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Physical Aspects

The LG KS360 is a candybar-style device, with a keyboard that slides out from underneath. The device is rather average in size, coming in at 101.5mm x 51mm x 16.8mm (approximately 4" x 2" x .7") in total. The device's weight is also fairly average at 108g (3.8oz). The exterior of our test device was mostly a metallic grey color, with a red band through the middle. This red color continues onto the device's QWERTY keyboard, and red accents can be found on the device's navigation keys and 'OK' button. The KS360's fascia features a 2.4" display that is capable of displaying 262,000 colors at 240 x 320 pixel resolution. Performance in bright environments was average, but could've been better. Below the display are the earlier-mentioned navigation keys/d-pad with the OK button in the middle. You'll also find the device's softkeys, send/end keys, cancel key, and a key to activate touch screen dialling. Most of the fascia is covered by a gloss black panel, with the LG logo printed just above the display. The device's earpiece sits toward the top of this panel, beneath a discreet slit.

The rear of the device features another LG logo, plus the device's loudspeaker and 2.0 megapixel^(INFO) camera with self-portrait mirror. At the top is the battery cover release button, allowing access to the battery and SIM card^(INFO). Unusually, the left side of the device is home to the volume keys and camera shutter button - keys usually found on the right side. Also, the camera shutter button is located on the left of the device when holding it to take a photo. This felt unnatural and odd for me, but could be nice for left-handers, or those that take lots of photos of themselves. It seems strange for LG to have arranged the buttons like this though, as camera shutter buttons always tend to be on the right. On the right side of the device you'll find the headphone/charger/data cable port, and the microSD^(INFO) card slot. Both of these are covered by small plastic doors to protect from grime.

Sliding the device open to reveal the red keyboard also causes the device's display to shift into landscape mode. The keyboard provides all the usual alphabetical keys, plus some extra softkeys, a messaging key, OK key, function key, and symbols key. Feedback from the keyboard was good, with a distinct 'click' for each keypress. Unfortunately it can be difficult to read the keys in certain environments, and the keyboard's blue backlighting can make things worse at times. Also, the bottom row of characters is divided by the space key, which may irritate some people. The keys themselves are well spaced, though quite small. I was able to use them quite easily, but users with larger hands may find typing more difficult.

Dialing and searching the contacts list without the slide-out keyboard is taken care of by the device's touchscreen keypad. This is activated by the earlier mentioned button, that is located just beneath the left navigation key. Pressing this button brings up an on-screen numeric keypad that can be changed to an alpha-numeric keypad for searching contacts. The device's red 'end' key doubles-up as the on/off button.