Mobile phones with the LG brand have been around in the United States for a long time, but it is only with the LG Incite CT810 that mobile phone subscribers in the United States will get a chance to see how LG performs when it comes to Smartphones. The LG Incite CT810 is available only through AT&T.
Will the LG Incite CT810 be able to fulfill whatever expectations the US market may have when it comes to smartphones?
Everything Shiny
When you take an LG Incite CT810 from its box, the first impression that you will probably have is that it is a very shiny phone. The body has a gleaming, mirror-like finish that can actually make it hard on the eyes when used in direct sunlight.
Otherwise, it is a sleek and classy phone, measuring 4.21 inches long, 2.20 inches wide and 0.55 inch thick. With a weight of 120 grams, the LG Incite CT810 will feel light but solid in your hand.
The LG Incite itself has a simple, minimalist look to it. As it is a Touch screen phone, the only controls you will see on the LG Incite are the talk and end keys, the dedicated camera key and the volume rocker.
The face of the LG Incite is dominated by a 3-inch screen with a 240 x 400 pixel resolution. It can recognize 262K colors. Despite the mirror-finish of the phone, the reflective capacity of the screen can be eased somewhat by adjusting its brightness.
Complete Connectivity
The LG Incite is a GSM quad-band phone that is capable of global 3G roaming. It can also alternate as a UMTS tri-band phone. This LG phone model has support for connecting to GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA networks, as well as with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Connectivity using a 3.5-millimeter jack and a USB cable is also possible.
Since the LG Incite is a smartphone, you can expect to log on the Internet without any hitch using it. Internet Explorer Mobile comes on board the phone, as well as the AT&T NetFront browser. The phone also comes with the Microsoft Office mobile applications and a PDF reader.
Mediocre Camera
The LG Incite can pass for a multimedia phone as well if you are not too fussy about quality. It does have a 3-megapixel camera that has a number of shot modes and control features, but it does not have Autofocus or a flash. The resulting quality of the photos is on the dull and blurry side.
Video recording is available only on the LG Incite’s European version. But you can still play videos on the US version with the built-in Windows Media Player. The phone also has the AT&T Cellular Video service that can let you stream videos from various content providers.
As for music, the LG Incite supports mp3, AAC, eAAC, AAC+, eAAC+, wma and wav formats. The quality of sound is fine, though not as good as you would expect from a dedicated multimedia phone.
It Lags a Little
As you have probably guessed, the LG Incite runs on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. Though the LG Incite has a haptic, tactile touch screen, it will take a second for your inputs to register because of lag.
There are three ways to input text on the LG Incite. One is the SureType virtual Keypad that shows up when the phone is on portrait mode. The second one is the full QWERTY Keyboard that appears on landscape mode. The third is via handwriting recognition software and a stylus. The virtual keys are big enough, but when it is on full QWERTY mode, it eats up nearly all of the screen real estate. Also, having the stylus dangle like a cellphone trinket can be iffy for some users.
Performance
As a mobile phone, LG Incite delivers clear call quality on both ends. It has a talk time of over eight hours and a standby time of 504 hours. It contains 128 MB of RAM and 256 MB of ROM while the built-in memory is 70 MB. You can, however, expand that memory up to 32 GB with a microSD or microSDHC card.
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tagged: LG, 3G, HSDPA, Keyboard, QWERTY, Windows Mobile 6, Touch, Keypad, Windows Mobile, Wi-Fi, Smartphone, Autofocus, Omina, Incite, LG Incite
If you have come across the old version of the LG Prada before, one look at the LG Prada II may give you a mild case of déjà vu. After all, they look almost exactly alike, except that the LG Prada II may seem a little thicker. But does the similarity between the LG Prada II and its predecessor go beyond the plastic, or is there more to the newcomer that meets the eye?
Sleekness in Design
The LG Prada II, also known as the LG KF900, has a sleek candy bar design that makes it really pretty on the eyes. It measures 4.11 inches long, 2.13 inches wide and 0.66 inches deep. The phone is a little bit thicker than its predecessor, the LG Prada, but that is probably because of the full QWERTY Keyboard that slides out from underneath the screen.
The Touch screen of the LG Prada II is a nice three inches diagonal. It has a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels and can recognize 262,144 colors. The phone, all in all, weighs 130 grams, and it fits easily in the palm of your hand or inside the pocket of your pants.
Versatility in Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, the LG Prada II has a lot to offer. It is a GSM quad-band phone and it is possible to use it with global roaming. In Europe, it can work as a UMTS dual-band phone, while in Asia it is possible to have it as a 3G phone. The LG Prada II can also work with GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA.
Aside from that, the LG Prada II has support for WAP 2.0, XHTML and full HTML browsing. You can also connect the phone using Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth and USB 2.0.
Well-Rounded Multimedia
The LG Prada II is a phone that can cover as a multimedia phone rather well. The music player can give you some level of listening pleasure, as it is easy to organize your music tracks with it. The phone has support for playing a wide variety of music formats, including mp3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, RealAudio, 3GP, wma and wav. It also has an FM radio player.
The camera that goes with the LG Prada II is a highly functional 5-megapixel camera that has almost all the settings you would want in a camera phone: Autofocus, night mode, flash, digital zoom and image stabilizer. It even has a separate camera for making video calls.
Video recording and playback can also be done satisfactorily with the LG Prada II. The camera can record videos at 30 frames per second at a resolution of 720 x 480 pixels. Formats supported include mpeg4, RV, DivX, H.263 and H.264. What is more is that the LG Prada II has an application that allows for editing photos and videos.
The Bluetooth Watch
It is also very much worth noting that the LG Prada II is easy to use. It has a fully QWERTY keyboard that slides from underneath the screen, as mentioned above. The LG Prada II is also a multi-touch phone, which means that you can easily pinch or scroll your way through the menus and in browsing the Internet.
However, the multi-touch function is not as responsive as you may want it to be. On the other hand, the interface does allow for fast scrolling, and in this phone model, freezing seems to be rare.
Customizing widgets with the LG Prada II can be fun. You can create your own widgets based on the tasks you do most often with your LG Prada II. After you have finished with your widgets, just give the phone a little shake and the icons will fall into place.
But the best thing ever with the LG Prada II is its Bluetooth watch accessory. It does not come with the retail box, but it is highly recommended that you get one. The Bluetooth watch allows you to read text messages, cancel phone calls or put your phone on silent mode when it is not possible for you to answer your phone calls. It also functions as an ordinary digital watch would.
The LG Prada II may bring that déjà vu sensation crawling up you at first glance, especially if you have already used the old LG Prada before. But this newcomer has a true appeal that makes it worth your time and your money.
Get Unlocked LG Phones at ElephantCellular
tagged: LG, 5-megapixel, 3G, HSDPA, Keyboard, QWERTY, Touch, Wi-Fi, Prada, Autofocus, Prada II
LG constantly needs to remind the public that the first ever Touch screen mobile phone is an LG phone – the LG Prada, in particular. Its latest reminder comes in the form of the LG Renoir. But how does the LG Renoir stand in the way of touch screen phones? Let us take a closer look.
Glassy, Classy and Light
At first glance, the LG Renoir is a sleek and classy phone that is nice on the eyes. The body is only 14 millimeters thick, and its size is 56 x 108 millimeters. A shiny, metallic trim lines its sides and circles are etched at its back. It also has a glass face which is pretty to look at, except that it makes the phone susceptible to smudges and fingerprints.
The glass face is also a bit of a weakness for the LG Renoir. While it is viewable when one is indoors; the glare can be too much when one is outside or when under a really bright light.
The LG Renoir also feels very light in the hands. Some may like this near weightlessness when holding a mobile phone or sticking it in the pocket, but some may also find that the phone feels like some cheap plastic because of its lightness.
The Barest Essentials in Connectivity
Connectivity options are a must among high-end phones these days, and there is nothing fancy about the LG Renoir’s connectivity. The phone model sadly offers only the basic essentials: Wi-Fi, WAP 2.0, Bluetooth and microUSD. It is installed with HSDPA, however, and this allows for fast mobile Internet surfing, emailing and instant messaging on this phone.
The LG Renoir is a GSM Quad with global roaming. The US version of the phone will be UMTS dual-band 3G, while the version to be released in other areas will be UMTS 2100 MHz.
Winning Multimedia Features
Perhaps one of the most solid features of the LG Renoir is its camera. It is a powerful 8-megapixel device with a Xenon flash. What makes this camera so great is that it has face detection, smile detection and blink detection. This means that the camera can be programmed so that it would not take snapshots if the subject is not smiling or has closed eyes. It also has digital zooming and ISO controls.
The only downside to the LG Renoir camera is that it has a thick ring around it that makes the silhouette of the phone uneven. The Xenon flash also leaves a lot to be desired because it does not produce enough light to brighten pictures taken indoors or in poor lighting.
For people who love to take their music with them, they will certainly be pleased with the fact that the Dolby Mobile software built in with this phone model makes the music so clear and crisp. This beauty, however, is marred by the fact that it does not have a 3.5 millimeter jack for earphones, although adaptors can be used. The LG Renoir can recognize mp3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC and WMA music files. It also has an FM radio tuner.
As for video playback, the LG Renoir can record video at 120 frames per second. It also has support for MPEG4, WMV, AVI, H.264, DivX and Xvid video formats. Watching videos, however, may be limited because this phone model only has a 3-inch screen size and a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels. It can also only recognize 262,000 colors.
Not Too Touchy
Despite the fact that the LG Renoir is a touch screen phone, the touch layer is not really sensitive enough. It may take a number of taps to get the commands done. On the other hand, the LG Renoir works using widgets and these widgets are easy to operate.
A Good Enough Keyless Phone, But…
…It still has a lot of limitations. It is a brave attempt by LG to try to reclaim its due recognition for giving the public the first true Touchscreen phone, but the LG Renoir has minor issues that make the attempt fall short. Nonetheless, for people who are turned off by the overhyped touch screen phone models, the LG Renoir is a good alternative.
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tagged: LG, Touchscreen, 3G, HSDPA, Touch, Wi-Fi, Prada, Xenon flash, Renoir
The LG KF600 is one of those phones that looks and feels to be as good as its elder brother the LG KF700. The unique highlight of the phone lies in its dual interface that is a combination of Touch screen and non- touch screen portions.
Interesting design elements
The glossy finish of the LG KF600 makes this a stylish phone to have! The trapezoidal shape of the phone further ups the ergonomically designed aspect of the phone. The LG KF600 comes with a split screen on the front face. While the upper 2 inches of the phone boast a non-touch screen color display the lower end comes with a Touchscreen that measures 1.5 inches in height. This touch screen is also known as the InteractPad and displays controls and menus commonly in use thereby making navigation to popular items easy. The good thing about this phone is the presence of an alphanumeric Keypad that enables users non-conversant with touch screen technology to use the phone with ease. The keypad facilitates ease of textual input as well as dialing functions. The phone has a set of red lights on its surface which remind us of retro fashion in the 80s. The touch sensitive buttons present on the phone actually change their functionality depending on the particular feature in use at the moment. The sliding phone reveals the alphanumeric keypad which is hidden otherwise. The presence of virtual keys that dynamically change as per function greatly helps in the user friendly aspect.
Diverse range of features
The LG KF600 comes with tri-band GSM connectivity and also has an inbuilt camera with a 3 Megapixel capacity. However the phone lacks 3G connectivity. There is also a camcorder inbuilt into the phone. Added features include the presence of an MP3 player, Bluetooth, a microSD card slot as well as internal memory capacity of 25 MB (which is a little less as compared to other phones in the market today). The camera comes with image stabilization facility, control towards white balance as well as reduction of red eye effect. The phone comes with EDGE data transmission support and also has an FM tuner inbuilt. The phone also comes with GPRS/GSM support and the average resolution on the screen is about 240 x 320 pixels. The camera comes with flash functionality as well as digital zoom feature. However it lacks optical zoom as well as autofocus facility. However, the phone does have video recording mechanisms. The predictive T9 feature allows the phone to remember text typed in for easier input the next time.
Performance highlights
In terms of performance the LG KF600 certainly scores high in the user friendliness category. The virtual touch sensitive buttons are designed to greatly improve the navigability and user experience. The slide type phone with the dual option of touchscreen as well as alphanumeric keypad makes for easy use.
Outlook and predictions
On the whole the LG KF600 promises a good functional utility. It has a good blend of features like the T9 predictive input and the versatile touch screen. Even in the looks department it scores as well as its elder brother the LG KF700. It is a great phone to have for those who aren’t too picky about WiFi.
The LG KF700 offers a versatile combination of features that any user can choose from. The great option about this phone is the presence of a Touch screen as well as an alphanumeric Keypad!
Design aspects
The LG KF700 comes with a big 3 inch touch screen and also comes with 3 versatile input methods namely the shortcut dial, the touch screen as well as an alphanumeric Keyboard. The keypad is snugly hidden from view behind the screen and only when slid down does it reveal itself! The shortcut dial is located in the rear side of the phone and comprises a physical wheel which can be cycled to navigate through six of one’s favorite user-defined menus and applications. The design is stylish as is reminiscent of all LG phones. However when compared with its other siblings the LG KF700 does fall short in terms of the style element. Compared to the other phones in the market which are slim and trendy looking the LG KF700 does seem a little on the heavier and bulkier side. The dimensions of the phone are 102 mm x 51 mm x 14.5 mm. However as far as Touchscreen experience is concerned the large screen size is an added advantage.
Feature rich phone
The LG KF700 seems to have almost everything that a modern day smartphone should ideally have. The phone comes with HSPDA 3G connectivity at 3.5 G and also comes with an inbuilt camera of 3 Megapixel capacity. The phone also offers complete browsing functionality along with full Google blog access. You also have video playback facility, email and map support as well as Youtube services in the phone. The easy to use keypad makes textual input that much easier and dialing functions are easy as well. The shortcut dial located on the back actually doubles up as a scrolling tool to easily browse through web pages and emails. The phone comes with Bluetooth and has an inbuilt memory of 90 MB. However there is a microSD card slot included with the phone. However some of the drawbacks of this phone are the absence of WiFi, handwriting recognition and no support for office applications. This can be a downer for those of us who prefer to remain connected while on the go. However the LG KF700 makes up for this with its 16 M colorful display.
Performance unparalleled
The 3 choices for operating the LG KF700 are great for cell phone users as it offers non- touch screen users an easy transition into it via a keyboard and a shortcut dial. As far as video shots are concerned there seems to be a lag time associated with the phone’s performance. The image stabilization feature in the phone is an added advantage that makes up for the average video performance.
Overall outlook and predictions
On the whole the LG KF700 seems to spell success. Its stylish exterior and the three-fold option of accessing the phone make it a surefire winner. In spite of the fact that video performance is below average and that the phone lacks WiFi, in general this phone promises functionality and beauty. Great to have.
The Samsung F700 is available for $559.89 at ElephantCellular
tagged: LG, Touchscreen, Youtube, 3G, Keyboard, Touch, PDA, Keypad, F700, KF700
The LG Viewty is a beautiful phone that packs in a rich set of features all of which make this phone a ‘must have’ in everyone’s list. The phone promises looks to kill for as well as plenty of utility!
Beautiful design
The LG Viewty is been designed for the discerning mobile phone buyer. Encased in a beautiful black casing with a silver metallic lining around the edges the phone looks simply elegant! The dimensions of the phone measure around 103.5 mm x 54.4 mm x 14.8 mm which is quite similar to the dimensions of the IPhone from Apple. The phone weighs around 112 grams which isn’t all that heavy when you consider the range of features it boasts of! Uncannily similar to the LG Prada in terms of the Flash UI and large sized screen the LG Viewty still has a marked difference in its feature set. On the front panel there are three actual hardware keys namely the send, end and correction key denoted by a C.
On the top right hand side you would find the 5 megapixel camera and the left edge of the phone contains the universal port for charging, data cable etc. One good thing in the design is that this port is hidden under the top cover which slides. The only other control present on the phone is at the bottom which hosts the slot for the microphone pinhole. On the top you would find the release button for the back cover and the eyelet for the neck strap.
Rich host of features
The LG Viewty packs in plenty of features to make this phone a total utility accessory! It is currently the loudest handset in the market today with call quality being exceptional. The Flash UI interface is another plus point in the phone that also comes with a handy task manager that opens up applications such as calendar, phonebook, message windows etc. The LG Viewty comes with a total contacts capacity of around 500 contacts. You can store as much information about each contact as you possibly want! You can easily convert an SMS into an MMS in the LG Viewty.
The interface also comes with handwriting recognition that makes textual input that much easier! The sliding QWERTY Keyboard is another bonus point in the LG Viewty. The phone comes with an inbuilt internal memory of 100 MB. You can filter tracks easily in the phone because of the updated MP3 player. One of the good things about the LG Viewty is that it comes with Youtube integration as well which means that uploading video files into YouTube is easy with the file manager. The phone comes with tri-band GSM connectivity as well as HSPDA support of 3.6 Mbps. There is also Bluetooth and A2DP support for stereo.
Performance factors
The LG Viewty performs exceptionally well as far as the camera is concerned. The maximum resolution offered is 2592 x 1944 pixels. Video performance is also at par with shots possible at 120 fps.
Overall outlook
On the whole the LG Viewty is a very neat phone to have what with its rich set of functional features and beautiful handset. Good value for money.
The LG KU990 Viewty is available for $509.89 at ElephantCellular
tagged: LG, Youtube, Keyboard, QWERTY, PDA, IPhone, Apple, Prada, KU990 Viewty, 5 megapixel
Many mobile phone experts have posed this question time and again – is it possible for fashion and technology to merge and create a winning combination? Well, when it comes to the LG Prada it certainly seems possible to a certain extent!
Design specifics
The highpoint of the LG Prada seems to lie in its responsive Touch screen display. It is also one of the best looking phones around today. You will not find the LG logo on the phone instead the Prada logo makes its bold mark in front. The fancy glossy black exterior coupled with the slim size and absence of the Keypad makes this phone look ultra chic. However the glossy finish can make maintenance a bit difficult. That is why the phone comes with an LCD cleaner that is branded. Unlike the other touch sensitive cell phones in the market the LG Prada has a set of actual buttons on the screen that appear and go away depending on the menu chosen.
There are two touchable buttons located below the touch screen area for sending and returning functions. On the side of the phone you will find buttons for volume control, music player as well as camera options. There are plenty of themes to choose from however the default black and white theme seems to suits the phone the best. Another factor that adds to its style quotient is the absence of a stylus. However this can make touch screen operability a bit of a difficulty especially if one has large fingers.
Performance factors
On the whole the LG Prada promises an above average performance. The touch screen is very responsive albeit is suited to those with small fingers. Hence it can aptly be called a phone more suited to ladies. With an intuitive interface you will find using the touch screen a sheer pleasure. For example textual inputs are made much easier because of the T9 predictive input facility. Basically if you have entered a word or sentence before the phone remembers it and the next time you type it the word or sentence gets completed.
Features which are tech-savvy too!
If you thought the LG Prada was just a pretty phone you would show off then think again! The phone also comes with a cool set of features to boast of! The inbuilt camera comes with a 2 Megapixel capacity and includes flash as well. Though the picture quality isn’t as good as many other phones in the market it is decent enough. The phone also comes with a music player and FM radio inbuilt. The phone also supports email facility along with MS Office suite attachments. The available microSD card slot can even be upgraded to a capacity of 1 GB. The phone also comes with Bluetooth as well as USB connectivity and supports EDGE data transmission. One drawback is in the battery lofe which can be a downer when compared to many other phones of today.
Outlook and predictions
The LG Prada is a great fashion accessory to have if you have the money to spend! It has enough ‘techiness’ in it without going overboard to become the nerdy phone! On the whole a functional and stylish phone to have!
The LG KE850 is available for $429.00 at ElephantCellular
tagged: LG, Touch, Keypad, Prada, KE850 Prada
