Sum n substance:

Thumbs up: Attractive design, simple interface, good price.

Thumbs down: At times the touchscreen fails to respond, clunky, absence of Wi-Fi.

Inside the trunk:

• Camera: 3 megapixels
• Video camera
• Display: TFT, 262,000 colours, 240 x 400 pixels (2.8 inches)
• Music player: MP3/ AAC/ AAC+/eAAC+ formats
• FM radio
• 64-voice polyphonic ringtones
• Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, instant messaging, email
• Java games
• Document viewer
• Memory: 40 Mbytes plus microSD memory card (expandable to 8GB)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Internet: WAP 2.0, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Quadband plus 3G HSDPA
• Size: 107 X 53 X 16 mm
• Weight: 125g
• Talktime: 4.5 hours
• Battery standby: 500 hours

THE WHIZ-KID SPEAKS: This one from LG is definitely an enhanced version of the KS360 and by the looks of it, this one too looks like its going to be another smash. Also this one isn’t heavy on the pocket and one can obtain it for Free with £150 auto cashback from Mobiles.co.uk (Blue); or £129 on PAYG from Orange or £146.75 from Dialaphone (Black).Anyways let’s go ahead with the review and see if this one is worth all the talk…

This one is less of a smartphone and more of an QWERTY packing cookie oozing out loads of attitude. This ones got a neat elegant look with silver side trims. The keys also follow the minimalistic design.  This one isn’t all that sleek at 107x53x16mm and weighs around 125g which makes it a bit clunky.

It’s got a 2.8inch resistive touchscreen without a stylus and below the screen there are three buttons. The talk and end button and a shortcut button which also doubles up as a task manager. All the buttons are covered with rubberized plastic which provide a nice grip. On the sides it has the volume rocker, memory card slot and camera shutter. The back houses the speaker and the camera lens.

The screen is vibrant and offers support for around 262,000 colours and 240×400 pixel resolution. This one like many others is a fingerprint magnet so one has to be extremely careful while handling it. I think this one can definitely learn a few touchscreen related lessons from the others in the category. At times I found myself firmly tapping all over the screen but to no avail. This at times can be irritating especially when your already hot under the collar and to add to it your phone throws tantrums as well.

It comes loaded with an accelerometer which switches to the landscape mode when you turn the handset.

The interface of the GW520 is pretty much similar to the others that are being offered by LG. Its got a nice set of widgets from which the user can use the widgets he wants on the home screen. However I would have loved to add new widgets on the main screen like the ones offered by Samsungs Touchwiz interface. Below the screen there are four fixed shortcuts-keypad, contacts, messaging and menu. Pressing on an empty part of the homepage will lead to the opening of a status page which offers information on the users connectivity, network and data usage.

The keyboard is quite roomy and has rounded keys  arranged neatly in four rows. The spacing between the keys offers a comfortable typing experience. There is a highlighted square around the numeric keys. Also the keys are backlit so it can be used under dim-lit conditions as well.

This one has a new application called as the Livesquare which offers a way of  arranging the contacts in the phonebook in a field,zoo or park layout with animated characters. Well its surley something I found fascinating but I wish there were more avatars to play around with.

The messaging options are also quite worth a look.
The email set up is absolutely a cakewalk with the user just required to enter the username and the password. This one also supports threaded messaging wherein the SMS’ appear like IM conversations.

It comes loaded with a 3 megappixel camera which takes shots with a delay of about a second. This one doesn’t support autofocus, flash and doesn’t exactly have anything much too offer. Keeping the limitations in mind, the quality of the images is not all that bad. the images are pretty much bright and animated. The option of adding drawings, texts and icons is what really bought out the kid in me. Frankly I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Anyways moving ahead… the call quality of this one is pretty decent. Though the volume isn’t that satisfactory it is audible enough even in crowded places. There was hardly any static or interference and most of the callers couldn’t make out that I was using a cellphone. On the callers side though they had a few complaints about the voice being tinny at times. Also I would recommend using the headset as compared to the speakerphone.

One of its biggest drawbacks is that this one doesn’t support Wi-fi. Yeah, its true that this one is meant specially for messaging but then again with a QWERTY keyboard in front of you its very difficult to resist using the browser.

The music player supports MP3, AAC and WMA formats and the music player interface is simple to use. However, the sound quality through the speakers aint all that satisfactory so I would recommend using a pair of headphones. The video playback was decent enough though it doesn’t support WMV or AVI  format, just plain MP4.

It has an internal memory of 40MB which can be extended upto 16GB by using the microSD slot. The battery life of this one is highly impressive with 4.5 hours talktime and 500 hours on standby. Now that’s surely a number.

Nitty-gritty: This one could be the perfect example of deceiving looks. Its got a neat little package which makes it look really attractive. However with the unresponsive touchscreen, the absence of  Wi-Fi makes it more of a nice low cost introduction to touchscreen. This one could definitely do better with a few upgrades here and there.

Sum n substance:

Thumbs up: Good keyboard, attractive feature set, decent call quality.

Thumbs down: No flash and self portrait mirror, bad video streaming.

THE WHIZ-KID SPEAKS: Looks like Sammy learnt quite a few lessons from the launch of the Messager and thankfully came up with the refined Messager 2. This one is not only more attractive but also has an appealing feature set. So lets go ahead and see what Sammy has to offer with this latest one…

Razzle-dazzle: I ain’t going to start with my rant on the Messager but I just can’t move ahead with the review of this without mentioning the fact that its older sibling was almost mistaken for a toy. Thankfully the Massager 2 looks and feels more sturdy and has a got a nice flamboyant aura around it. It isn’t all that attractive but then again it isn’t down right ugly.

It’s got a 2.2 inch display which supports a 262,000 colours which is quite vibrant and bright. The images look innate and pleasant. The menus are user friendly and the shortcut icons on the standby display are pretty useful.

What is impressive about the Messager is the nifty navigation array. It’s got a circular wheel which functions both as a four way toggle and a scrollwheel. Its got two soft keys, a clear button, a speakerphone shortcut and the talk and the end buttons on either side of the navigation toggle. Below the toggle is the keypad which is spacious enough with flush keys. Though the numbers on the phone are small, the keys make up for a nice pleasant typing experience.

On the left spine it houses the volume rocker and the microSd slot and on the right spine it houses the camera shutter and the Micro-USB port. The camera lens and the speaker rest on the back of the phone though this one lacks a flash and self  portrait mirror.

Sliding the phone on the left side reveals the keyboard. The slider mechanism is quite sturdy and the keyboard has a pleasant feel in the hand. The keys are nicely spaced out and though they are flat they make up for a comfortable typing experience. This one does not have an accelerometer though it flips to the landscape mode when the phone is rotated. The keys are backlit which make it easier to use in the dark.

Inside dope: This one has a 1000 entry phonebook which can store around five numbers and an email address per entry. Apart from the basic features like the vibrate mode, calculator, alarm clock, calendar and a tip calculator, this one has Bluetooth with file transfer protocol, voice dialing, USB support and a variety of other applications.

This one comes with an iinternal memory of 40 MB, but can be spruced up with an external memory card.

It comes loaded with a 2- megapixel camera which can be used to take pictures in almost five resolutions. The quality of the photos was pretty much impressive for a 2 megapixel camera. It didn’t display much noise and the photos were pretty much clear and vibrant. The multimedia videos removed with the help of the camcorder are capped at 30 secs. The quality of the videos is pretty much mediocre though.

It’s got the standard Samsung music player which is pretty much easy to use. The toggle can be used to scroll over the song lists. The audio quality over the speakers isn’t that great and that’s like nothing new for this kind of a phone. So I recommend using a headset.

Coming to the most important factor… the call quality. Its pretty satisfactory to say the least. The call volume is good with hardly any interference or static. There was also no echo exhibited. Quite contrary to my expectations, the quality of the sound over the speakerphone was loud and clear even in crowded places. On the other end the callers were pretty much satisfied with the voice quality and hardly had any problems except some background sound. This one paired up easily with Bluetooth headsets and the voice quality over the Bluetooth headsets was also pretty much decent.

The messager 2 has a battery life of  12 hours on standby and 4 hours of talktime which is again pretty much average.

Nitty- gritty: This one is definitely targeted at those who want IM, e-mail and MMS when on the move. Priced at $149 this one is definitely better than its predecessor and is also a solid accretion to both the Metro PCS and Cricket.

Sum n substance:

Thumbs up: Admirable call quality, good camera, decent display, good battery life.

Thumbs down: Drab outdated design.

THE WHIZ KID SPEAKS: History repeats itself… and in the case of Samsung it keeps on happening so many times. LOL. Frankly I don’t understand whats the point in launching a phone which is similar to many that were launched three years ago again. I mean is it so tough for Sammy to move on?? Anyways all my lame wisecracks aside let’s move ahead with the review of this one…

Razzle-Dazzle: This one is BAH… again a slider… nothing new. No no, I aint saying this one is unattractive but then it’s like u get bored of seeing the same thing again n again. Anyways, this is a sleek silver one with a smooth slider mechanism. At 4.06 inches by 1.93 inches by 0.88 inch and weighing 3.28 ounces this one easily slips into the pocket.

Its got a 2.25 inch display with support for 262,000 colours and a resolution of  320×240 pixels. As such there isn’t any real drawback with the display, it’s a pretty much average plain jane display. Right below the display we have a navigation toggle, the talk and end buttons along with the clear key and two soft keys on each side of the navigation toggle. Pushing the slider reveals the keypad. The buttons on the keypad are pretty much flat and don’t offer much hindrance while dialing. They are pretty much well spaced, but speed texters might face a few problems getting used to the keypad.

The left spine houses the volume rocker and the micro SD slot and on the right side we have the camera shutter and the headphone jack. To click a photo you need to slide the phone as the camera lens and the self portrait mirror are located behind the slider.

Inside Dope: Like the other phones from Samsung even this one has a 1000 entry phonebook along with other features like the vibrate mode, alarm clock, calculator, timer, speakerphone, memo list, a unit and currency converter. Keeping the basic features aside this one also offers support for Bluetooth, GPS and PC syncing. This one also includes the POP3 email support.

This one also comes loaded with a 2 megapixel camera and lets the user take pictures in four resolutions ranging from 1,600×1,200 to 320×240. It also offers a few editing options. The camcorder offers a decent 176×144 resolution. The photo quality is pretty much decent and exhibits hardly any noise. The photos are also bright and quite vibrant. Once the user is done taking the pictures, the pictures can easily be transferred using the Bluetooth support or can be stored on the phone itself which offers an inbuilt memory of 80MB. However the memory is expandable so I would recommend using a separate memory card for storage.

Coming to the music player… it’s a basic simple music player with an user friendly menu. The songs are categorized according to artists, genres, albums and tracks. As in most of the phones the audio quality of the speakers ain’t all that great, it would better to use a pair of headphones while on the go.

The call quality… not that I wasn’t expecting it but then the call quality was excellent. No static or interference with strong signal. Also the callers on the other side could not tell that I was using a cellphone. Speakerphone quality was also pretty decent except for at crowded places.

The battery of this one offers a 5 hours talktime and 12.5 days on standby mode which is again decent enough for a phone like the T659.

Nitty-Gritty: I kind of totally understand the attachment that Sammy has towards the slider design because it didn’t launch one or two but a total bundle of such phones around 3 years back and now again its come out with the same design. For Pete sake’s Sammy move on… anyways this one is a decent basic phone. It’s almost got everything that a decent phone must have. I would recommend this one to anyone who is looking out for a decent phone for longterm use…

Sum n substance:

Thumbs up: Killer looks, brilliant screen and resolution, satisfactory camera features, decent video playing quality.

Thumbs down: Disappointing battery life, dual screen UI not used much.

Inside the trunk:

Features: TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors / Photo Geo-tagging, face, smile and blink detection / Dolby Mobile sound enhancement / Downloadable polyphonic ringtones / Gesture controls / Proximity sensor for auto turn-off / Multi-touch input method / Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate / Schneider-Kreuznach optics.

THE WHIZ-KID SPEAKS: The latest one from LG under the Black line collection is definitely a show stealer to say the least. No surprise for guessing that this one again is aimed at the Fashionista out there. But along with the high glam quotient comes a highly irresistible feature set. Basically this one is for the user who loves to admire the looks of the phone than probably using it much.

It could be called the pioneer in the world of cinematic screens. It comes loaded with a full 21:9 screen which is definitely a plus point for all the people who love to watch their movies on the move.

It’s got a vibrant red metal and black look to it, which by far is my favourite combination. I mean who wouldn’t love a red and a black combination?? Anyways on the top of the chassis is a 3.5 jack for the headphone along with the lock/power key. The right side houses a wave like volume rocker along stylistic camera key.

What’s surprising here is the absence of the touch sensitive keys in the front. Basically the front side just has the huge screen and a video camera along with LG logo and a speaker. The rear also doesn’t have much of embellishments except for the camera lens and the LG logo giving it a highly classy feel. Though this one is quite a long phone and could easily compete for the title of the longest phone, this one comfortably fits into the male pocket.

One of the reasons I don’t appreciate LG much is the fact that the Interfacing that it uses is highly disappointing. But it looks like LG is trying hard to work on that with the launch of this one. It has the same S-class UI but this one is far more responsive compared to the Crystal and the Arena. The responsiveness of this one is  highly innate and it hardly just required me to swipe my finger upward to unlock the phone. The wipeability feature of the chocolate is highly impressive. It also has something called as the gesture unlocking. Which means that you just have to jot in a gesture for a particular application and voila… the application is open right in front of you. Like for instance if you want to open the messaging application all you need to do is probably put in an ‘M’ and there the application opens up.

Coming to the most impressive feature that this one has to offer… the 800×345 resolution screen which in the words of LG is ‘true’VGA. Whatever it is, it is truly breath taking. What always gets me thinking is the fact that why doesn’t LG use OLED screens for its phone. But this one could make anyone mistake it for an OLED screen. The images are just so animated and lively, the colours are just so deep, the contrast is just so perfect… I could go on and on about the awesome display quality, to sum it up its just FANTABULOUS.

Keeping the phone size in mind I kind of expected the call quality to be pretty much decent and this one surely lived up to my expectations. Hardly any static or interference, some hint of background voice at times, but on the whole the quality is nice. Also at the callers end they hardly had any problems as such. The video calling doesn’t have anything much enticing to offer except for the clear detailed videos of yourself and the person on the other line, but the voice quality on the speakerphone is nothing great to talk much about.

I would recommend using the phone in the landscape mode for a better messaging experience. What is unsatisfactory here in this case is the fact that you can just see one line of the text that your typing on the screen. I totally understand that this one has a slim screen but then again it wouldn’t hurt much if I could see more of my scribblings on the screen. Something innovative that LG has come up with is that you can ‘cc’ people while messaging them. Also you could easily push E-mail from a variety of servers like yahoo, hotmail.etc.

The claims of a dual screen UI (viewing two screens at the same time) could be noticed only in the messaging mode. When switched too the landscape mode I could see the message I was typing on one side and on the other side I could see a preview of the message.

This one comes loaded with a 5 megapixel Schneider Kreuznach lens which makes picture taking a pleasant experience. Also for all those who want prettier friends this one has something called the beauty shoot mode, LOL. I wont recommend this one taking pitures under the bright light because then the entire foreground gets totally obliterated. Plus this one isn’t that great when it comes to taking pictures which have a huge palette of colours. The flash is a  commendable feature and I could easily say that somehow it manages to throw in more light as compared to the sun… sounds weird but its true.

Now coming to the  most mind blowing feature of the chocolate. I was just waiting to experiment with the Media player option of this one. Well it’s the most brilliant experience too actually be watching a movie on the 21:9 TV. The movies played on the media player were pretty much decent. It can easily handle AVI, MP4, DivX and Xvid formats. This one for sure is an awesome PMP and a swish mobile phone as well.

Talking about the applications, this one has  a nice set of cool applications which are more than enough to give you company when you are feeling dull and bored. Also the organizer of the Choccolate is pretty much basic and offers the regular stuff like the calculator, to do list, memo functions, multiple alarms etc. to keep you occupied.

However , quite sadly the battery life of the Chocolate is quite poor. The screen is quite vibrant and bright and all of that but that definitely drains a lot of power. Well all I could conjure from this one is that probably LG had to compromise on something to fit everything into such a slim frame, and probably this is the one it decided to compromise on.

Nitty- Gritty: This one’s definitely for all the fashionista’s. Well its got looks, its got the style, its stuffed with more than brilliant features which could have Shania Twain change the lyrics of her song to “ that surely impresses me much”… go ahead give it a shot… if you have the bucks and are on the search for a high end dainty phone then this one is for you.