LG Optimus Black
The latest baby from the LG factory comes in grandiose style and panache. With the new ‘Nova’ ( Nova means new) technology and some really unique features, the handset which sports the Android 2.2 is a real beauty. It is not exactly a monster phone with dual core gigabyte RAM which can become your playstation. But, a cursory glance at the phone will make it amply clear about LG’s ambitions with the phone. It was not trying to win any kind of specifications’ race while making the phone. It was completely focused on the aspects of design and in bringing a new elegance on to the Android platform.
As said before, the phone was not designed to be a gaming powerhorse. But throw anything else at it and it will easily handle it. The phone calls sound excellent at both the ends with crystal clarity and loud speakerphone volume. The Bluetooth has a 10 meters range within which it works perfectly as advertised. The pairing of the headset takes place without the slightest hitch and connects instantly to the phonebook and the music. The Wifi radio is excellent though the Wifi-direct feature has not yet been utilized as much. Considering that the phone has such a bright screen, the battery life is good it must be said.
Born into the smartphone family, the Optimus Black arrives with a touchscreen feature. The phone features version 2.2 of the Android OS, supported by 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor. This makes possible a lot of apps, social networking applications and a lot of associatd features like email, push mail and IM chat. The primary camera is 5MP and comes with face-detection, autofocus and an LED flash. The 2 MP secondary camera makes video chat possible. The other features embedded in the phone include WiFi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE wireless technology and 3G. The 512 MB RAM comes along with a 2 GB storage. The gesture control feature has been introduced in the phone. This means that various controls in the phone can be achieved by tilts and taps, making navigation very easy.
This is where all the oomph of the phone lies in. Standing 4.8 inches tall and 2.5 inches wide, the phone is just 0.23 inches thick at its slimmest zone. It weighs 108 grams and has been extremely well-designed and well made. The display is bright and large. The Nova technology ensures sharpness, clarity and brightness in the picture. The four buttons – home, back, zoom and menu, lie at the bottom of the screen. Above the screen sit two tiny openings, one is the camera and the other is the speaker. The phone is sexy black with a white metal finish along the sides. The UI is minimal and is not cluttered with a lot of widgets.
The Optimus Black pleases the eye and warms the heart. It is a solid phone and performs well on most counts. The lackluster multimedia performance will disappoint only a few gaming crazy people. The innovative gesture control seems like magic but it may wear off in a few days. The enhanced screen visibility is really noticeable. All in all, the phone is a pretty decent one and a fair deal for the Rs. 17,800 that it demands.