LG lights up its sleek Wine III (pictures)

Available from US Cellular for $100 on- and off-contract, the LG Wine III (also known as the Exalt on Verizon) is a flip phone that features a chic aesthetic, a 2-megapixel camera, and a light-up LED external display.

On the outside, there is no obvious external display. However, once you press any of the side buttons, moving LED lights will shine from underneath the device's black surface and the time will appear. We've seen this before, with the LG dLite, but it's still a stylish addition.

The phone has a 3-inch display with a 400x240-pixel resolution. For a clamshell device, that's quite big, and I like that it's colorful and bright. With that resolution, however, it's not the sharpest screen.

When you're at the homepage, press the center OK button to launch the menu. There you'll see 12 icons for contacts, messaging, call history, and more. You can change the background color (either black or white) and change these icons into a list format.

Below the display is an alphanumeric keypad that's generously sized and spaced, and comfortable to press. The buttons are stylish too: they're flush with the rest of the device's surface, which looks modern, and their shiny tile-like design is chic.

If you're in the market for a basic flip phone, the LG Wine III hits all the right notes: it's comfortable to use, it makes decent calls, and its 3-inch screen means you won't have much trouble reading messages and viewing images. Furthermore, its snazzy digital LED display gives the device a unique and stylish look that clamshell handsets often lack. For more on LG handsets, click here.