LG VX9400

At first glance, the VX9400 looks like a basic slider phone. A large (2.2 inch, 320x240 pixels) display hides the dial-pad, leaving only the navigation buttons visible on the front of the unit. But instead of sliding up, the VX9400's display swivels to the left, thus exposing the numeric keypad. When opened, the phone has a T-shaped appearance with the screen assuming a landscape orientation (more on that later).

The LG VX9400 isn't exactly svelte. At 4.04 inches by 1.93 inches by 0.73 inch, and 4.06 ounces, it's both larger and heavier than the Samsung SCH-U620, but it's not exactly a brick either. The display, which is slightly bigger than the SCH-U620's, is bright, vibrant, and ideal for watching videos. Thanks to the 262,000 colors resolution, graphics and pictures also looked good, though the display is difficult to see in direct light.

The VX9400 uses Verizon's complicated menu organization system, though the interface is a bit more attractive than on previous phones from the carrier.

While you simply tipped the SCH-U630 on its side to watch videos, the VX9400 uses the aforementioned swiveling display.

It's big on the cool factor but it complicates the act of making phone calls. If you want to dial a number to place a call, you'll have to open the phone to do so.

Then you'll want to close the swivel before holding the phone to your ear. Yes, you can talk with the display up but if you do so, the microphone at the top of the display will shift to its right side, which is just out of range of your ear. You can make calls directly from the address book with the display closed but if you're making a call that requires you to enter automated menu options, then the swiveling back and forth can get annoying quickly.

You'll also want to change the default settings for answering and ending calls to make sure opening and closing the swivel doesn't end calls automatically. The navigation array was spacious, tactile, and easy to use. A four way toggle surrounds a central OK button you can set the toggle to act as a shortcut to four functions. The other controls consist of two soft keys, a Clear button, and the Talk and End or power buttons.

The button just above the "End" key with the TV icon launches the Mobile TV service. It's worth noting that it can be a bit disconcerting to use the navigation array with the display up. Since the keypad sits between the controls and the screen, we had to think about where the soft keys were before we pressed them.

Also, it is a bit strange to have the Talk and End keys at the bottom of the phone. We found the dial-pad to be too flat and smooth for touch dialing. The 5 inch long TV antenna tucks into a slot on the top left corner. The left spine features a volume rocker, a voice command button, and a 2.5mm headphone jack. The right spine houses buttons for the speaker phone and camera, as well as a microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Besides the aforementioned speaker near the display, the VX9400 also features a speaker on the rear of the phone just next to the camera, lens, and flash. It's an inconvenient arrangement as it means one of the sound outputs faces away from you when you're watching videos. On the upside, the back of the phone has a nice rubberized feel for comfortable handling.