LG 7020
The LG 7020 is an impressive, smart, feature-rich mobile phone. Most remarkable is the bright, colourful graphics that can be displayed in over 65,000 colours across 128 x 160 pixels on the relatively large LCD.
The 7020 (also known as the G7020) brings so many features together into such a cute, small phone which measures only 88 x 45 x 22mm. The silver case and the inside aluminium panel adds a little to the overall weight, but still it's only 99g.
On the front of the folder, hidden below the sub-LCD is a (rather bright) 8 colour LED strip. While not all colours can be shown at once (or in succession), this can be set a specific colour to flash when the phone rings (green, magenta, red, orange, yellow, white, blue). This is a great feature that integrates well with the caller groups, but could be further enhanced by being more flexible (eg. flash blue for SMS, choice of colour for the idle-mode flash), as is the case on the Panasonic GD88.
The interface is one of the most user-friendly we have seen. There are eight top level options in the menu--messages, call register, phone tools, profiles, call divert, organiser, fun & tools and Internet. These are represented by small square icons on the right side of the screen and when highlighted, a large icon and text fills the left side of the screen.
Messaging is simple and includes extended messaging services (EMS), allowing you to add ring tones and basic (black and white) pictures to messages. Text input is quickest through eZi Text, which predicts the word you are typing (usually after three characters) and auto-completes the word. You simply press the OK button to select the word then move on to the next. You can add words that aren't in memory by moving through the message menu.
The navigation key is very sturdy and easy to use. The directional buttons are firm with a smooth, translucent OK button in the middle. Holding this button down in idle mode gives you quick access to internet services based on wireless application protocol (WAP). For faster download speeds the 7020 can use GPRS. Up to five profiles can be stored for internet settings and allows you to have a different homepage, image display, connection type and security settings for each profile.
For those with friends or relatives overseas, a valuable tool is the world time application. This will give you the time for over 55 cities across the globe--all displayed on a colourful world map with a crosshair pinpointing the location.
LG package a whole bundle of accessories in with the phone. Apart from the standard battery and power adapter, the 7020 is also boxed with a hands free portable earpiece and microphone. Additionally, there is a neck strap included for those who choose to follow the Japanese fashion of wearable electronics. Finally, you get a data kit consisting of a data cable (to connect the phone to your computer though a serial port) and a software CD.
Programs included are PC Sync, Contents Bank and Internet Kit. The installation of the bundled LG software was quick and painless. While your phone is connected to PC Sync you can read, update your phonebook entries through the PC, manage your SMS folders, and view your schedule. Another great function is being able to backup a lot of the information from your SIM card into CSV format on the computer.
Contents Bank is management software for polyphonic ring tones and images. There is a wide range of both images and tones to choose from. Tones are grouped into voice, sound, melody or music categories. Images are also categorised into folders such as animals, holidays, and celebrations. The Internet Kit allows you to surf the Internet using your mobile as the connection.
The call register is an extensive listing detailing the last twenty of each dialled number, received number and missed number with the date and time.
LG rates the 7020 with a standby battery time of 200 hours and 2.5 hours of talk time, which matches up well with our testing, where the phone lasted 3 days under a normal workload; that's about average for most current mobile phones.
LG 7020
Company: LG Electronics
Price: AU$999
Distributor: LG Electronics
Phone: 1800 725 375
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When it comes to service its miserable. In electronics goods its difficult to say "nothing will go wrong" because if something goes wrong then all your money is gone.