LG GM750

LG, like its Korean competitor Samsung, has been an enthusiastic adopter of touchscreen technology for its smartphones. As well as manufacturing touchscreen handsets based around its own OS it has also snuggled up to Microsoft on quite a few occasions to kit its gadgets out with Redmond’s Windows Mobile 6.5 OS (WinMo 6.5). It is not surprising to find that the LG GM750 is among the first batch of handsets to run Microsoft’s new Windows Phone offering.

Hardware buttons are limited, with most functions carried out via the 3-inch touchscreen display, which is similarly to most LG Handsets. It comes with WQVGA resolution and just does not deliver the impressive images that WVGA models do. It is bright and easy to see in most conditions, but it fails to stand out in any way. The display itself is a resistive panel and is frustratingly unresponsive. There is also a small optical pad, which works well and let the user swipe a finger to navigate the interface.

The onscreen keyboard is infuriatingly inaccurate to use. Presses of the screen have to be particularly firm otherwise the user’s touch will not register. As a result, it is very difficult to strike up a fast typing rhythm. Moreover, the text correction software was quite poor, compounding the issue.

First, and by far the most crucial problem, is that the experience is a little laggy. WinMo 6.5 not a part of software and it feels as if LG has not quite fully appreciated the crunching power needed to run it. You find yourself waiting a fraction too long for the more sophisticated and complex application tasks and the entire device crashed within the first 2 hours of play. Our team could only get it running again by removing the battery and putting it back.

In our humble opinion, a more sophisticated and faster processor would probably solve the problem – although software refinements by Microsoft would also help – but perhaps battery life was what LG was going for. That probably explain the enormous 1500mAh Li-polymer battery that blots out everything else under the back cover, but, with well over a day of heavy use from one charge it almost seems worth it.

The other problem is less severe but sill unsatisfying. The sensitive of Wi-Fi receiver is not as good as it should be. One of the joys of these devices is to use them at home or the workplace with faster online access, but the LG GM750 only picked a weak signal from our router even when within a matter of meters of the unit. Combine that with the lag and the result is the user will get a very slow browsing experience.

LG GM750 WinMo 6.5

On the outside, there’s plenty to enjoy about the smartphone. At 13mm thick it’s slightly chubby at 109.8mm x 53.5mm x 12.9mm, but not overly so and as it’s relatively narrow (by touchscreen standards), it actually feels quite comfortable to hold in the palm of user’s hand. And, although the device is mostly made from plastic, it feels quite rigid and solid, while at the same time managing to tip the scales at a rather lightweight 119g. Moreover, the on/off switch at the top doubles as a lock, there’s the usual quick launch camera/shutter release on one side next to a microSD card slot, which should really be swapped over with the zoom/volume controls on the other side.

LG continues to embrace the Micro-USB standard for charging and even if there’s no dedicated 3.5mm jack, the firm has included an adaptor to ensure the users can use their own devices. Best of all though is the multitask-button, which allow the users to instantly swap between however many applications their have open at any one time – very useful.

There are cameras on the front and back with the main unit well positioned and packing a resolution of 5MP (there is no Schneider-Kruznach optics here - a pity – and no flash at either), which able to produce reasonable snaps but, as with most other features on this handset, it does not really stand out from the crowd. There’s also a noticeable lag between pressing the shutter and the photograph being taken – often resulting in blurred snaps. Connectivity is top-notch though, with 3G/HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in.

The frame rate for the VGA video capture is poor with the slightest pan causing instant Monet blurs and getting a decent exposure with stills has not been balanced with a workable shutter speeds.

Other key feature of this device includes 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM configuration, supports an accelerometer and a microSD card slot. It also comes with an FM radio, and GPS. It costs approx. $450 unlocked.

Overall, with its unusual mix of OS, this device is not the success it could have been. The screen is simply too unresponsive – at least on our review sample – to use comfortably, and performing the simplest processes takes far longer than it should. Last but not least, all too many devices at the same price promise high-end functionality, but seldom deliver the genuine experience. This device does.

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