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At the price you have no right to expect more than mid-range or entry-level specifications from the LG Cookie Fresh GS290. With that in mind, we can forgive the absence of GPS and Wi-Fi.
But we do find it hard not to tut-tut at the absence of 3G. Any handset that doesn't have 3G on board these days really is starting life on the back foot, especially without a Wi-Fi fall-back.
We liked
There's certainly a lot going on here in terms of features and services, with plenty of neat little apps that many users will work hard to use to the full. So there's lots to discover.
The FM radio is a treat, particularly since you don't have to have a headset plugged in to use it.
The photo editing options are fun, and could prove useful, too, and we loved the multitasking button on the front of the phone, which is handy and efficient.
We disliked
The resistive screen is liveable with in theory, but in practice we found it to be somewhat irritating. It needs a lot of pressure, and we found it was all too easy to select icons when we meant to sweep past them.
Having three Home screens is nice, having them locked to specific functions is less so. The camera, at 2MP, is disappointing.
The web browser's inability to reflow text, is a let down – though anyone trying to use it here, on a phone which lacks 3G, is asking for trouble.
Verdict
The LG Cookie Fresh GS290 is a low cost handset with a touch screen, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with LG having that as a goal.
The problem, really, comes into play with usability. The touch screen is difficult to master, text entry can be slow, the camera is not up to snuff, and web browsing, because of both the absence of 3G and the poor browser, is almost a complete no-go area.
If you have around £120 to spend on a phone, then alternatives like the Samsung Genio Slide or Tocco F480, both of which are older but make good competitors for the LG Cookie Fresh GS290, are worth a look.
