Joel Spolsky Reviews the LG Fusic From Sprint

Joel Spolsky of joelonsoftware fame reviews the LG Fusic from Sprint, and frankly, this is one strong and very straightforward review. Now Joel is know for his knack for design and usability, particularly when it comes to user interfaces. He should–he’s into software design and development. So you can expect him to feel strongly about the shortcomings of a device and the network’s mobile service when it comes to usability.

Joel was actually reluctant at first to review the phone. After all the marketing people were having a field day sending off (free) review units to bloggers, hoping to start some buzz about their music- and video-download service. It turns out that they were in for some negative publicity.

The phone they sent me, an LG Fusic, is really quite awful, and the service, Power Vision, is tremendously misconceived and full of dumb features that don’t work right and cost way too much. So I’m going to review the dang phone anyway, even though if anybody from Sprint is paying attention they’re going to lose their lunch and some executive bonehead over there is going to go nuts and I sincerely hope that this doesn’t put an end to the entire free-phones-for-bloggers boondoggle, because I’d hate to get beaten up at Etech next year by all the other bloggers who would hate me for spoiling all the fun.

So what’s wrong with the phone and service, anyway? Joel thought the phone’s built was too cheap, and the interface unintuitive. The Fusic is supposed to be an MP3-capable phone, but it does not offer the usual functionalities one would expect from an MP3 player such as bookmarking and even basic capabilities like playing music with the clamshell closed.

Joel found the video aspect lacking, too, with no decent movie titles and a screen too small for viewing. The pricing for both music and movies was prohibitive, too, especially in light with the de facto standard that Apple had set, at $0.99 a pop (for songs).

I consider Joel to be quite fortunate. For one, he’s a blog A-lister. Secondly, companies are sending him freebies for review (hey people, if you’d like me to review some of your gadgets, I’d be glad to send you my postal address). But Sprint was probably wrong to send him a Fusic for review. The phone might have been considered decent and even cool by a younger, less tech-savy user, but it wasn’t meant for a tech- and design-savvy individual.

Here’s a lesson to companies who are starting to turn to blogging and bloggers for word-of-mouth marketing. Do your research first. And make sure the product you plan to market thru blogs are aptly targeted.

September 23rd, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in LG, Reviews, Telco at 2:33 pm 9 Comments »
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9 Comments »

  1. This dude is nuts…I work at Radioshack and I get go play with phones first hand also. I messed around with the Fusic for a few weeks and I tell you it convinced me to buy one. I don’t even think he took it out of the box when he “tested” it. 1st off, I have owned this phone for well over a month now and the material it is made of is extremely durable. The phone does not scratch. 2nd, you can play and control everyone of the multimedia functions with the phone closed. You can even watch tv on the outside display if you choose. Oh yeah…he didn’t even mention anything about its stereo bluetooth support or the fact that is has a great FM transimitter built into the thing. So, next time you decide to do a review on a piece of electronics at least turn it on and play with it, because obviously you didn’t.

    Comment by Richard Stafford — September 24, 2006 @ 8:01 pm

  2. Not nuts at all. I, too, work for a cell company (shall not name). I got to play with the phone from an LG rep before it was released and hated it from the start. The tag line ‘The fusion of music.’ The fusion of music and what? was the first thing I asked myself.

    It’s a disappointing little phone. The FM tranismitter only works with the memory card. That’s right - the Sirius subscription you pay 6.95 per month for cannot be played over your car radio. The menu, unintuitive. Stereo bluetooth is a joke, at best, considering you aren’t able to play that Sirius over it.

    There are much better Sprint phones available, like the a900/920 from Samsung. Even they have their flaws. LG just dropped the ball on the Fusic’s design.

    Comment by Becky — October 6, 2006 @ 12:42 pm

  3. The Fusic is off the Husic!
    I agree with the first comment. The original reviewer obviously didn’t take the phone out of the box. I have been able to do everything I expected AND then some with the Fusic.

    For example:

    Send and recieve my work e-mail using the Sprint network.
    Watch live television (with phone open OR closed)
    Play my favorite mp3’s (with phone open or closed)
    Play full screen television
    1-way, 2-way and 3-way call
    Snap photos AND video
    Loaded Google maps directly from web!
    Play music (on the piano key composer)
    Play a whole bunch of games
    Text message
    IM

    …oh, and did I mention, make phone calls home?

    I used to have a clunky Motorola 710, which was like a prehistoric dinosaur bone compared to the Fusic.

    This phone is like having a very light (weight-wise) Blackberry or Treo in your pocket.

    If you can live with 3-letter buttons when using the web…this is the phone for you!!!

    Comment by Greg Schmigel — October 9, 2006 @ 1:20 pm

  4. i have read all hullabaloo about this phone, i am not a tech person all i needed is nice phone and i think it is cook and it works well for me. i also want to say that it all depends on what you want in a phone.and no one phone can make us al happy.if you like it great if you dont returned it and wait for the next brand that will put mp3 player and a phone in one clamshell.probably the much talk about ipod phone.

    Comment by coexist — October 24, 2006 @ 5:49 am

  5. I just got the fusic last week. I love this phone!! I had the razor (not from sprint..DUH) And I hated that phone. This LG made me switch service comp. I have found everything to work and work above my standers! The web on it is lightting quick, the learning cerve is low, MP3’s sound good and the phone out does any phone Ive ever had befor! This phone gets a A+++ in my book. O ya and BTW…for the “tech-savy” guy…next time take the phone out of the box!

    Comment by Nick — October 24, 2006 @ 6:35 pm

  6. This person who reviews phones should learn how to use them before he reviews anything. First off the clam shell can be closed when listening to music and even watching video. I have this phone and although it has its up and downs over all its the best phone out there. Menu’s are nice and clean and easy to understand. I have movies on my phone that are watchable on a plane or just sitting around on my lunch break. The phone handles nicely and does not feel cheap. Its features and functions are awesome I can do alot more with this phone than I can with an IPOD or Zen Vision which I have both. This reviewer needs to learn more about a product and not go into things with a negative outlook. When you are reviewing a product which I spend alot of wasted time playing with gadgets you need to go in full force and learn all about it before writing a crappy review. As for the vision service I can not comment on that they are all a waste of money. Just load up your SD card with what you want and save some money.

    Comment by emboyd — November 26, 2006 @ 11:01 am

  7. Is this guy stupid or what? you can listen to music with it closed fucking moron… i got this phone a week ago and havent put the thing down yet i love it there is so much stuff you can do with it.. I deff think its worth the money.

    Comment by Blake — December 10, 2006 @ 10:02 pm

  8. I too love the phone and the dude who reviewed this is an idiot!!!

    Comment by Chris Veldkamp — December 27, 2006 @ 4:58 pm

  9. This guys on crack… Or i hope he has an excuse for being so 0uT oF !t… I guess this would be something to expect out of a guy accustomed to caviar and a flat panel plasma 52″ tv that fly’s first class and cry’s when his champaine is too cold… But lets be realistic, it’s got some of the best USER reviews in comparison to any phone before it. Thin, very good key layout, easy to use, larger screen than many phones it size, and a 1.3 megapixel camera… i think joe needs to lighten up, here joe take another hit, are your ears ringing yet? pompus pussy your scarves cr0oked

    Comment by Mey — January 10, 2007 @ 10:11 pm

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