Having looked at the LG7100 flip top mobile phone, I was recently given the opportunity to try out the second phone making up LGs initial offering to the UK marketplace. This was the LG7050 model which adopts a slide down approach to help reduce size and protect the LCD screen.
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The phone is a 2.5G unit combining features such as MMS, WAP 2.0 and Java plus a built-in CMOS camera. As with its LG7100 phone, LG has limited its availability to a single operator on a monthly contract basis. In this case the operator is T-Mobile.
In its closed state the phone measures 107 x 44 x 21.5mm (L x W x D) including the short stubby antenna. By sliding down the front cover, the length increase to 230mm, fully revealing the 65K STN LCD display and unlocking the various keys. The display has a pixel definition of 128 x 160. While the quality of the resolution was good in optimum conditions even a slight movement or change in lighting conditions could result in image degradation. This was a disappointing aspect of the phone.
While on the subject of disappointing aspects, let me mention a couple of minor moans I have about the keypad and its layout. Having been used to the instant power-on feature of the Sendo M550 phone, I found the slow response to a request for power by the LG phone to be off-putting and annoying. I don't know about you but I prefer the power key to be positioned at the top of any other keys. However with the LG7050 this key comes below the navigation pad and various control keys. This means that it can be a little difficult to find when the lighting condition is poor.
Not all my thoughts about this phone are negative. I found the camera feature extremely easy to use. The camera lens is located at the back of the handset ideally positioned so that you can view and frame your shot using the LCD display as a viewfinder. For those interested in taking self-portrait there is a small circular reflective button positioned next to the lens.
A choice of four image sizes is available and these range from 128 x 96 up to 640 x 490. Depending upon the size selected you can zoom in by a factor of four plus switch between a colour and monochrome picture. By using the camera's multi-burst feature you can take a sequence of nine images - the actual number will depend on size and available memory.
The camera option can be selected from its own dedicated key or a main menu that consists of nine sections. These sections are represented by appropriate icons giving access to a range of options. Centrally positioned in this arrangement of icons is one for t-zones for a connection to the T-Mobile GPRS service. If my experiences are anything to go by then this could be a frustrating exercise as the message "Network Unavailable" appeared regularly. Even when a connection was made any attempts at downloading data were thwarted by a "HTTP Error 404 Not Found". Other options available from the menu include setting up profiles for different scenarios; message management; checking call activity; and a basic Organiser feature.
When you enter a crowded arena, as the mobile phone market surely is, and want to be competitive then your product should have some outstanding features. Unfortunately the LG7050 does not fall into this category. Apart from its nice camera feature, this phone is unlikely to attract mass-market appeal unless of course T-Mobile gives it away with a heavily subscribed contract.
Link : http://www.lge.co.uk/mod_perl/go.pl/site/products/mobile/default.htm?product_uid=2730&category_uid=662
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