You may find a few things missing in the LG KS360 WebSlider, but for a teenager this handset is great for those who love to constantly send text messages to their friends. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another mobile phone this cheap that comes with a touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard, and that’s why the LG KS 360 has proven to be one of the most popular mobile phones in the world.

No matter which social group you hang with, if you’re in between 12 and 16 years old, it’s a good chance you’ll think the KS360 WebSlider is a pretty cool phone. In colours of either blue, silver, red, or pink, the glossed black plastic and shiny metallic finishes make the KS360 look like a handset that would normally set you back twice as much. However, this mobile is so cheap, this last statement is almost a moot point.

The front side of the KS360 is a 2.4-inch colour screen, which only functions for numeric touchscreen input. This means the touchscreen element of the display works when you enter in phone numbers, but only after you’ve activated the ‘number pad’ button sitting next to the green coloured ‘call’ key. All the other menus need are accessible via standard five-way navigation keys.

Much like the popular Hiptop Slide, the LG KS360 WebSlider opens up by sliding the top of the phone horizontally, which then reveals the full QWERTY keyboard beneath. Like the Hiptop, each key is very small, but the WebSlider is much easier for typing correctly, especially when taking into consideration all the typing an average teenager puts into practice.

Looking at the handset from a physical perspective you’ll find a combination charger/ headphone port, plus microSD memory card slot on the right side, and a camera key and volume ‘rocker’ on the left. You may find the location of the camera key to be a little strange, as you’ll need to hold the handset upside-down to take photos, but you’ll get used to it.

For the incredibly low price tag on this LG model, you shouldn’t expect to get too much from the phone in terms of added features. Calling it the WebSlider is probably somewhat of a misnomer, as its main function is not searching the web, but rather simply sending and receiving texts. There’s no 3G data speed, so looking at anything more than emails and small mobile web pages isn’t worth the effort.

On the rear side of the LG KS360 there’s a 2-megapixel camera complete with self-portrait mirror, but you won’t find a flash or auto-focus here. You can also play MP3 music files and MP4 video files on the WebSlider, but if you do choose to listen to music or take photos, it’ll be necessary to buy an aftermarket microSD memory card, as the stock standard 15MB of memory is tiny.

Besides text messages, teenagers will enjoy the integrated MySpace web link for keeping in contact with friends on the internet. This link is found in the main menu, and it takes you straight to MySpace’s login page. If you’re more into Facebook or instant messaging via Yahoo Messenger, there are also links to these via the Boost Live menu.

Telephone calls work really well on the LG KS360, with good reception and clear vocal sound being the norm. Using the touchscreen numeric pad makes dialling a breeze. Text messages are a major focus here, so typing is quick and simple to perform, although it may take a while to get used to where the punctuation symbols are located. Strangely enough, these sit on top of the highest row of alphabetical letters.

One drawback to the LG Webslider is that it’s not easy to set up an email account. Where many mobiles only need you to input your email address, this phone asks you to put in your incoming and outgoing mail servers, as well as whether or not you use an IMAP or POP3 email account. Do you think the average teenager can do these things easily?

Surfing the web is okay, but it’s definitely not quick. LG’s inbuilt browser renders pages well, and a ‘magnetic hand’ tool helps you scroll to new links once you’re on a website, making browsing a simple process. As many teens will use the LG KS360 as a prepaid phone, the browser tells you how much data you used after a surfing session. This is a very useful feature, especially if your child is addicted to Facebook or MySpace.

The LG WebSlider’s battery should last for around five hours of talk-time and approximately eighteen days on standby, which means parents won’t need to worry too much that their kid’s phone will run out of charge in case an emergency call is necessary.

There’s a lot going for the LG KS360 WebSlider. It’s as cheap as chips, has an attractive design, a touchscreen, and don’t forget that all-important full QWERTY keyboard for life-saving/gossip text messages. It’s a bit of a bummer a 3.5mm headphone jack, camera flash and higher quality music player aren’t included, but overall this will be an excellent prepaid option for all those teenagers who love constantly ‘tap, tap, tapping’ out text messages while on the train, or sadly, at the back of the classroom!

Pros:

-    Great-looking design
-    Very good full QWERTY keyboard
-    Numeric input touchscreen
-    Facebook and MySpace
-    Nice display screen
-    Good value for a cheap price

Cons:

-    Not 3G capable
-    No 3.5mm headphone jack
-    Email set-up is too difficult
-    No flash or auto-focus for camera