Tag: LG

  • LG G3 Review

    Welcome to the 2014 LG G3 is the latest top end phone from a company we have ignored for the simple reason that they didn't make any decent phones. After looking at the L70 we decided to review the G3 version and glad we did. Looking at the specifications the G3 best even the Samsung S5 in the some important categories but of course a phone is more than just a list of parts specs. Being a new release (July 2014) the recommended retail price RRP of the LG G3 is a $750 which is quite expensive but also reasonable considering it's specifications and that other top range phones are about the same price too. In terms of construction the LG G3 is very very good. Sure it's mainly plastic/metal coating but its it impressive to look at, more so than iphone, HTC One, Galaxy 5S etc.. However once in the hand it does have the feel of expense but missing that extra solid feel that Nokia can do, HTC that other metal constructed phones have. Nevertheless it still feels great to hold and very well made. In terms of use the LG G3 is a standard Android OS experience with few specific enhancements. Thanks to the App Store you can essentially get any additional functionality or change the appearance any time you want. We like having the microSD slot since transferring data to a new phone very easy. To conclude our short review the LG G3 is a feature packed and highly competitive smartphone. It has all the benefits and problems associated with being Android based. As a result only it's hardware design differentiates it from the rest and it does succeed. It's a good looking phone but there are other very good looking phones else where too. It needs something special to separate it from the rest. Specifications
    • LG G3
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/900/2100 Penta-band 4G 700/800/900/1800/2600
    • Design Touch screen
    • L146.3 x W74.5 x D.8.9 mm
    • Weight 149 grams
    • Display 5.5 inch 2560 x 1440
    • Camera 13MP Dual LED Flash Laser Autofocus 2.1MP 2nd forward facing camera
    • Video Camera 2010p 30 fps 1080p or 60 fpsHD 2.1MP Video phone camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4 NFC USB
    • CPU Quad core 2.2 Ghz Separate Andreno 330 Graphics CPU
    • Memory 2Gig RAM Up to 16 Gig for user Up to 128Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features Wireless charging Removable battery A-GPS and GLONASS FM Radio with RDS Wireless charging Li-Po 3000 mAh battery Up to  23.5 Days Standby Up to 21 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $750 AUD August 2014 (Outright)

  • LG G Watch R review

    lgvssony
    You've been waiting for this one too no doubt. We've finally go our hands on arguably the best Smartwatch on the market. Say hi! to the LG G Smartwatch R (W110) review. It has been about 12 months since the Sony Smartwatch2 was released and this time we decided to try the LG version dubbed the 'LG G Smartwatch R' which is quite a mouth full. While the Sony smartwatches where essentially the first by a manufacturer they haven't achieve mainstream success.That said the Smartwatch is a great piece of programming and reasonable design. The Sony's interface is very smooth and the applications work really well. But after a year we understand why not many have taken up the tech. The Smartwatch2 is not an essential part of everyday life it is merely anther gadget to charge. It's handy for notifications and telling the time but that's it. Furthermore it is still quite a large watch who's styling is still greek cred rather than designer or jewel like. So why did we go for another smartwatch? Simple the LG G smartwatch R is the one of two watches with round faces and the only one that is truly a circle. It is the key selling feature that is enhanced by some very cool watch faces and a decent resolution and vibrant color screen. Additional features include the tech for health monitoring including a heart rate monitor. Finally thanks Android Wear OS the phone will work with any Andriod OS smart phone not just the LG, we use it with the Sony Z Ultra at the moment. In terms of construction and design the LG G Watch R is very good. The black coated stainless steel body is not heavy, the design of the body is just like any other regular watch and the overall proportions. It's not particularly stylish since the body design is a close copy of any number of existing regular watches. In fact if LG had done this in a proper gold color many ladies would consider one especially since many already have the different colours of the 'Ice watch' on their wrists which are equally big. Not saying the smart watches in general should stay large but it is absolutely not an issue.  Some so called reputable website should really get a life or girl friends. The only short fall is the leather band, which is black on the outside and beige on the inside which is fine but the quality is not up to the standard of equally priced regular watches that said it is quite comfortable. The LG watch also has a microphone, magnetic power plug on the back, gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer,compass and a heart rate sensor for health related data. They all work but the OS needs more development as the readings where only a little off in terms of accuracy. Aside from the additional health hardware, it still does actually do much and certainly less than the year old Smartwatch2 at the time of writing. In terms of use the LG G Watch R is a smooth experience but not as smooth or eager to scroll as the Sony Smartwatch2. This is interesting since the Sony watch has tiny (180Mhz)  processing power compared to the 1.2 GHZ CPU in the LG. Apps run as quickly and as smoothly as each other. The LG Watch runs the latest Android Gear OS software which by all accounts is quite good so far but it is missing standard apps like a calender views, note views and email browsing out of the box. We should not have to pay for these features in 2014. Presumably these will be standard over the next few versions as without them standard Android Gear OS will be going nowhere fast is possibly destroying the whole segment before it even starts. We like the movement detection to light up the screen and the 'on all' the time clock faces of which are actually very good to look at! Finally there aren't too many Android apps to try or buy yet so we are watching to see what other developers can do with the new platform. To conclude, the LG G Watch R is arguably the best looking smartwatch on sale at the moment (2014). It also works really well and a standout in terms of design replication. but not a standout improvement on the Sony OS strictly in terms of standard functionality. However there are other functions which make up for any short fall such as the heart rate monitor, step counter and a range of excellent watch faces. Speaking of Sony OS we think it is a pity that they have now dumped it for Google Gear OS.  If you want another round watch only the Moto 360 is a direct competitor, which we had the choice of too but the thinner profile of the G Watch R made us buy it (We couldn't get the Moto 360 in a metal finish and didn't like the flat tyre screen which made the decision even easier). The age of the smartwatch has arrived and the LG G Watch R probably one of the best all rounders for now. Specifications : LG G Watch R
    • Design Stainless Steel Smartwatch
    • L46.4 x W53.6 x D9.7 mm Weight 62 gms
    • Display/s OLED 220 x 176 1.3 inch screen
    • Camera N/A
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V4
    • CPU 1.2 Ghz Snap dragon 400
    • Memory 4Gig
    • Ring tones Vibration only
    • Features IP67 Water resistant
    • Power 410 mha Up to 2 days Standby
    • Package contents USB cable, charger, cradle
    • Price history 2014 Approx $350 outright.

  • LG L70 Review

    BLANK
    Welcome to the 2014 LG L70 smartphone review. It's been a little while since we've reviewed an LG phone for various reasons. Two main ones was that LG phones where simply lagging behind in the tech, price, design etc. department and their management simply where not quick or smart enough to move with the times. Their rather silly explanations about why their phones were not selling was laughable and not worth repeating. So after being lost in the smartphone wilderness over the last few years, finally we see the LG L70 as a reasonably priced at RRP $190 outright and pre-paid at a little high $180 but will come down in the next few months. We are not going into too much detail since it is another Android OS based phone. To keep this first review concise: In terms of construction and hardware features the L70 is very good for a basic smartphone. It is all plastic and feels light but sturdy enough and looks pretty good for the price. Other competitors leave out features like a camera flash or smaller RAM, smaller screen and so forth, but the LG L70 seems to have it all but admittedly at a lower spec than say the mid-range smartphones. That said it the screen resolution looks more than acceptable. It features a multi focus camera is is rare in the class and should result in decent pictures which we found where OK to look at. In terms of use, out of the box the L70's interface is already quite slick, dependent on how fast your 3G connection speeds are. You should't have any problems running the latest decent games or software on it but a scent sized memory card is essential. Recommended size? 16GB should store all you favourite tunes, pictures until it's time to replace it! Apart from that the L70 has all the benefits and issues of the Android OS. To conclude the L70 model we test, examined the specifications and handling, we think the LG L70 is a model between entry level and midrange at the time of writing this review. It's a good choice as a pre-paid or outright package although anonymous in terms of it's good looks for the price. If your shopping for just a basic mobile phone I think the stretch to the LG L70 is worth considering. Specifications
    • LG L70
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/2100 (dependent on version) Dual SIM (dependent on version)
    • Design
    • Touch screen
    • L127.2 x W66.8 x D9.55 mm
    • Weight 124 grams
    • Display 4.5 inch 400 x 800 pixels
    • Camera 5 0r 8 MP auto- multi-focus LED Flash
    • Video Camera 720p high definition 30FPS main video camera
    • VGA Video phone camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4 USB
    • CPU Dual core 1.2 Ghz Separate Andreno 302 Graphics CPU
    • Memory 1 Gig RAM Up to 1.5 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features A-GPS, Accelerometer, Proximity Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others FM Radio with RDS Google Play store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calendar SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 2100 mAh battery Up to 420 hours Standby Up to 8 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $180 AUD July 2014 (Pre-paid) Approx $190 AUD July 2014 (Outright)

  • LG Optimus L3 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the LG Optimus L3 review. A mid 2012 release from LG, this phone is targeted at the prepaid market and priced at an attractive $99. The Optimus L3 is one of the first in a new series of mobile phones from the company that has fallen way behind in the design and marketing of these devices. They even had the nerve to blame the OS in particular Windows Phone for their failure. This of course was only vaguely true since every single phone design they had was pretty sad along with outdated versions of their OS. In terms of construction the L3 one of the best built models priced so low.  The standout features include a great feeling and solid metal case despite the lightness and  the screen is more square than the normal rectangle. Unfortunately it is let down by the choice of a very basic screen resolution which is way out of date by 12 months. In terms of operation the Optimus L3 is quite fast and  slick. Just don't run too many apps at once though. It can do almost everything the more high end mobile phones can models can do. The LG Optimus L3 is a great little phone with the only issues of having an old version of Android and a low resolution screen. We wish LG had installed a better resolution screen. If it were at the same price point and had a 480 x 640 screen we would have it on our must buy list for 2012... Specifications
    • LG Optimus L3
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/2100 (dependent on country) HSDPA 3.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen slider
    • L190.1 x W120.5 x D12 mm
    • Weight 109 grams
    • Display/s 3.2 inch 240 x 320
    • Camera 3.2MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 480 x 640 pixels
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 800 Ghz
    • Memory Up to 2 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS AndroidApp store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) Compass Accelerometer Dolby Digital Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1950 mAh battery Up to 400 hours Standby Up to 9 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $99 AUD mid-2012 (Pre-paid)

  • LG Optimus 7 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2011 LG Optimus 7 review. The Optimus 7 or LG E900 was released late 2010 as a part of Microsoft's Windows Mobile 7 initial partners launch. The version of the Optimus 7 we tested was locked to the Optus network vs the Telstra's HTC 7 Mozart and we came up with an interesting result.  The Optimus 7 is priced around $850 at release. As usual the first release WM7 on any phone is going to be easy to use but lacking the simple things we have become used to.  Sure the majority of would be owners simply want a platform to run Apps on but without the basics of a smart phone like cut and paste, file managers, microSD card expansion  and GPS without the need for a data plan and so forth all count against it. However it is all flashy to use and we like it.  Nonetheless it has to be said that the iPhone did so well because it was an Apple and a much better brand to start with. LG simply isn't in the same league. Build quality of the Optimus 7 is no different to other high end phones so it is put together nicely and made of plastic and metal. However the overall design is truly boring and not iPhone like. It will always be compared to the iPhone since that what this model is all about. The HTC Mozart is better though thanks to a nicer case design and the Samsung Omina 7 although equally unadventurous in design due to the profile and  patchy rear design. Like the rest of the WM7 based phones Optimus 7 has all that you need in one device for email, calls, SMS, IM, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, a decent web browser and more. The only thing missing is the ability run FLASH in the browser which means no youtube videos or ability to run any FLASH based Facebook games. As we write this we read that LG was disappointed with it sales of Mobile 7 based phones and the rest of the mainstream media have implied that is was because it is so easy to use that it is 'boring'. As usual unlike the other sites we disagree. Have they used the iPhone lately?  It is even more boring than than WM 7. Aside from that and simply put LG does not make the actual hardware interesting enough.  LG are you listening - design a phone case that is actually desirable to own is the first thing we'd be doing before complaining.  Stop listening to overpaid and out of touch consultants.  Stop blaming the OS. Simply stop making cheap ugly and boring looking slabs. Anyway to conclude this review, we also like the Optimus 7 and it is a pretty good phone although lacking the functionality that any smart phone should have out of the box. This issue is caused by the use of Windows Mobil e7  - admittedly should be fixed within 12 months. The Optimus 7 is worth considering but MS needs to get its App store and LG needs to work on case design to make it truly  competitive. Choose it only if you can get a decent phone plan with it because the other initial WM7 phones are just as good and differ only in inconsequential details. Specifications
    • LG Optimus 7 (E900)
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 5.7 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L125 x W60.2 x D11.5 mm Weight 157 grams
    • Display/s 3.8 inch External TFT 480 x 800
    • Camera 5MP
    • Video Camera 720 HD pixel main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 1Ghz
    • Memory Up to 16 Gig on board
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint A-GPS Compass Accelerometer MS Store for Apps Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1500mAh battery Up to 400 hours Standby Up to 6 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $850 AUS 2010 (Outright)

  • LG Craze GW382F Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 LG Craze GW382F mobile phone review. The LG Craze is marketed as a Cheap handset for pre-paid packages in selected parts of the world. In 2010 pre-paid pones bundled in these packages are no longer simply basic phones and to an extent the latest LG Craze is one of them. We have only seen Telstra sell this phone at around $150 which is OK but not good since there are now much better models for around the same price (October 2010). The LG Craze is a slide out QWERTY phone as you can see by the pictures.  Its keyboard and colors reveal it to be a phone targeted at younger users.  It overall quality is actually pretty good with since solid buttons on the front and the keypad its self.  The screen is relatively large and clear.  It is a bit 'chunky' but relative to the other models in the price range. Relative to the other models in the same category we can not complain about much. However a cheaper price would no doubt help sales - say in the $99 bracket? First impressions of using the LG Craze is good.  The OS works fast and the front keypad and navigation keys work with immediate responsiveness like all new models.  There are plenty of standard Apps installed since the currently do not have an Apps store.  All the usual social networks and free email Apps are present as well as all the usual multi-media and video player.  The internet browser was good but the small screen doesn't help as with limited web browser by iPhone standards anyway.  The Telstra portal Apps for Foxtel worked quite well considering the relatively low spec CPU. There is however one problem that would bug potential owners.  In portrait mode the phone works well, it even has haptic feedback as with most LG phones on the 2 sub-menu buttons.  However in this mode you will find the input of numbers and text is handicapped by the onscreen half touch keypad - weird.  It is very much like the ZTE models in implementation which is are definitely not a fan of.  We doubt anyone would actually like it.  In landscape mode the LG Craze works much better but the need to display the 2 sub-menu titles which you cannot activate is a waste of space. The LG Craze is designed as a messaging phone more than a games or other apps since the keys are all over the place. Overall there's not much we can say about the LG Craze other than it is a cheap phone with some navigation issues.  Otherwise is responsive and very stable.  As a bonus it actually looks quite good in the hand. We can not recommend it as a primary phone at its current price. Specifications
    • LG Craze GW382F
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 3.6 Mbits data speed (download)
    • Design QWERTY keypad
    • L103 x W49.9 x D15.3 mm Weight 140 grams
    • Display/s 2.4 inch External TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 3MP
    • Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V2
    • CPU xxxMhz
    • Memory Up to 80MB MicroSD up to 16Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 950mAh battery Up to 400 Hours Standby Up to 4 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $149 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)

  • LG Optimus Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 LG Optimus (GT540) review page.  The LG Optimus released in early 2010 is the first Android based mobile phones we have tried from LG.  With such name that is derived from optimal we had high expectations as to its performance.  Thankfully we where not disappointed!  In addition considering its speed we where impressed by its outright price of under $280.  However there are a few missing things to bring down the price. The LG Optimus is an Android 1.6 (Donut) based mobile phone not the latest version 2.1.  It does not appear to be upgradeable but I'm sure some enterprising hack will find a way.  It is our opinion that you will not miss much functionality offered in the 2.1 version because the hardware behind the Optimus is not the top end anyway. You only get a 3 inch 320 x 480 pixel resistive touch screen that can only show 65,000 at the one time but it is still nice to look at. What you do get with the phone is pretty good which includes Wi-Fi, a reasonable camera and A-GPS. The Optimus has more features than our current favorite the Nokia E63 in terms of value for money.  Definitely value for money here! The LG Optimus is a very fast phone.  We encountered no lags of sluggish or any unexpected lags worth pointing out during our test.  The menus and transitions work perfectly and the apps open with minimal delay.  The touch screen in general and keypad work very well too. Construction wise the Optimus is well built but it is a bit chunky.  The larger size means it is not sleek to look at and its all plastic is reasonable quality.  You can't really complain due to the relative cheap price. Based on price the camera and video camera are on par with the competition.  From the demos it looks acceptable.  The Optimus appeals to all sorts of people so you can't really say this is a kids phone and so forth.  We think its the new mid-range paradigm. Overall the LG Optimus GT540 is probably the best of the value touchscreen phones in the price range. The Optimus is better than any other Nokia touch screen for example and our prior favorite the Samsung Preston ICON.  Nice screen well made and designed so it doesn't look low end and has all the connectivity options you need.  Along with the new Android Store for apps you have the what is a do it all phone.  We think you'll be happy with one. Specifications
    • LG Optimus
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L109 x W54.5 x D12.9 mm Weight 115.5 grams
    • Display/s External 3.0 Inch TFT 320 x 480
    • Camera 3MP
    • Video Camera 800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 600 Mhz
    • Memory Up to 200MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Accelerometer FM Radio JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Io 1400mAh battery Up to 350 hours Standby Up to 250 minutes Talk Time
    • Price history Under $279 AUD Mid-2010 (Outright)

  • LG GD880 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the LG GD880 review. The GD880 or as it is also know the Mini GD880 we believe is a bit of a sleeper mobile phone for a number of reasons.  Released in early 2010 it has not been promoted heavily by the mobile networks and LG itself.  However we think it is a brilliant little phone! The GD880 is a phone which has the rare combination of 850Mhz and 2100Mhz 3G frequencies so it can work in most countries and hence also the local Three and Telstra's NextG network.  As usual there are other 3G variants (900/2100) that can work on Optus and Vodaphone so you have to make sure you get the right version for the network. The LG GD880 is one of the most stylish well made phones we have tested in a little while.  It is hard to describe how LG have made a rectangular phone actually look and feel good.  We think it is better looking than even the recently released iPhone4.  Construction quality is surprisingly good too!  There's real metal and scratch resistant glass in this phone.  It's size also makes it strangely appealing - as in not too big or too small - just right. The most obvious stand out feature is the amazing screen for this type of phone.  The screen size is a mere 3.2inches but the resolution is 480 x 854.  It may not be classed as a 'retina display' but by golly the results are a stand out against any other similar models and just as good as the more expensive ones including the iPhone.  The other features that will convince you to serious consider it is the presence of Wi-Fi, A-GPS but no navigation software, and a very decent web browser with FLASH compatibility. OK so the good bits out of the way - While the OS and menu system works very well there are some lags - but only when it comes to the main stand by screens.  If you have used an iPhone before then you will find it annoying if you haven't then you will be satisfied.  When compared to other phones in the same price range it is probably one of the best ones. We think its caused by the number of on screen widgets that is using up extra power. Apart from that once an app has been activated it works really well as per all LG phones. (It is just as good as the Samsung Preston in this regard.) The phone is very capable with fast downloading and uploading for email, IM and internet browsing.  There are widgets for all the popular social networking sites and even blogs are just a search away.  However is has the usual issues as any other mobile phone with a touch screen. Overall it is a surprising phone and competitively priced 'feature' or mid-range but looks likes a high end fighter.  Perfect for fashion conscious men or women. Gives the right impression when you use it in public and individuality. Visitors from India wanting a mobile phone should take a good look at this model. So looks great works well - we think this should have probably be and genuinely called a Prada. Specifications
    • LG Mini GD880
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 3.6 Mbits data speed (download) HSUPA 2.0 (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • 102L x W47.6 x D10.6 mm Weight 99 grams
    • Display/s External 3.2 inch TFT 480 x 854
    • Camera 5MP
    • Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera 30FPS
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V2 Micro-USB A-GPS Wi-Fi
    • CPU ????
    • Memory Up to 82MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features FM Radio JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm headset 3.7V 900mAh Up to 16 days Standby Up to 4 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $399 AUS 2010 (Outright)

  • LG Chocolate BL20 Review

    Welcome to the LG BL20/BL42K Chocolate review. The BL20 Chocolate also known as the BL42K was released in late 2009 and is the replacement for the original KG800 Chocolate model that was released back in 2006.  The 'Chocolate' model brand is LG's 'fashion' mobile phone.  The Chocolate is a stylish mobile phone - because it looks stylish by looking like a small featureless black box.  Despite the name the phone is definitely black and not chocolate brown. Maybe licorice would be a more suitable name? The Chocolate's construction is solid slider phone covered in glossy occasionally transparent black scratch resistant plastic or glass.  The only thing that looks tacked on is the rear main camera. Surely they could have designed the phone without the camera sticking out.  Getting a suitable protective case is recommended since any permanent scratches would decrease the joy of looking at a all black phone!  Speaking of which the top, bottom and keypad are a bright reddish orange color that stands out but strangely suits the phone's overall design theme. The Chocolate's main feature is the front touch sensitive main navigation buttons.  When activated they glow a nice red and provide a haptic or a buzz when touched correctly.  The display screen itself is not touch sensitive. The slide out keypad while feels good but not as nice as say the Sony Ericsson models but works better due to the larger keys. We still think it is hard to beat the standard keypad on Nokias for those expert at blind SMS. Using the latest Chocolate model is actually pretty good!  The navigation system is a fast and updated version of it S-Class icon interface with a few new animations.  However variable application launch times are to be expected. The hidden screen is a 2.4 inch model that also looks good and large enough for most. The keypad is not the best for JAVA games but at least you can install them and other apps. The Chocolate has all the latest functionality for a mobile phone in 2010. Being a 3G capable phone you have usable internet download speeds and well a decent browser for this type of phone.  The 5Mp camera produces very good pictures but not the best and the novel feature included is an optimized camera setting for taking pictures of text or other graphics.  We don't think this feature it is a selling point though.  We didn't try the function due to a lack of time.  In fact we where hard pressed to write about anything outstanding about the Chocolate. Overall the Chocolate is a pretty decent mobile phone.  However there is not anything exceptional apart from its stylish looks.  It will do voice and calls, text and emails and some web browsing with ease.  If that is all you want then this is a good choice just don't pay too much for it.  That said it is relatively one of the few models that work well on the 850Mhz 3G networks. Specifications
    • LG Chocolate BL20/BL42K
    • Network Tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100
    • Design Slider
    • L106.9 x W50.8 x D12.3 mm Weight 115 grams
    • Display/s 2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320 pixels
    • Camera 5MP LED flash and Auto focus
    • Video Camera 240 x 320 pixel @ 15FPS
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V2 microUSB
    • CPU ???Mhz
    • Memory Up to 60MB available to user 16Gig micro-SD card slot
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.7V 900mAh Up to 18 days Standby Up to 5 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $299 AUS 2010 (Outright)