own custom themes. There are also a number of widgets preloaded on the phone that you can use to customize any of the phone's seven home screens. To view a thumbnail of each of the seven home screens, simply pinch to zoom out from any of them.

       

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Like other phones, LG and Verizon Wireless have included a number of preloaded applications with the Spectrum. Some of these preloaded apps include ESPN ScoreCenter, Netflix, Amazon Kindle, Bitbop, Blockbuster, Hot Pursuit, NFL Mobile, Rhapsody, VideoSurf, Polaris Office, Richnote, and more. Of course, there are also a handful of Verizon Wireless apps such as My Verizon Mobile, V CAST Media Manager, V CAST Tones, Verizon Video, and others. Many of these preloaded applications cannot be uninstalled using the Manage Applications menu found on the phone.

       

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By default, the applications are presorted into collapsible category folders called Communication, HD, Verizon Wireless, Media, News & search, Tools, and Downloads. Using the menu, you can add, delete, rename, and reorder categories as you see fit. If you don't like the category view, you can also view all applications in a list.

The LG Spectrum comes with a LG Keyboard and the SWYPE keyboard.

 

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Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer grew up around technology. From an early age, she was curious about all things related to computers. As a child, Jennifer remembers spending nights with her dad programming in BASIC and taking apart hard drives to see what was inside. In high school, she wrote her senior term paper on her experiences with building custom computers.

Jennifer graduated from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. After college, she began writing full-time for various PC and technology magazines. Later, she transitioned to the Web. In these roles, Jennifer has covered a variety of topics including laptops, desktops, smartphones, cameras, tablets, and various consumer electronics devices. When she's not playing with or writing about the latest gadget, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, capture memories with her camera, and scrapbook.

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