The GW520 from LG

The LG GW520 is a handset with a clear focus on mobile messaging, coming as it does with the inclusion of a full slide out QWERTY keyboard. Messaging has always been a popular way of keeping in touch with friends from a mobile device; you only need to look at millions of texts sent every day to see that. But messaging these days is more than just about text, it is just as much about email and instant messaging too. Using a standard alpha numeric keypad for tapping out a 160 character message is one thing, adding T9 and sending multiple texts is the next step. But for true messaging nothing beats the speed and comfort of a QWERTY keyboard, even if it can take a little getting used to. With full QWERTY, composing emails, writing blogs and general messaging is comfortable and easy, and as manufacturers release eye catching and innovatively designed devices, QWERTY devices are finally starting to gain favour with the buying public.

The slide out QWERTY keyboard is the stand out feature on the LG GW520, and with the keys well spaced out, is very comfortable to use. The GW520 has full support for email, including push email, Instant Messaging, and the standard MMS and SMS. SMS is shown in a threaded view, making it easier to follow the conversation on-screen. Text and pictures are presented well on the large screen, and the GW520 also supports email attachments, able to open and read (but not edit) .doc, .xls, .ppt and .pdf files

The inclusion of the keyboard has been well managed in the design by LG; the phone is just about the right size for usability, whilst not being too large or heavy. 15.9mm thick is just about acceptable, and the phone weighs in at a manageable 125g. The screen of the GW520 supports up to 256,000 colours, and is a TFT touchscreen display. Measuring at 2.8 inches, the display has a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels. An accelerometer is included for auto-rotate, which the display does automatically when the QWERTY keyboard is slid open.

The LG GW520 is not going to be expensive, and will most likely end up being a popular Prepay handset. However, despite the low end price, the device does include some nice features. You certainly feel with this phone that you are getting value for your money. The GW520 has a built in 3.2 Megapixel digital camera, which will also record video clips. There is also an onboard photo and video editor, allowing you to make adjustments, add text and make basic changes to your captured images and videos, straight on the device, without needing to upload them to a PC first.

Entertainment on the move is well covered; the GW520 has a full media player, supporting 3gp and MPEG4 video clips, as well as MP3, AAC, AAC+. eAAC+ and WMA audio files. It is interesting to see support for the compressed AAC audio files, this is not something that is mentioned on many new phones, which now come with high amounts of memory. The memory capacity on the handset is just 40MB but this can be expanded by up to 8GB with the addition of a MicroSD memory card.

Other media options include an FM stereo radio, and support for motion based games. Full java support is included, so further games can be downloaded and added to the device, as well as poplar java based applications.

Connection options on the LG are pretty good, with the inclusion of quad band GSM support, as well as 3G and HSDPA which offers download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps which is a welcome bonus, especially given there is no built in WiFi support. Connection to a PC is covered via a MicroUSB port, and there is also support for Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo connectivity included.

The LG GW520 is a smart device, looks nice and has some nice features. It may fade against more illustrious opposition, but the low price point is sure to help the GW520 sell in high numbers

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