LG Optimus 7

Optimus 7: A different kind of prime


Smartphone Review: LG Optimus 7

by Sim Cheng Kai
Updated 04:29 PM Oct 21, 2010

The Windows Phone 7 (WP7) platform's biggest strength - a stringent set of hardware requirements to ensure a consistent user experience and compatibility with future updates across all handsets - is quickly turning into a double-edged sword: It's really hard to distinguish among the first wave of WP7 handsets.

The LG Optimus 7 ($888 without contract) has specs similar to the other four WP7 handsets that will be sold in Singapore - a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen with 480x800 resolution, and a 5-megapixel camera with HD 720p video. Internal storage capacity hits 16GB - higher than the minimum 8GB requirement. But that's all the storage you're going to get - no expansion slot is available.

Nevertheless, the Optimus 7 does try to set itself apart. This sexy, enigmatic phone smartly uses angular corners and curves in a way that invites you to examine the device from various angles. From the front, the Back-Start-Search button panel below the touchscreen appears to be curved. Set the phone down on its side and mysteriously, the front panel looks completely flat.

Optimus 7 users will be privy to exclusive apps from LG via a special section on the WP7 Marketplace Hub. There are three apps presently available - Panoramic Shot is a stitch-assist photo-taking tool, Scan Search uses augmented reality to search for nearby points of interests generated from Google and Bing, while Play To lets you beam media from the phone onto Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled devices. All three are nifty, but not exactly features you would buy a phone for.

New LG-exclusive apps will be offered on a quarterly basis. In the works are apps that simulate piano and guitar sounds, and a global holiday calendar. What might turn out to be an exclusive killer feature is a voice-to-text app that will let you write SMSes and update your Facebook statuses, among other things, just by speaking to the phone.

Beyond that, the core pros and cons of the Optimus 7 have more to do with the WP7 operating system.

The best feature here is the People Hub - a giant phonebook populated by the contacts from your SIM card, email accounts, Facebook, and other online identities. This master list of contacts can get messy - you'll find contacts like "Elaine" and "Elaine Tan" listed next to email addresses. But the good news is WP7 will smartly link together contacts that have the same spelling, so that when you hit the Search hardware key and type in "Elaine" or "Tan", you'll find all her phone numbers, email addresses, blog websites and more neatly listed below her Facebook profile picture. You can pin Elaine's contact onto the Start screen, which comprises two vertically-scrolling columns of squarish tiles. Her profile will appear as an animated tile whose display alternates between her picture and name.

You can pin a number of favourites - apps, contacts, websites, Office documents, even music albums and videos - onto the Start screen. But to get music and videos onto the device, you will need to install Zune on your Windows PC (Mac support to come soon) - which works like iTunes. It may be a hassle to set up Zune, but once you have done so, there is a wireless syncing option that automatically syncs your content via your home network.

Other useful WP7 features include a free "Find My Phone" service, cloud-based contacts, and the ability to download entire email inboxes for quick offline searching. Typing messages and Web surfing is also smooth.

There are shortcomings, however. There's no cut-and-paste (this will come early 2011), multi-tasking, tap-to-focus in the camera app, zoom and manual focus in HD video recording, Internet tethering, and folder support. The biggest oversight is the lack of support for Google search and Google maps. You're forced to stick with Bing and Bing Maps, but the latter doesn't let you search for directions.

Verdict: As a Windows Phone, the Optimus 7 lacks a number of features that the savviest of smartphone users are used to. But it does have a vibrant and friendly user interface, impressive smartphone-syncing features, and looks that didn't emerge from the "rounded corners" or "flat edges" school of design.