We, at cellphoneshopper.net review all the latest cell phones that have come in to the market so you can get a brief preview of the handset you are going to buy. The reviews are written after thorough testing of the phone and thus we'd recommend you to go through the reviews before you go ahead and buy the cell phone. Among the ones that we have reviewed for the blog, there are three handsets which standout from the crowd. LG Ally is the first Android Smart phone from this manufacturer for the US market and hence there are big things expected from this device. LG, it seems, has worked hard from their end too make this first attempt a memorable one. The surface of the phone is dominated by a huge touch screen viewing movies on such big screen is really cool. You can use this device as an alternative to your iPod Touch, you dont have to carry two gadgets at the same time and you can use the LG Ally as both a mobile phone and music player.
LG Ally has a 3.2 inch capacitive touch screen and I am glad that the manufacturer didnt use a resistive interface. The user experience is as good as your iPhone and you can just flip your finger on the screen to view the photos, contacts lists, etc. Beneath the display, there are two touch sensitive buttons back and zoom in/out. On the bottom, there are four physical buttons Talk/End, Home and Menu key. Usually, when it comes to touch screen phones, the physical buttons make the device look a bit ugly and this is the primary reason why iPhone just had a single physical button. However, I have to say that this device is an exception the gadget looks quite beautiful in spite of these buttons.
Next is
LG Fathom,but I was disappointed to see that the LG Fathom has a resistive touch screen and not a capacitive one. This means you will have to use the stylus for the screen most of the times and the user experience too will not be as good as the iPhone. Resistive touch screens also need a harder pressure on the screen. This mobile phone is based on Windows Mobile 6.5.3 OS and the OS has everything that youd need in a smart phone.
The front face of the LG Fathom is dominated by the aforementioned 3.2 inch resistive touch screen. Below that, there are three buttons for Send, End and the Menu button key. On the back, there is a 3.2 mega pixel camera but there is no flash or self portrait mirror. Below the camera, there is a compartment for storing the stylus. Tilt the phone to the sides and you can pull out the full QWERTY keyboard. This keyboard has spacious buttons and hence typing on them is very comfortable. They give good tactile feed back and there is plenty of elevation for the keys too.
LG Fathoms keyboards top has a number row just like the one seen on a computer keyboard. There is also the standard navigation button with OK key in the middle. I could type for hours on this keyboard when I had it in my labs because it is indeed comfortable. The device comes with a built in accelerometer which automatically changes the screen orientation from portrait to landscape mode when you pull the keyboard out. There is also a proximity sensor which detects when the phone is placed too close to the ears and then automatically locks the screen from accidental touches. Finally, there is a brightness sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness according to the light in the ambience.
Pantech Breeze AT&T lacks in any high end features and hence I wasnt surprised that he manufacturer kept the phone very thin. The device has a clamshell or flap model design and there is a small display on the lid. This external display supports photo caller ID, time/date, and other such related information. The two parts of the phone are securely kept together by the hinge and opening and closing the flap feels quite good. The parts are not loose like other cheap phones.
Pantech Breeze AT&T has a very bright and big screen and I was surprised about it since such entry level phones have a somewhat dull display. I am not complaining here though, better screens are always welcome. If senior citizens have any eye sight problems then this screen will serve them good. The display is two inches big and below it, there are three quick call buttons. These buttons are meant for emergency calls, speed dial lists, etc. These three buttons remind me of those computer notebooks which have multimedia buttons above the keyboard. I really liked these buttons since they give quick access to your needs.
Pantech Breeze AT&Ts navigation array is located on the second half of the phone and it is quite spacious. The array is made up of two soft buttons, the four way navigation pad with OK button in the middle, and two more buttons for camera and speakerphone. The middle OK button serves as an AT&Ts Web Browser button in the standby mode. I didnt like this much since you dont use the Browser much. The manufacturer could have put this button for some other application on the phone.
