Introduction

It looks like LG have been playing their own version of will it blend. There’s no need to tell you they’re not playing for fun - they’re rather trying to squeeze some more cash off a couple of hot-selling handsets. So, here’s the deal. Get your blender, throw in an LG Arena and a Cookie and set the speed to “budget”. And there you have it - an LG GD510 Pop - ready to be served to the happy masses. The “pop” LG are going for is definitely “popular”, as opposed to the “popstar stuff” some of you may have hoped for.

You can go ahead and call it the new Cookie, or the low-cost Arena, but the LG Pop is quite obviously keen to have its own purpose and personality. The optional battery cover fitting a solar panel and the all-round eco-friendliness are one way for it to stand on its own two feet as a phone.

LG GD510 Pop official photos

Apart from that, the Pop is just another midrange touchscreen. And this is by no means a guilty verdict. The LG Cookie used to be just another touchscreen too. Certainly not now - over 5 million units sold later. The Pop is perhaps setting its hopes high as well. Let’s see if the classic unisex design, the feature mix and the affordable price tag can do it for it too.

Key features:

• 3.0″ 256K-color TFT LCD touchscreen display (240×400 pixels)
• 3.15 megapixel fixed focus camera, QVGA video @ 15fps
• Quad-band GSM support
• Bluetooth with A2DP and microUSB v2.0
• microSD card memory expansion
• Standard microUSB port
• FM radio with RDS
• Widget interface and LiveSquare homescreen
• Accelerometer sensor for automatic screen rotation and turn-to-mute
• Landscape on-screen QWERTY keyboard
• Office document viewer
• Smart dialing
• Nice battery life
• Optional solar panel battery cover
• Allegedly affordable price

Main disadvantages:

• No 3G support, no Wi-Fi
• Display has poor sunlight legibility
• No DivX/XviD video support
• Camera lacks autofocus and flash
• Video recording maxes out at QVGA@15fps
• No standard 3.5mm audio jack

There’s something about the styling of the Pop that might misguide users to expect Arena-like functionality. In fact, the only Arena stuff inside is the S-Class-styled main menu - the rest of the interface is like on the LG Cookie. The important features for the mass user are there but the expected price bracket doesn’t really imply high-end specs.

Many people might miss the camera autofocus and 3G support. And yes, some would have been delighted to get Wi-Fi support on the spec sheet. To us, the most important omission - given the potential target audience - is DivX/XviD support. Anyway, the reason for all that is more than clear: specs are sticking to the basics to keep the price tag comfortably low.

LG GD510 Pop live shots

We guess, there’s no reason to construe the GD510 Pop as an upgrade to the LG KP500 Cookie. The Pop is simply the next LG handset to try and tap on the demand for basic affordable touchscreens. An inevitable response to what Samsung are doing with the Star, the Preston and the Corby. To set it apart from the Cookie, the Pop was given some of the LG Arena styling, an optional solar panel and has taken an altogether greener stance.

We praised the Cookie for its handling and style, and the Pop has quite a lot to live up to. The first impression is promising enough though. The Arena-like looks and absolutely minimalist exterior may receive a warm enough reception.

More on the LG GD510 Pop coming up after the jump. We can safely say the LG Pop looks above its class but let’s see how it handles.

Introduction

GPS is a must-have for every self-respecting phone these days. And it doesn’t even have to be a smartphone. From geotagging, through location-aware services and gaming, to full-featured in-car SatNav solution - at some point GPS is likely to have become essential to you even if you don’t need to be told to take the next right turn. Anyway, we guess it all boils down to whether you need it or whether you want it. A dedicated in-car sat-nav device is the more than obvious choice if you need that. But then, there’s always something for those who simply want more of their phone.

For one, the Nokia Navigator line will not only make you want one but probably encourage you to think you need it. Third generation into it already, they may as well have a point. The Nokia 6710 Navigator has the pedigree and the native software, but also the right kind of innovation. The touch-sensitive zoom bar is a bold step ahead, and so relevant to navigation. It sure is a strong point in favor of the Nokia Navigator against touchscreen devices.

Nokia 6710 Navigator official photos

Be that as it may, the 6710 Navigator will perhaps never be entirely convincing against a full-touch operated phone that takes navigation seriously, not to mention dedicated sat-nav equipment. But when it comes to another important question, the latest Nokia Navigator is emphatically a winner. It’s a phone before anything else and such a major upgrade it almost dooms predecessors to the scrap heap.

Keeping the same size as the preceding Nokia 6210, the latest Navigator by Nokia brings a larger and better screen, the impressive touch zoom bar beneath, Wi-Fi, better imaging, faster data, faster processing, updated interface, more power efficiency and incomparably better looks. Not bad at all, is it? There’s plenty to discover on this one, so let’s get on with it. Our plan is to help you find the Nokia 6710 Navigator before it finds you.

Key features

• Symbian OS 9.3, Series 60 3rd with FP2
• 600MHz ARM 11 processor
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Dual-band HSDPA 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA 2 Mbps
• 2.6″ 16M-color QVGA display (bigger and better than the Nokia 6210 Navigator)
• Accelerometer for screen auto rotation, call silencing and alarm snoozing
• 5 MP autofocus camera (Carl Zeiss optics) with LED flash, secondary videocall camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microSD card slot, up to 16GB, hotswap (4GB card included - region specific)
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Convenient USB and memo card slot cover
• Fast and responsive user interface
• Office document viewer
• Ergonomic design

SatNav-centric features

• Built-in GPS with A-GPS
• Digital compass (magnetometer)
• Ovi Maps 3.0 with lifetime drive turn-by-turn navigation license and landscape view mode
• Dedicated Navigator key (starts Maps or centers map on current position)
• Touch-sensitive zoom bar below the screen (fluid zoom in/out action in Maps, as well as gallery and web browser)
• Windscreen suction stand and car charger included in retail package

Main disadvantages

• Camera lacks trendy features such as face, smile or blink detection
• Video recording maxes out at VGA@15fps
• Alphanumeric keypad is somewhat crammed given the space available
• No smart dialing
• No DivX/XviD support out of the box (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• Awkward battery cover removal routine (pry-to-open)

Nokia 6710 Navigator live shots

The Nokia 6710 Navigator is the direct successor of the Nokia 6210 Navigator and the model designation alone is pretty telling of how far things have come. The third-generation handset has jumped a few steps in the chronological progression Nokia Navigators used to follow. Even with a cursory glance at the specs, it’s clear the new 6710 is an overwhelming update to the 6210, let alone the first 6110 Navigator: larger display, touch-sensitive zoom bar, 5 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Wi-Fi, better ergonomics, car stand and charger, etc.

Oh, we guess deep inside we’ll always miss the superb Route 66 that powered the first Finnish navigator and that Nokia Maps will never really match - not so much for performance as for the feel. But it would be foolish to expect else: the home-brewed Maps application is perhaps the very reason Navigator phones exist in the first place. They’re not best-selling mass-appeal devices but rather the platform that promotes the capabilities of the software. That said, a touchscreen Nokia **10 Navigator sure looks like the obvious next step.

More Nokia 6710 Navigator views • the car stand is standard equipment finally

The Nokia 6710 Navigator is undoubtedly keen to get as much use in onboard navigation as it will as a smart all-in-one communicator. Stay with us as we explore all the rest it has to offer besides its ability to get us from A to B. It all begins on the next page.

Reviewed by: GSMArena

Introduction

Eseries seem to have been around forever: grown-up, confident and reliable. It’s a small but solid lineup that’s gone a long way from a fairly late start. Perhaps they’ve got a point: the business Finns are not running against the clock to discover, but look always on the spot to deliver. Eseries are less likely to obsess fans really - they’re more into serving customers. And here they go again: the Nokia E52 looks well set to reward that once an Eseries, always an Eseries user attitude.

Nokia E52 official photos

We’ve come to take the lethal dress code for granted, and the E52 brings a welcome speed and stamina boost to the family. The 600 MHz CPU couldn’t have been more at home in that razor sharp stainless steel outfit.

Compelling exterior and strong performance are the textbook definition of the business range of handsets where Nokia are clearly the standard-setters. The E52 in turn, appears to be the standard measure for business value - you pay for an entry level Eseries and get top-of-the-line smartphone treatment. Did anybody say bestseller?

Key features

• Compact metallic body and extra slim girth (9.90mm)
• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G with HSDPA 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2 Mbps
• 2.4″ 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
• Symbian OS, S60 UI with FP2
• 600 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology, DLNA support
• Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS support, digital compass
• Accelerometer for screen auto-rotation and turn-to-mute
• One-touch shortcut keys mean “business”
• 3 megapixel enhanced fixed focus camera with LED flash
• Secondary videocall camera
• 60 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, ships with a 1GB card
• microUSB v2.0
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• FM radio with RDS
• Class-leading audio output quality
• N-Gage gaming support
• Ovi Maps preinstalled with trial turn-by-turn navigation license (10 days)
• User-friendly Mode Switch for swapping two homescreen setups
• Office document editor (with free MS Office 2007 update)
• Remote lock/wipe over-the-air
• Comfortable keypad
• Smart dialing
• Great battery life

Main disadvantages

• Disappointing camera features and performance
• Video recording maxes out at VGA@15fps
• No DivX or XviD support (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• No TV-out functionality

We guess you know what to expect from the Eseries and, in a way, the Nokia E52 is the most predictable of them business smartphones. It is a 3rd generation handset so to speak, and the straightforward linear progression from E50 and E51 should tell the whole story. Screen size, FP 2, GPS and system speed make the E52 a done deal for upgraders. But even users who consider it overqualified will find it hard to ignore.

The Nokia E52 live shots

Think big, act fast and look sharp is what Eseries have always stood for but there’s something about the E52 that seemed to make our knees weak. It’s the traditional Eseries styling - bold, confident but conservative enough to safely rule out uncontrollable displays of emotion. Still, the E52 must’ve hit the right spot and its commanding appeal is hard to define but hard to deny. So we’d better move on before we got too soft, and see if the ergonomics are on par or if they have been sacrificed for looks.

Reviewed by GSMArena.Com

LG GC900 Viewty Smart (sometimes also called Viewty 2) is making a run for it as the next LG flagship. What can we say, when you’re blue-blooded, some things come au naturel - the snappy and quite thumbable S-Class UI, the 8 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and GPS all hide behind a 3-inch touchscreen lodged into a body that’s only 12.4mm thick. We don’t know about you, but by our books all that gadgetness calls for a proper inspection.

As rumors have it, the LG Viewty Smart is set to start its European tour as early as May or June, despite the fact that it has only been officially announced two weeks ago. Well, it’s true, LG did tease us with a prototype back at the MWC 2009 in February, but it’s only now that we get to hold it in our hands and see it in good working order. And pleased we are…

LG Viewty Smart official photos

LG GC900 Viewty Smart at a glance

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, EDGE class 12
• Dimensions: 108.9 x 56.1 x 12.4 mm, 102 g
• Display: 3″ 16M-color capacitive touchscreen TFT of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
• Memory: 1.5GB flash storage, microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• User interface: S-Class Touch UI
• Still camera: 8 megapixel autofocus camera, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, LED flash, manual focus, geo-tagging, image stabilization, multi face detection (up to 3), smile detection
• Video recording: 720×480@30fps, VGA@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi, TV-out, USB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, Multi-touch input, DivX/XviD support, Dolby for Mobile audio enhancement, FM radio, office document viewer
• Battery: Li-Ion 1000 mAh
• Retail price: N/A

The LG GC900 Viewty Smart unit we received is still a pre-production one, but well functioning one - we’ve seen enough to tell. But still, we don’t deem it ready for a full review, so instead we’ve prepared the following quick preview to give you some live scoop of what the Viewty 2 is all about.

LG GC900 Viewty Smart at ours

Unfortunately, the Viewty Smart name is a bit misleading. The Viewty 2 is a smart handset indeed but only design-wise. From the inside, it’s not a smartphone or anything, no matter how much we would have liked that. Instead it’s a regular full touch feature phone, but one with a really polished UI and top-notch imaging capabilities.

LG Viewty Smart finally in our hands

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s get back to the Smart side of things and check LG GC900 Viewty Smart on the inside. Hit the jump for our scoop on its design and ergonomics.