LG has aimed its latest phone, the Pop, at the slightly cheaper end of the mobile phone market. Don’t let this fool you though, the phone itself is a compact and feature-packed phone that will please many people.
Thanks to LG using its new A-Class user interface, the Pop behaves like a much better-equipped phone than it really is. This interface means that the menu looks clear and fun, but still maintains functionality that is easy to understand in terms of use. The 3 home screen system is easy to get used to. A simple slide of your finger across the screen will take you to the next screen, just like on the iPhone. The main screen is widget-based and another of the three features all your speed dial contacts, however it’s the third screen that impresses me the most. This display uses LG’s LiveSquare function. What this implies is basically a screen that allows you to place your favorite contacts on it. You can assign animated avatars to each contact, and clicking them brings up a history of messages, calls, emails, etc.
The lack of WiFi or 3G on the LG GD510 Pop means that browsing the web can sometimes be a bit slow. Websites that have been optimized for mobile use load very fast, as you would expect, however full sites are slower. This lack of connectivity is a shame, as the navigation system LG uses in the Pop is simple and easy to use, a toolbar at the bottom of the screen featuring zoom, reload, back and forward buttons. Zoom is achieved through a bar on the side of the screen.
Thanks to the addition of a microSD card slot to the LG Pop, the phone is suitable for various multimedia uses. Mpeg 4 and .3gp formats are supported, and the 3″ screen displays images very clearly with good color reproduction, thanks to the 256,000 colors the screen is capable of displaying. Audio files on the phone are well-ordered thanks to the built-in media player. You can browse by artist, genre, or playlist, etc. Various audio formats are also supported, including MP3, AAC+, and WMA. Unfortunately, the unit lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack .
For a relatively low-cost touchscreen phone, the LG GD510 Pop is a lovely little phone. The user interface looks great and is very easy to use, and the overall compactness of the phone will appeal to many potential buyers.
