Camera Phones Plaza

The actual device market is the ultimate frontier within the whole process of releasing a new line of products. Manufacturers always try different advertising or solutions to get as many focused minds on their products. Recently I saw the BlackBerry advertising for the new flagship phone model due to be announced on the 5^th of November. RIM really tries to involve as many elements as they can in this launch, which includes keeping the place of the event secret until you register to the event.


Probably the only things that are impressing people these days involve grand events not only in launching a new phone line, an new phone, but also when it comes to concerts (normal concerts are not that interesting if they're not world wide spread with a full show to display and not just some sang songs). In a previous article, I presented you the new entry level mobile phones line from LG, named "GB". This new line includes so many models that you probably don't even know about. Even more dramatic is that some of these phones are actually good for their price range.


So, why aren't you informed about these phones? Mostly the current problem is due to the lack of proper advertising the potential customers want. I am guessing that in the near future we are going to see full impressive concerts as part of the launch of the new iPhone, or maybe the new "N" series from Nokia (which by the way is so close of being revamped completely, or just taken into retiring, with a new series on the way).

The "GB" line was launched at the beginning of 2009, with only two models. Since then this line became one of the most consistent line in terms of the number of phones, and form factors offered. A nice looking clamshell phone, GB 250 was initially announced in February and released in August. It sports a nice design, including three colored plastic design. The front cover embedded a blue plastic look (metallic finish) with a glossy black frame which includes the external display.

The hinge and back cover as well as the inside of the GB 250 sports a silver case look, made entirely out of plastic. The design looks nice, not cheap, but the build quality is not at its best performances. With a height of 97.6 mm, wide of 48.8 mm, deep of 16.9 mm, the GB 250 weights under 100 grams. This phone is not the lightest or the most portable but it is pretty easy to carry around. The GB 250 runs in 2 G networks, GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900, and in 3G network, HSDPA 2100.

The specs you are going to read about are included into an entry level phone. While the external monochrome TFT screen only has a 1 inch screen display with 96 x 64 pixels resolution the internal TFT display includes a 2 inches screen display with 176 x 220 pixels resolution, capable of rendering 256000 colors. The internal memory provided is huge for an entry level phone, 1 GB, value expandable by using the micro SD memory cards, or Trans Flash memory cards, up to 4 GB. The connectivity is ensured by the GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth version 2.0, USB connection, and HSDPA with 1.8 MB per second. LG included in the GB 250 a 1.3 MP camera capable of 1280 x 1024 pixels, without any video recording capabilities. Beside the MP3 player, you are not going to get any special software available.

The included standard battery is rather small, only 800 mAh Lithium Ion battery, which should provide about 280 hours standby time in 2G network, and 230 hours standby time in 3G network. The talk time reaches about 4 hours in 2G networks, while in the 3G network you get about 3 hours and 28 minutes. In March 2009, LG announced the GB 210, released in May this year.

This candy bar phone is the upgrade to the GB 110. With a nice design, including a metallic look like plastic covers with several nice touches, within the navigational keys, this phone looks nice and feels the same. With a good build quality, this phone also sports a proper feedback within both navigational keys and keyboard. It can only run in the 2G network, GSM 900 / 1800. With a height of 103.7 mm, wide of 47 mm, deep of 15.6 mm, the GB 210 weights about 79 grams, making this phone very portable and easy to slide into any pocket.

The phone sports only one display because of its form factor, with a 1.77 inches screen diagonal, TFT technology, and a resolution of 120 x 160 pixels, this display can render about 65000 colors. Its internal memory is only 4 MB, but this value can be expanded using the micro SD memory cards, or the Trans Flash memory cards up to 4 GB. You get some connectivity with the GPRS and the HSCSD, Bluetooth with the A2DP profile and the USB connection. However, the EDGE, 3G, and Wi-Fi lack from the GB 210 connectivity package.


The same 1.3 megapixel digital camera found on the GB 250 can be found on the GB 210, sporting a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. However, this phone includes more than just the MP3 player. You can find a web browser, MP4 player (H.263), and an FM radio. Also upgraded is the 950 mAh Lithium Ion battery which should provide about 500 hours in standby and 5 hours in talk time. Overall the GB 210 is a good balanced phone, which provides sufficient features for its price range. Also, the design is pretty interesting thanks to the titanium finish.

Another GB phone announced in March and released in July this year, is the GB 125, a 2G network phone (GSM 900 / 1800) sporting a clamshell form factor. In terms of design, this phone looks very unique. Its design, however, is rather subjective, some might love it, and some might hate it, it simply up to everyone in question to decide. This phone has a lot of sharp angles in construction.

When closed its silver metallic look like body really looks nice delivering a nice impression. However, when opened this phone looks rather strange. In a way is reminds me of some old Sony Ericsson Walkman model. In the inside the GB 125 sports a black matte plastic which feels really nice. However, the plastic keys leave a bad impression when used, since they offer only an average feedback. Even so, all the keys, either navigational keys, or keyboard keys are good sized. With a height of 87 mm, wide of 45 mm, deep of 19.3 mm, the GB 125 weights about 90 grams. If this phone would have been thinnest, it would probably be one of the most portable phones on the market.


Even so, the handling is pretty great and the phone can easily be slide into any pocket. LG included status LED indicators instead of an external display, while inside it included a 1.5 inches CSTN display with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels, capable of rendering about 65000 colors. Let's talk about what you don't get. You don't get HSCSD, EDGE, 3G, WLAN, Bluetooth, USB connection, and no memory card slot. You do, however, get the GPRS connection. The battery included in this phone is a Lithium Ion 950 mAh, should provide about 440 hours of standby time and up to 6 hours and 30 minutes in talk time. You get no digital camera, no MP3 player, but you do get a FM radio.

Overall, the GB 125 includes a weird design and basic functions, with its main key being the almost unique design. LG didn't stop here, until today the LG included in the GB line another four phone models, the GB 230 (slider), the GB 170 (candy bar form with some specs), the GB 109 (candy bar form entry level with basic functions), and the GB 270 (candy bar form, which can be considered the high end entry level phone, with an excellent design and good specs). All these four phone models will be presented in a future article. Overall, the GB line is truly an entry level line, however, with a little patience you can find good phones for less money with more than a few features from the bottom average line.