LG Cookie Fresh GS290 Review

It seems LG is firmly intent to offer the wide audience a cram full box of cookies in an attempt to come up with a handset to repeat the smashing success of the LG Cookie KP500. Two new members of the famousfamily have been introduced by the time of the current review, the LG Cookie Plus GS500 and LG Cookie Fresh GS290 and we are waiting for the official announcement of another device, the Cookie Gig KM570. What they all have in common is they are affordable feature phones equipped with touch sensitive screens.
Today we are going to take a closer look at the LG Cookie Fresh GS290 that, at the time being, is the poorest family member in terms of hardware specifications. It seems what it stakes on to win over customers is audio playback functionality – the handset features 3.5mm headphone jack and allows its owners to listen to radio stations without necessarily having to plug in a headphone set. Similarly to most other handsets in the affordable segment of the market today, the Cookie Fresh lacks 3G and comes with mediocre, 2-megapixel camera.
Design:
For good or bad, the LG Cookie Fresh GS290 is the typical affordable touchscreen phone, in terms of design. Its appearance is by no means breathtaking, but it’s not bad either. LG plans to offer it in a plethora of color variations, trying to suit as many consumer tastes as possible.. The plastic, from which it is manufactured, feels fairly cheap, although not unpleasant to touch. It has smooth curves, which make the LG Cookie Fresh GS290 feel natural in the hand. We are somewhat annoyed at the battery cover that can be removed way too easily and it’s not unlikely that it falls off while you carry about the cell phone in your pocket.
The screen measures 3 inches and has a resolution of 240×400 pixels – standard for a budget touch phone. It guarantees a lot of pixelization, so that’s not the best-looking display ever. Still, looking through the preloaded pictures, we found it to be a worthy competitor to every other phone in the same class. As it is resistive, using it will be flawless for female users with longer nails, while the rest will have to put up with the inconveniences this technology provides. The screen utilizes resistive technology, meaning you will either have to press it with your fingernails and put up with the inadequate response or exert extra force to get things done.
All the keys on our prototype felt nice and we are happy to see the microSD slot is on the left side and allows for memory card hotswapping. The device is charged via its microUSB port that you also use to connect it to a desktop computer.
All in all, the LG Cookie Fresh GS290 is what you’d expect it to be – a bit cheap, not very attractive, but still pleasant enough to look at. The version in silver looks rather boring really, but other colors may provide a breath of fresh air to the handset design and make the device an appealing option, especially to kids and children, not to mention these groups are part of the target audience.