The Good: The Voyager also known as the VX10000, is one of LG’s first touch screen phones to target the US and includes a more iPhone-like interface based on that of the Prada phone; users can place calls, play AAC/MP3/WMA music, and take 2-megapixel photos almost exclusively from the screen. It offers a generous features set that includes EV-DO support, V Cast Mobile TV Bluetooth, a top-notch Web browser, and an integrated GPS application. And if that’s not enough, its call quality was excellent.
The Bad: The LG Voyager VX10000’s camera lacks such extra options as a flash and Wi-Fi, and its photo quality was below par. The touch screen can be clunky at times, and the streaming video quality and EV-DO connection speed were sporadic.
The Bottom Line: Though we had some minor complaints here and there, the Voyager’s sleek design, generous feature set and excellent performance make it the best LG messaging and multimedia phone by far. What we like most about this phone is the improvements LG has made to the Verizon Wireless interface. Verizon Wireless believes, that users like to learn an interface and then find it useful on the next phone they buy. We don’t buy it. Phones are improving too fast, with too many new features every season, and users want a phone that makes sense. Maybe it made sense to bury the touted HTML browser under the “Get It Now: News and Info” submenu in the past, but now, that’s the last place we’d look.
The Good: This sleek and sexy dual-band flip phone has a fine polished finish and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The internal 2.2” display is crystal clear, showing web pages and photographs in true, vibrant color. There are a range of personalization options, most notably themes which change the menu interface. A touch-sensitive panel on the front allows operation of the music player and the internal keypad feels firm and secure.
The Bad: Being only a dual-band phone makes it unusable in parts of Europe and Asia, not ideal for the frequent traveller. The shiny finish, while attractive, is prone to unsightly fingerprints. The front panel is difficult to operate, and due to the lag time before buttons are de-activated, it is too easy to accidentally skip forward a track or stop playback altogether.
The Bottom Line: This is a generally satisfactory phone for the average consumer within the domestic market, its strongest asset being by far the internal color display. However, buyers looking for a travel phone or one with the latest technology may wish to look elsewhere.
The Good: The Samsung SCH-A990 is the first phone in the United States to have a 3.2-megapixel camera. The camera includes autofocus and video-recording capabilities as well as a protective sliding cover and self portrait mirror. The Samsung SCH-A990 also supports EV-DO and Verizon’s 3G services, has integrated Bluetooth, a swivel screen, a speakerphone, and strong call quality.
The Bad: Sometimes the multimedia features on this phone are a bit sluggish. It also has some problems when using Bluetooth and the music feature. The music player itself is pretty rudimentary and the phone doesn’t include very many accessories.
The Bottom Line: While this phone is quite pricy and has a few glitches and restrictions, the Samsung SCH-A990 is a good high-end multimedia phone that boasts a sharp camera and good call quality.
The Good: If you are looking for a good, basic phone, then this is the phone for you. The Nokia 6315i has good call quality and a broad range of features including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and EV-DO capability. The phone also includes a music player with control buttons are located on the front of the phone. There is also a 500 contact phone book wherein you can assign photos for personalized ID.
The Bad: The phones design is somewhat dull and the controls are poorly designed. They are also rather slippery because they sit too flush to the phone’s surface. This is also true with the key pad buttons, even though they are quite large. The music and video quality on this phone are also quite uninspiring.
The Bottom Line: While the Nokia 6315i works quite well if you are just looking for a mobile phone, its 3G features are lacking. While they work, they are not as good as those offered on other comparable phones.
