Cell Phone Reviews by Cellphonedia

At first glance, the LG Imprint MN 240 looks identical to the Kin One Slider but actually it is the sibling of LG’s Remarq. This pocket –sized handset is equipped with features that help people to remain connected. This sleek and stylish slide phone has a full QWERTY keyboard, a variety of messaging functionality and support for email. Its ultra-compact design along with its extensive multimedia is sure to woo customers.

This is the ideal device for those who wish to possess a headset with an easy to use interface that would allow them to remain connected with friends, colleagues and family. LG Imprint also organizes SMS conversations in the form of threaded messages. This feature displays text messages in conversation format. The handset also offers Pocket Express feature delivering the most recent news, travel  updates, weather, stock, entertainment updates, etc.

Design and Dimension

The best thing about LG Imprint is probably its design. The headset has rounded corners and measures 2.5 x 3.5 x 0.6 inches. The face of the phone’s body as well as the rear part is a lustrous black and a steel cap covers half the spine. Thus the phone has a rather compact yet attractive design. It weighs about 3.8 ounces and feels slightly heavy on the hand. It comes with a firm slider. It can be easily carried in ones pocket or in a small handbag and its weight will prevent it from getting lost among other things kept in the bag.

Camera

The LG Imprint has a 1.3 megapixel camera with Multishot technology. It allows users to take up to 6 consecutive shots instantly. It also comes with a unique picture editing tool that allows photos to be flipped, rotated, and inserted into fun frames. Color effects feature for photos are also available.

Basic Features

The LG Imprint MN240 is a decent phone that is not too feature rich but provides adequate functionality. It offers threaded multimedia, SMS, MMS, picture message and can store up to 1000 contacts. One can select from 33 polyphonic tunes to assign to each contact. Although it lacks support for instant messaging it supports IMAP and POP3. The Imprint also possesses regular tools like the calculator, calendar, world clock, notepad and converter. The Imprint’s battery life offers 5 hours of talktime but the standby time goes up to 170 hours.

Interface: The interface of the phone has been kept simple and easy to understand. This handset is ideal for those who love an uncomplicated and hassle-free way to stay connected.

Phone Book: The phone book of the LG Imprint is perfect for the phone and can store up to 1000 contacts. Every entry has space for two email ids, seven phone numbers, a customized ringtone and a photo ID. The contacts can be further divided into caller groups.

LG Imprint MN240 Screen

The LG Imprint has a 2.2 inches display screen with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. It offers support for 262,000 colors. Although the display is just fine with interesting menu options and default wallpaper, it could have used MetroPCS. However, the display is legible under sunlight. The backlighting of the screen can be adjusted but not the contrast or brightness.

Keypad and Controls

Just below the screen of the Imprint lies the navigation array. The navigation array in this handset has the conventional 4-directional pad with the OK button in the center. Also the speakerphone, two soft keys and back buttons can serve as the call Receive/End keys. On sliding the phone open one can find the spacious QWERTY keyboard with its narrow keys.

These keys are separated from each other and have a slightly domed surface. A key has been dedicated to messaging alone. It takes the users to the texting window in the first go. Also there is an option to open the music player straight away.

Audio

The Imprint has an MP3 music ringer support. It also houses a music player that can be accessed from the main menu. It also features a one touch speaker phone. The call quality is good enough. However the same cannot be said about the speaker phones.

Messaging

The feature set of the LG Imprint has been kept simple by MetroPCS and hence it does not offer instant messaging functionality. However, the threaded message facility is still there. This allows text messages to be displayed as conversations. Support for POP3 or IMAP is provided by the Imprint.

Media

The LG Imprint offers a PocketExpress feature that provides the most recent updates on news, movies, sports, weather, stock, travel, entertainment, etc. It also offers MP3 support.

It also offers a WAP-based MetroWeb and a recognized Metro applications store where several goodies can be bought. These include songs, ringtones, wallpapers, pictures, etc that can be bought and downloaded.

Internet

It has been indicated that the LG Imprint is not very feature rich. It does not have a standalone Web browser. This is a set back as a Web browser is always expected in a phone of this stature. However, Imprint takes care of the browsing needs of its customers by offering WAP-based MetroWeb and a recognized Metro applications store.

Storage

The LG Imprint has 23MB of internal memory and on the extreme right hand side of the phone lies the microSD memory card slot. The memory can be expanded up to 16GB.

Connectivity and Data

The device cables of LG Imprint MN240 are multifunctional. They can be used to connect one phone to another. It can also be used to charge the phone if one end is a USB port. The device can also be plugged into ones computer to facilitate syncing and other related features to enable data transfers. Some types of cables can connect the Imprint to a video or audio device or a combination of the two via a dock connector or headphone jack.

The phone has a CDMA- based technology with CDMA 800/1900 band. The phone has a slider design and for a wireless experience there is Bluetooth 2.1. The accessories included with the phone are USB data cable, Bluetooth headset, Stereo headset, Bluetooth speakerphone.

Usability and Performance
The performance of the LG Imprint is quite decent. The call quality too is pretty good. The voices are natural, clear and strong. The call volume can also be enhanced greatly which facilitates talking in places with a lot of background noise. However the volume of the speaker phone is not that good even when held close to the ears.

LG Imprint MN240 Phone Specifications

• Weight: 108 g
• Width: 89 mm
• Height: 64mm
• Thickness: 15 mm
• Display size: 2.2"
• Announced: 22 Mar 2010
• Colors: Black
• Network: CDMA 800/1900 (Dual Band)
• Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels 262.144 Colors TFT Display
• Data: Bluetooth 2.1, Headset
• Memory: microSD/microSDHC, up to 16 GB / microSD
• Connectivity: USB v2.0 microUSB, Bluetooth 2.1
• Web Browser: WAP 2.0/HTML (NetFront)
• Media and Music: MP3 player
• Camera: 1.3 megapixels Immobile
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Push Email
• Expansion Slot: microSD
• Tones: Vibration, MP3, AAC- Composer, Polyphonic ringtones
• Software Features: Proprietary - Java MIDP 2.1, CLDC 1.1, Java
• Other Features: Voice Dialing, Voice Commands, Games, Clock, Alarm, T9, Handsfree, Geo-tagging (cell-ID), Organizer9, Ring ID, Picture ID, Multiple numbers per contact, Caller groups
• US Sar Values: Head: 1.18, Body: 0.75
• Battery: Li - Ion
• Talk Time: up to 300 mins
• Standby: up to 350 hours

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Compact yet appealing design
• Spacious QWERTY keyboard
• On-board music player
• Email support

Cons:

• Average photo quality
• The headset jack is only 2.5mm which is not as convenient as the 3.5mm jack.

Conclusion

The LG Imprint MN240 is an attractive, sturdy and compact design phone ideal for messaging enthusiasts. Its spacious and full-sizes QWERTY keyboard facilitates typing long messages thereby making it suitable for social networking enthusiasts. Besides, the phone comes with the interesting threaded message feature. Apart from this the Imprint is also blessed with an amazing call quality. However, the best thing about the phone is its design - quite stylish and attractive.