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Connectivity The handset is well covered for connectivity. It’s 3G ready and can support HSDPA speeds up to 7.2Mbps. Regular users will have to suffice with EDGE and GPRS or even Wi-Fi for internet connectivity or for downloading emails (POP or IMAP). Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP support and USB 2.0 are also available. As I mentioned the browser is ok but it wasn’t to my liking. I didn’t like the way it formatted web pages. The multi-touch functionality didn’t help too much here except to zoom in and move the screen around till you find what you were looking for. What the GD900 lacks is GPS capability, which is very odd considering handsets that cost a lot less are equipped with that feature and that’s become one of the more popular functions of a mobile handset. However in lieu of GPS LG has loaded the handset with all of Google’s services which include Google Maps, a YouTube client and access to eBlogger which incidentally is the only form of social networking the handset comes preloaded with. You won’t find a Facebook or Twitter or even a MySpace application anywhere at least the test piece I received didn’t have any nor was I able to find a suitable one for the device. I did like the fact that I was able to use the keypad as a track pad for the virtual mouse. It was quite handy. Misc. Features The handset comes with quite a few simple basic functions as well. Those include the more mundane functions like an alarm clock, a calendar for leaving reminders and creating schedules, a memo pad, stopwatch, Calculator and of course a unit converter. The multiple desktops have been assigned to host very specific features so you can use it for accessing media or contacts and other shortcuts without having to go into the menu or the shortcuts located at the bottom which makes one of the options redundant. The whole page dedicated to photo contacts may make accessing them a little more vibrant and a contacts shortcut is also readily available on all screens as the bottom. LG has also provided quite a few motion-based games with the Crystal and all are unique and quite a lot of fun. There are also games that involve users having to actually interact with the handset like blow into the microphone to create bubbles or blow out candles. Camera The 8 megapixel camera comes with an LED flash and a few interesting features that include Face tracking as well as manual focus. White Balance, continuous shot, Macro Mode and ISO up to 1600 are also on board. The GD900 also has a secondary camera (VGA) located in the front above the display for video calling. The image quality the Crystal is capable of delivering is really quite good. Colors do seem a little saturated but not enough for a lay person to point out. For the regular user the camera delivers quite well. The Crystal also shoots video in a 720 x 480(D1) format. It doesn’t do all too well in extreme low light conditions but is not bad at all everywhere else. Battery My experience with the battery was a bit confusing. It seemed like the camera was the sole reason for draining the battery like a hole in bucket. Without using the camera I found I got almost two full days of usage which included a few calls and messages as well as internet browsing and music. The moment I activated the camera the bars began to vanish. Even videos didn’t have such a dire effect. Talk time alone averaged in at about 3 hours and 55 minutes which is not bad at all.  The Bottom Line The Crystal is very well priced I believe, at Rs. 26,000. It offers a lot for that price with good multimedia features and fairly good battery life to use it all, all except the camera of course. But I still just couldn’t get passed the quirky, sluggish UI. I loved the design concept which is unique as well as stylish and definitely a step in the right direction as far as the technology is concerned. It’s one of the cheapest 8MP cameras available at the moment and the only major issue you’ll have to contend with should you think this is something you want, is the S-Class UI. As for its features it’s all good. |
Tags: S-Class , Touchscreen , 8 Megapixel , LG
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