It’s a phone! It’s an MP3 player! It’s the Fusic! Forgive the Superman-esque introduction, but the new Fusic by LG phone (LG LX550), offered through Sprint, has been generating enough attention to deserve its own cape of honor. And at a weight of only 4.3 ounces, it won’t weigh down anyone with less-than-super strength.

The Fusic phone attracts three crowds: the techies, the fashionistas and those who find themselves somewhere in between. Features such as a built-in media player, Bluetooth wireless technology, external microSD memory card slot and 1.3 megapixel camera are enough to satisfy any technology-thirsty student. The style-driven bunch are also allured by the inclusion of four color faceplates ?” blue, black, green and pink ?” to be interchanged depending on one’s mood or, perhaps, designer bag.

So what does all of this techno lingo mean? It means that the Fusic allows users to see and hear real-time video and audio, store massive amounts of pictures, videos and music and record digital pictures and video, all in one tiny device. The Fusic is also the first cell phone to include an FM transmitter, which means that it can transmit audio to car stereos and other FM receivers.

With an appearance strikingly similar to the iPod, the Fusic also offers sleek, yet sturdy design. While it is not as thin as other cell phones on the market, it makes up for its size by providing convenient music controls on the front cover.

Sprint, the exclusive provider of the phone, states on its website that the Fusic is a “mobile phone designed for the mobile music lifestyle.”

Sacramento State freshman and computer science major, Andrew Reedy, purchased the Fusic two weeks ago. He is happy with his purchase and, thus far, has not noticed any technological or physical pitfalls in the phone.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s the best phone I’ve ever owned.”

Reedy said that his purchase was motivated by the phones ability to play music that is downloaded and transferred through his desktop computer.

“I don’t have to buy the music,” said Reedy. “I can download it for free on my computer and use it as a ringtone or just to listen to.”

The phone was originally released at the beginning of the summer, but it is just now starting to generate a steep increase in sales.

A Sprint customer service representative said that as music phones become more popular in the United States, sales of the Fusic are rising as well. He added that it is made by a good brand with a solid reputation.

“LG has really nice construction of their phones in general.” He said. “I would definitely be interested in it as a consumer.”

The only potential problem in the phone’s design is the keypad buttons, which are set so flush with the phone that the user needs to pay close attention to avoid inaccurate dialing. However, bright blue backlighting helps to improve visual navigation.

“I can see how some people might have a problem with that,” the service representative said, “but I haven’t had that problem with my LG phone. It depends on the individual.”

Other standard features include: large full-color screen, external navigation pad, built-in speakerphone, predictive text input, advanced voice recognition, 3D graphics, voice memo/recorder and more. It is also compatible with select TTY and hearing aid devices.

The Fusic by LG phone can currently be purchased through Sprint for $149.99 ($329.99 regular price – $150.00 instant savings with a two-year agreement – $30.00 mail-in rebate).

Megan Chuchmach can be reached at [email protected]