LG Quantum

Design:

Smartphones with only touchscreens have become pretty standard. The LG Quantum bucks that trend by including a slide-out, full QWERTY keyboard as well. We’re among the many users who continue to find that typing on a physical keyboard is preferable, both in terms of speed and accuracy, to a virtual keyboard, despite improvements that have been made. There’s just no substitute for the tactile feel of the real thing.

The presence of the keyboard, while welcome, makes the phone a little thicker and heavier than is common among its nearest competition. It’s not problematic unless you want to slip the phone into some particularly tight jeans and, in fact, we find the heft to be stabilizing while typing. The touchscreen is vibrant though more subdued than several others in the category. At 3.5 inches, the screen would be large by previous standards but seems a bit cramped today.

Multimedia:

Windows Phones have a number of features in common because they’re required by Microsoft in order to use the OS. One of those requirements is at least a 5MP camera, which the LG Quantum has. It features 5x zoom, an LED flash and can record video in 720p high definition.

Like other Windows Phones, the LG Quantum smartphone incorporates a full-function Zune media player for music and videos. They can be synced with your computer, Mac or PC, with a USB cable or wirelessly via Wi-Fi. New music and videos can also be downloaded directly from the Zune Marketplace. If you’re interested in streaming unlimited music, you can get a Zune Pass subscription for an additional monthly fee. There’s also an integrated FM radio. To use that function, you must use a wired headset as its wire serves as the antenna for the radio.

Call Features/Quality:

With any smartphone you can expect all of the calling niceties that have become typical of contemporary mobile phones. There’s a speakerphone that we found clear and responsive though perhaps not quite as loud as we’d like. It also features call forwarding, caller ID, conference calling and call waiting.

Memory/Storage:

The LG Quantum comes with 16GB of integrated memory, which is likely to be adequate for most users. Nonetheless, we like the flexibility that’s afforded by having expandable memory and would prefer to have that option.

Talk time is a little on the short side at an estimated 300 minutes. Stand-by time is more competitive at 14.6 days.

Additional Features:

The LG Quantum smartphone has a built-in GPS receiver so all location-based services are available, including Google Maps. It offers both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. For online gaming, connectivity to the Xbox LIVE service is available. Web browsing is done via the Internet Explorer Mobile browser which includes Bing search.

Summary:

Windows Phone 7 takes a tremendous leap forward compared to previous WinMo operating systems. It’s a good alternative to iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices that have eclipsed WinMo-based smartphones. The LG Quantum smartphone is distinguished from other Windows Phones by the presence of a great physical keyboard which we find an excellent addition.