cameraphone
LG InTouch Max (GW620) Review
March 6, 2010
The LG InTouch Max (GW620) is LG’s first attempt at an Android smartphone. Serving the budget end of the market, the GW620 is available from free on a £20 a month contract with T-Mobile in the UK. This is the same headset that Zath got to have a hands-on test with a few months ago when we attended the LG Mobile Event (November 2009), we liked the look of it and wrote up our own LG GW620 (Android) preview about the handset, so be sure to take a look at that first – it would appear our hope for a better name has in fact happened with LG playing up the social networking possibilities of this handset by calling it the LG InTouch Max!
Hardware
The LG InTouch Max (GW620) is the first Android device I’ve used with a hardware keyboard, which naturally makes the device thicker than others available on the market, although it doesn’t feel unnatural when holding it without the keyboard slid out. On the front of the device there are 2 soft touch buttons for home and back, and a physical button in the centre, allowing you to access settings of each app open.
Continue reading »Sony Ericsson Vivaz Mobile Phone Announced
January 26, 2010
Following the recent release on the Sony Ericsson Satio which we had the pleasure of testing here at Zath, they have announced the second instalment of their new family of ‘communication entertainment’ phones which promises to not only match, but exceed the standard set by its predecessor: the Sony Ericsson Vivaz.
Even if you didn’t know beforehand that the two mobile phones were ‘related’ just looking at the two next to each other kind of gives it away as the Vivaz looks remarkably like a slimmed down, brighter version of the comparatively blocky Satio.
This isn’t all that surprising as ‘looks’ seem to be one of the main two selling points of the Vivaz, and despite the fact that really it looks nothing like the shape of ‘the human body’ (which is what the publicity excitedly claims) the new design philosophy of ‘delivering beauty inside and out’ has succeeded as it really does look quite nice!
Continue reading »Sony Ericsson Satio Review
January 18, 2010
In the latter end of 2009 Sony Ericsson released the latest ‘flagship’ phone which was shown to the world with much gusto and promise, helped by a fairly universal advertising campaign (the one with the brightly coloured space hoppers) and it certainly looked like it could be very successful not only over the Christmas spending spree, but into the new year as well.
So over the seasonally-cold holidays I’ve had the pleasure (or not as the case may be) of putting the new Sony Ericsson Satio through its paces and seeing whether the real thing matches up to the promised article and whether there’s a world beating phone there – not just a pretty face and a world beating camera.
Continue reading »iPhone 3GS Review
January 13, 2010
Everyone’s seen an iPhone, and most people want one, but can you tell the difference between an iPhone 3G and an iPhone 3GS? The answer is most certainly no; they look identical to each other and are no different to the naked eye. Once you’ve used an iPhone 3GS, however, you’ll realise just how different it is.
It’s been around 6 months since the iPhone 3GS was released and at the time many people thought that it was somewhat of a low-key upgrade from the iPhone 3G, certainly it was more of an evolution than a revolution, especially when you consider what some of the 3rd generation iPhone rumours that had been going around prior to Apple’s announcement in which they introduced us to the iPhone 3GS.
So what can be added to our previous review of the iPhone 3G? Well here’s the key improvements that we’ve come to appreciate in using the iPhone 3GS, especially if you now go back to using an iPhone 3G – these differences are then immediately obvious!
Continue reading »LG Chocolate (BL20) Review
January 11, 2010
In October we saw the release of the latest addition to the relatively successful ‘Chocolate’ range with the LG Chocolate BL40 which, with its good looks (most notably the ‘super-widescreen’) and wide array of features, promised and then proved to be very popular thus setting itself up well as a rival to the other smartphones out at the time.
Seeing how high spec the LG Chocolate (BL40) was it made perfect sense for LG to stretch the range further and release a lower end version which they duly have done with the LG Chocolate (BL20) – essentially a viciously cut down smaller sister of the BL40.
Continue reading »LG Pop (GD510) Review
December 28, 2009
If there’s something that’s going to take over the market next year, it’s the invention and use of the touchscreen as a UI. And, a company that like to use it quite a bit are LG. More specifically, with their new LG Pop (GD510) mobile phone. The phone is sleek, it looks sexy and fits in the palm of your hand – even if you’re a lady with small hands. So, is this affordable phone going to take off and do well next year?
The screen is a nifty 3-incher, making it the world’s smallest touchscreen phone. It weighs next to nothing, even with the battery inside it, and although it’s on the bottom range of LG’s touchscreen phones, if you’re after something fairly easy to use and can’t afford an iPhone, then this may be for you. The UI is probably the most simple of the touchscreen UIs out there, although a little slow at times. You really do have to force your finger on the screen to make it know you’ve pressed a button.
Continue reading »Too Many Mobile Phones To Choose From?
December 12, 2009
Just recently, after getting fed up of my current contract and lack of network coverage, I decided to change. I spent hours upon hours searching through the many phones on sale these days. I remember last time I upgraded it was an easy process, there weren’t that many top phones around other than specialist handsets such as the Blackberry. But now it seems, it’s a totally different experience altogether.
First you must decide what you need from a mobile phone. Some opt for simplicity; the old fashioned handset which offers not a lot more than phone calls, SMS and a large keypad. These are perfect for business users or those who do not require some of the other complexities built into the top of the range models these days. Or are you the photographer among us? Until suffering some firmware issues the Sony Ericsson Satio was the perfect option featuring a 12.1 megapixel camera and there are some others around which boast similar spec. Perhaps web browsing is your thing, or are you an Android fan?
Continue reading »LG Chocolate (BL40) Review
October 10, 2009
The original LG Chocolate proved pretty popular when it was released, and despite the fact that it was new a good few years ago you still see a few of them around – mostly because of its looks which remain pretty stylish. Well now the LG Chocolate (BL40) is back in a totally different form.
Ditching the slider design (which seems to have fallen out of fashion recently) it has unsurprisingly moved to the touchscreen option, and if you’re thinking that it looks slightly odd you’re 100% correct because it uses a distinctive 4” 21:9 aspect ratio touchscreen which promises to enhance your multimedia viewing and generally help to produce a great phone.
Continue reading »LG Crystal (GD900) Review
September 20, 2009
Back in June we brought you a preview of the LG Crystal as well as the video preview, and now that it’s been released and we thought we’d have another look and see if the LG Crystal has lived up to expectations.
These expectations were understandably quite high, as they are generally for any phone released by one of the big manufacturers these days, but especially because this was the first phone to have a transparent keypad; however those laurels would not be enough and LG will have had to back up this with some good features to make it worthwhile. So have they? Read on!
Continue reading »LG Viewty Smart (GC900) Review
August 11, 2009
Following the relative success of the original LG Viewty (which was really one of the the first actually decent camera-phone at 5MP) and to continue our LG-touchscreen-phone season (see the LG Arena) we thought it would be good to have a detailed look at the new and inventively named LG Viewty Smart.
But before we get into the review proper it would be worth pointing out that the LG Viewty Smart isn’t, despite what it’s name might suggest, in any way a smartphone. Don’t expect this to be an iPhone or Blackberry beater, rather something that aims to stretch the cameraphone market in the same way that the original Viewty did.
Continue reading »
