LG Optimus : An Overview

One might think that all smartphone manufacturers have long been placing the Android OS in their handsets. Not so with LG, but the company has taken its time and produced a phone that is versatile and practical at the same time. It is the LG GT540, also known as the Optimus for marketing purposes. It takes the place of the GW620, and since it is the next logical step, development costs have been kept low, savings that are passed on to the customer.

One improvement over the 620 that the Optimus presents is a QWERTY keyboard. This is appealing to those who prefer texting on a pad that is similar to the one on a computer. In order to accommodate the larger keyboard, the body of the phone is somewhat larger than similar models, but it still measures only 109 x 54.5 x 12.7mm enabling the user to tuck it away without a problem. The phone is constructed of a sturdy, lightweight plastic that doesn’t add undue weight while carrying it around. A curved, smooth finish adds a sleek aesthetic to the Optimus that is pleasing to the eye.

Customers’ eyes are instantly pulled to the 3-inch touch screen that covers the front of the Optimus. It is a resistive touch screen rather than capacitive, but accuracy is still high and mistakes occur less frequently than might be expected. The display’s resolution is HVGA, and coupled with the TFT display, it is quite good for a phone that carries a middle of the road price tag. The HVGA resolution is made up of 320 x 480 pixels and supports 256K colors.

The LG Optimus provides the user with two different types of home screens. One of these is the standard Android version and one is LG customized. The customized version allows for the creation of customized buttons that rest at the bottom of the screen and allow messaging capabilities from any point of phone navigation. These buttons offer easy access to any kind of folder, widget, or shortcut the user sets up. Also available are three to seven home screens, all of which can have their themes completely changed.

One drawback of previous LG smartphones has been meager battery life. LG has fixed this problem with the Optimus. The handset is equipped with a 1500mAh lithium-ion battery that provides 7 hours and 20 minutes of talk time and 500 hours of standby time. Most other smartphones can only dream of that level of performance.

Other enhancements found on the LG Optimus include both alarm and world clocks. Users who have left pencil and paper behind will find the voice recorder and organizer quite handy. Anyone seeking to kill time with some fun will enjoy the dedicated Youtube plug-in. A PDF viewer is another nice addition amongst many other application available.

Although it is LG’s first attempt at using Android technology, they have created a user-friendly experience with the LG Optimus. Users already familiar with Android smartphones will not be insulted and new users will not cry out of frustration. The Optimus offers a good balance of complexity and simplicity.