LG KU580 was announced in April 2007 as a Vodafone exclusive mobile phone which cannot be bought from another mobile network operator. Even if this considerably limits the phone's market, the latest of the Chocolates will certainly not be overlooked by fans. Chocolate Multimedia can be bought only from Vodafone starting last month for about 400 USD without any plan.
 |  |  |  |  |
Design
Even if the design of KU580 doesn't go too far from its predecessors, it still has a different look that sets it apart from the entire collection. The same touch-sensitive keys that made the entire Chocolate collection famous is present in the KU580 model, but this time there is no responsive delay to the keys. The handset has a smaller display than other Chocolates, but this is backed by a very good resolution. In fact, everything is smaller compared to the other models of the collection, including the touch-sensitive keys placed right under the screen.
 |  |  |  |  |
The phone supports video calls, thus you can notice the secondary camera right above the display. If you slide up the handset, you'll notice that LG finally decided to opt for a more stylish etched set of keys that are easy to use. The backlighting of the keys looks reddish and enables users to make calls in dark areas with ease. The touch-sensitive keys include a big 5-way multimedia key, 2 soft keys, the Accept call key and the Back key. I noticed and was disappointed by the lack of an End call key on the front of the phone, which was placed on the right side of the phone instead.
 |  |  |
Right near the End call key you'll find a small slot covered by a rubber which can be used to attach headsets or to charge the handset. On the left side of the phone you'll notice the volume key and, a small button that will give you access to the music player as well as the microSD slot card for memory expansion. If you turn the phone you'll be able to notice the 2 Megapixel camera which unfortunately lacks any flash capabilities. Maybe there are too many external controls for such a small device, anyway, it’s better to have those than lower the functionality of the phone.
 |  |  |  |
The glossy black plastic feels warm to the touch, especially after talking more than 10 minutes on the phone. Moreover, it scratches very easily no matter what you do, and that also includes the screen. Almost identical in sizes with older Chocolates (94 x 53 x 16.5 mm), the LG KU580 is the least heavy weighing only 73 grams (battery included), that's almost 20 grams less.
 |  |  |  |
The sales package includes the same big stereo wired headsets that were included in all the Chocolate series.
Display and Camera
Even if the Chocolate Multimedia features a smaller display than its older brothers it still supports 262k colors and 320 x 240 pixels resolution. Unfortunately, the low processor doesn't help too much and gaming test scored a little bit lower than Nokia's 8600 Luna, as seen in the screenshots.
 |  |
There's nothing that could protect the screen and after only a few days of heavy use you'll be unpleasantly surprised to notice how easy it scratches. Brightness of the display assures a good visibility in the sun even in Power Saving Mode. Perhaps LG thought that a smaller sized screen will consume less power and thus will extend the talk time of the slider. Maybe, but why give the phone rich Internet capabilities and shrink the screen? This certainly limits the Web surf experience and makes it difficult for users to visualize Internet pages. Other than that, it's an up-to-date display that will surely amaze the user with its vivid colors and strong brightness.
 |  |  |  |
The 2 Megapixel camera on the back of the phone lacks flash so any attempt to take night pictures will fail completely. The camera is very light dependent and if you're not careful you'll end up with crappy pictures. The colors are strangely dull and faded and there are no settings that could correct these. I guess Schneider-Kreuznach would've done a better job, just like they did with the Shine series. Moreover, if you don't pay attention to the location of the camera you can mistakenly cover it with your fingers.
 |  |  |  |  |
The phone has photo call capabilities, thus the camera can take pictures destined to be attached to any contact in you phonebook, plus you can take pictures in wallpaper format which can be used for the display's background. The maximum resolution available for the CMOS camera is 1600 x 1200 pixels, but you can also use 640 x 480 pixels or 1280 x 960 pixels resolutions. Surprisingly for such a small display, the camera can record clips with a maximum 320 x 240 pixels resolution.
 |  |  |  |  |
I can hardly say that this is an average camera, but I've seen worse. On a scale from 1 to 10 I would give this camera a 6, but with great indulgence. I'm pretty sure that LG can do better than this as it has already proved it in its previous models.
 |  |  |  |
Menu and Software
Obviously, the menu of the phone has been changed, just like every Chocolate that tastes different. I still prefer the Platinum Chocolate's menu over this one. Users will be able to set the menu in Grid mode or in List mode, but as you can see from the screenshots you won't have the description of every icon unless you put the cursor over it. Anyway, if you previously owned an LG mobile phone this one is not much different.
 |  |  |  |  |
Remember how buggy LG's Shine model was? Well, this one seems to run an updated firmware which patched some of the bugs that were becoming "usual" in all LG phones. Starting with LG KU580, users will finally be able to set any MP3 file as ring tone, message tone or alarm tone. Moreover, the battery bug has been patched and now it will show the correct amount of energy left. Unfortunately, I have encountered a similar bug regarding the clock displayed on the main screen. I find it very amusing to slide down the phone at 1 o'clock and 2 hours later when you slide up the phone to check the time, oh well for 1-2 seconds the phone will display the same hour:) This looks like a lag in changing the time when the phone is suddenly slid up. The phonebook can take up to 1000 contacts and business cards can be entered manually for every contact.
 |  |  |  |  |
The handset features Vodafone live! Service as well as Mobile TV service. You can download about any Java compatible application or game through any of the available Internet connectivities (3G, EDGE, GPRS) or simply by using the Vodafone live! Portal. Other useful tools include: Memo, Converter, Voice recorder, Calculator, Private memo, Alarms (multiple), Calendar and Tasks.
Communication
LG KU580 (Hero) is the top of the Chocolate line, thus it features latest connectivity technologies: GPRS (Class 10, 32 - 48 kbps), EDGE (Class 10, 236.8 kbps), 3G (384 kbps), Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0. As seen in the screenshots, there's almost no difference between EDGE and 3G data transfer speeds, only upload speeds are different.
 |  |
Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity supports EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) registered data transfer speeds up to 113 KB/s, which is much better than those attained by previous models. Default messaging capabilities are available (SMS, MMS, EMS, Email) for use. The USB connectivity was updated from 1.1 to 2.0 and it shows. You can synchronize your phone after you previously installed the necessary drivers found on the CD delivered in the sales package, and after you chose the proper method (Data service, Mass Storage or Music Sync).
 |  |  |  |  |
The quad-band (GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network compatible slider has a good GSM signal reception, but it's very weak when it comes to UMTS network. Sound is louder and clearer than that of any other LG mobile phone. With volume set to the max the other person will sound like it's standing nest to you, shouting in your ear.
Processor and Memory
LG KU580 (Hero) embeds a low processor running at up to 170 MHz speeds. Still, this an important improvement from the 115 MHz CPU included in the LG Shine model. If you want to play Java compatible games, then arm yourself with patience as the phone experiences long loading times. Other than that, it's a pretty decent CPU that should not have any troubles in smoothly running your browser or other pre-installed applications.
 |  |
The microSD slot card enables users to expand the 40 MB internal memory up to 1GB. That's a little bit ironic if we think that a "multimedia" phone should at least give you the possibility of upgrading to 2GB.
Multimedia
Even if the slider features only a standard music player, with no fancy looks or settings like equalizer it sounds surprisingly good. Much better than previous models of the Chocolate series and louder. The 64 channels polyphonic sounds offer a superior quality of the video which will please any music lover.
 |  |  |  |
Pity that the FM Radio lacks RDS and can only register up to 10 radio stations. The music player can run MP3, eAAC+ and WMA file formats and has interesting options that will let you play the Recently played songs. The use of the standard headsets which are delivered with the phone is a real pain, because they are so big and heavy that will probably hurt your ears or simply drop off. At least LG corrected the playlist bug and now you'll be able to make your list of songs no matter where you put your MP3 files. There's also a Radio DJ service that can enrich the multimedia experience if needed and a Music store where you can buy your music files. The external speaker is also loud and sounds pretty good for such a small slider.
Battery
The handset features the most powerful battery included in a Chocolate collection phone. The 860 mAh Li-Polymer has an official standby time of 288 hours and a talk time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. I was able to use the phone for about 4 days with 10 minutes of talking daily and standard use of other applications.
 |  |
There's no way that the phone's battery will last 12 days in standby mode and if you're a music player fan, then the 5-6 hours (depends on the volume used) will probably satisfy you ... for a while. I think that a 3 hours talk time is more realistic, but that depends on whether you're a heavy user of the phone's functions or just an occasional one. Still congratulations LG for another improvement!
Impressions
When you refer to a Chocolate series phone you immediately think of something stylish. Chocolate Multimedia has been designed (again) with good taste, but lack of a more resistant material will definitely make you cry after only a few days of standard use. It felt good using the phone, as it has decent specs and impressive sound. Pity that the Vodafone exclusivity will limit its spread among mobile users. This is surely the best phone from the entire Chocolate collection.
 |  |
The Good
The best thing regarding LG KU580 is the updated firmware which corrected a whole bunch of bugs that were present in previous models (Platinum Chocolate, Shine). The phone is a masterpiece in terms of design; as usual LG did a great job. I was also surprised by the multimedia part which was much better than I expected with loud and clear vibes.
The Bad
Even if the phone features a whole range of Internet capabilities, these are working at mediocre standards and could ruin the users’ Web experience. A bigger display and a better camera module would've made it perfect for its price.
Sales package
LG KU580 Hero
Battery Li-Po 860mAh
Charger 230V/EU
Cleaner
Headset with remote control
USB Cable
CD ROM with software
User Guide
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą