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Introduction
When it comes to Windows Phone 7 devices that also have solid QWERTY keyboards, the LG Quantum is probably the best. At first glance, this barley looks like Smartphone: the screen is quite small, the slide keyboard is easy to use, and you won’t notice the advanced performance until you actually try starting a more complicated task.
Design
The phone measures 4.7 inches in height, 2.3 inches in width, and 0.4 in depth. At 6.2 ounces, this is a somewhat heavy phone, but it falls into the same category as most smart phones. Despite its size and weight, you will get used to the QWERTY keyboard quite rapidly and writing anything or navigating the menus is a breeze. This is a slide phone, but it still feels sturdy and you will not want to treat it with care. On the front panel, you will only notice three buttons: the Windows one and two touch buttons located on each side of the LG logo. Once you open the slide, you can flip the phone into landscape mode and take advantage of the QWERTY keyboard, including the directional keys. There are only four rows of buttons, so you can be sure that each one of them is big enough for your thumbs and you won’t have any problems hitting the right key. If you prefer touch buttons, you don’t have to open the slide at all and you can use the touch screen for your texting needs. The capacitive touch screen is 3.5 inches in diameter, which is somewhat smaller than most people expect from a phone that can record HD video. A micro USB port is available on the left side and on the right side, you will find the volume rocker and a button for the video and picture camera. On the top of the device, you will notice the 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button. If you turn the phone over, you will see the Windows logo and the 5 MP camera, which is located on the top center side of the phone, along with the LED flash.
Features
Because most people will use the LG Quantum for browsing and watching movies, the people from LG decided to go with a 16 million colors 3.5-inch screen that offers 480 x 800 resolution. This is not the best screen in the business, but it performs fairly well. The main problem with this screen is the fact that you can’t use the landscape mode whenever you want to. This is a huge disadvantage and getting stuck in portrait mode is a significant limitation. Even so, browsing is not a problem thanks to Internet Explorer. You can load any pages very quickly with the help of a 3G network and the phone will respond smoothly and quickly to zooming and any other action.
There are a few apps that come with the LG Quantum straight out of the package. The most impressive one is Panorama Shot. You can use this phone to take 360-degree panoramic photos and it will create the file rapidly. The end result looks great and you will be able to obtain some great pictures with minimum effort. Another important application is Photo Stylist. You can use it to edit your images and add the effects you want. The program is easy to use and the phone will respond to your commands rapidly thanks to its powerful processor. The Microsoft Office package is also included, so you gain full access to .doc documents or Excel spreadsheets.
The LG Quantum runs on a 1 GHz Snapdragon CPUI and 256 MB of RAM, which is a huge advantage over most smartphones around. Every application will load instantly and you won’t have any problems while editing pictures or browsing the internet. The enhanced performance is a result of the hardware characteristics combined with the powerful operating system.
The worst part about the LG Quantum is the lack of expandable memory, a common problem with Windows Phone 7 smartphones. You will only receive 16 GB of free space and you will have to work your way around it.
The 5-megapixel camera comes with an LED flash, which is a good addition for those who want to take night shots. The 5x zoom is fairly effective, but the quality will obviously drop if you decide to use it. You can also record movies in 720p and there are quite a few features that will make your shots clearer. The LG Quantum performs perfectly when it comes to 720p video playback. Not only will the image be perfectly clear at all times, you will also be happy with the sound quality. Plus, the playback is particularly smooth and there are no noticeable problems in this department. The only real problem with video playback is the limitation imposed by the quality of the screen.
Pros and Cons
On the upside, the LG Quantum is a great piece of technology; you can use the QWERTY keyboard with absolutely no problems, which is more than we can say about most smartphones these days, and the video and photo cameras will offer great picture quality. The video playback quality is impressive and browsing the internet will go smoothly in any situation.
On the downside, LG decided to cut down on the functionality and create a somewhat small screen for this phone. Even worse, the fact that the phone doesn’t offer landscape mode in any situation will be a serious problem for those who want to take full advantage of the QWERTY keyboard. The fact that you can’t add a memory card and expand the phone’s memory is also a disadvantage.
Conclusion
In the world of Windows Phone 7 devices, the LG Quantum is close to being the best. It offers a little bit of everything and its performance far exceeds its downsides. Those who are looking for an attractive and efficient Smartphone will be happy with the LG Quantum.
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