I recently purchased a new mid-range Android phone for myself. It is LG Optimus L-9, also code named P-765. It has ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, 1 GHz dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. However don't be surprised if the Task Manager reports only 767 MB as the total of used and free RAM. I checked with LG and they told that the balance is dedicated to GPU (Graphics Processing Unit.) It has a decent 4.75 inch qHD screen and is available in black and white colors. I went for the black one. The internal storage is stated to be 4 GB of which 2.33 GB is available to the user for installing apps. There is a slot for external memory card. It can take up to 32GB. The battery is a decent one with 2150 mAH rating. It has a 5 MP camera and a VGA front camera. The regular camera is capable of full HD video recording. A FM radio is included.
The other phone that I had in mind was Samsung Galaxy Grand. It has Jelly Bean OS, 8 MB of internal storage (4 available to user), and a 8 MP camera. The screen is also a little bigger at 5". However the battery has lower capacity and the display has a lower resolution. Also it costs nearly Rs.4000/= more than L9. But then you get a anti-glare screen and a flip case free with the phone. These cost me an additional Rs.700/=. An anti-glare screen is definitely recommended, especially for outdoor use. I bought Scratchgard screen at an exorbitant price of Rs.350/=, but the results are good. The Table-Talk flip cover that I purchased from e-Bay is okay. The only problem is that it interferes with the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor's job is to turn the display on when you move the phone away from your face (ears) and turn it off again if you take it close to your face. Of course this happens during an active call only and you may take advantage of proximity sensor by folding back the flip cover instead of talking with the cover on.
Additionally you need to invest in a micro SD card. I went for a 16 GB card instead of the maximum of 32 GB. The cards are available in several classes - 4, 6 and 10. The data transfer speed increases with the number of the class. A 10 GB card, I believe will provide good jitter-free HD videos.
I was baffled to note that all the apps download and install only on the internal memory. As stated earlier you have 2.33 GB of internal memory. LG told me that ICS and JB versions have this behavior and the external SD card cannot be used for installing applications. Some Googling shows that it can be done but only after rooting the phone. I don't want to do that; not during the warranty period. But then luckily the camera application uses the card for storing photos and videos. The card can also be used for storing your music and e-books. A good app for reading e-books is "Cool Reader." And of course don't forget to load the Adobe Reader for a large number of books are in PDF format.
For even more storage you can, of course, use Google Drive, Skydrive, Box etc. The native file manager also allows you to add these as additional directories. Google Drive offers the advantage of editing your files too if they are in the Google native formats. It is like having full-fledged Office equivalent on your mobile.
The phone responds well to your touch commands. It was on account of long response time that I had to upgrade to this phone.
One nice feature of ICS & JB is live wallpapers. So you can have an aquarium or a plasma globe for a wallpaper to amuse you. Task manager and battery optimizer come built in and there is no need for adding an app. Google books, like Spotify and Netflix, is unfortunately not available in India. Google music works fine on ICS, and then there are Saavn and Dhingana.
The camera is good in daylight but only average indoors. The earphones are good for enjoying music.
Thus far it seems to be a good phone and I have configured it with my usual choice of apps from Google Play as well as LG Smartworld.
I am happy to note that LG has announced a JB upgrade for this phone during the first half of the current year. Let us hope it comes about.
After having benefited from various reviews on the net, I thought I was morally obliged to share my own experience with the phone. Hence this blog.
The other phone that I had in mind was Samsung Galaxy Grand. It has Jelly Bean OS, 8 MB of internal storage (4 available to user), and a 8 MP camera. The screen is also a little bigger at 5". However the battery has lower capacity and the display has a lower resolution. Also it costs nearly Rs.4000/= more than L9. But then you get a anti-glare screen and a flip case free with the phone. These cost me an additional Rs.700/=. An anti-glare screen is definitely recommended, especially for outdoor use. I bought Scratchgard screen at an exorbitant price of Rs.350/=, but the results are good. The Table-Talk flip cover that I purchased from e-Bay is okay. The only problem is that it interferes with the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor's job is to turn the display on when you move the phone away from your face (ears) and turn it off again if you take it close to your face. Of course this happens during an active call only and you may take advantage of proximity sensor by folding back the flip cover instead of talking with the cover on.
Additionally you need to invest in a micro SD card. I went for a 16 GB card instead of the maximum of 32 GB. The cards are available in several classes - 4, 6 and 10. The data transfer speed increases with the number of the class. A 10 GB card, I believe will provide good jitter-free HD videos.
I was baffled to note that all the apps download and install only on the internal memory. As stated earlier you have 2.33 GB of internal memory. LG told me that ICS and JB versions have this behavior and the external SD card cannot be used for installing applications. Some Googling shows that it can be done but only after rooting the phone. I don't want to do that; not during the warranty period. But then luckily the camera application uses the card for storing photos and videos. The card can also be used for storing your music and e-books. A good app for reading e-books is "Cool Reader." And of course don't forget to load the Adobe Reader for a large number of books are in PDF format.
For even more storage you can, of course, use Google Drive, Skydrive, Box etc. The native file manager also allows you to add these as additional directories. Google Drive offers the advantage of editing your files too if they are in the Google native formats. It is like having full-fledged Office equivalent on your mobile.
The phone responds well to your touch commands. It was on account of long response time that I had to upgrade to this phone.
One nice feature of ICS & JB is live wallpapers. So you can have an aquarium or a plasma globe for a wallpaper to amuse you. Task manager and battery optimizer come built in and there is no need for adding an app. Google books, like Spotify and Netflix, is unfortunately not available in India. Google music works fine on ICS, and then there are Saavn and Dhingana.
The camera is good in daylight but only average indoors. The earphones are good for enjoying music.
Thus far it seems to be a good phone and I have configured it with my usual choice of apps from Google Play as well as LG Smartworld.
I am happy to note that LG has announced a JB upgrade for this phone during the first half of the current year. Let us hope it comes about.
After having benefited from various reviews on the net, I thought I was morally obliged to share my own experience with the phone. Hence this blog.
The black flip cover that I purchased for the phone was interrupting the proximity sensor. It has been quite easily solved by painting a white strip on the side of the cover that touches the screen when it is closed. The strip has to cover the infrared source located close to the front camera. Once you do this the proximity function works correctly. When you close the cover and start talking, the screen goes blank. And if you open the cover to dial a number or disconnect, the dialer screen reappears. The white strip helps the proximity sensor by reflecting back the infrared light. Without the white strip and a black cover it was getting absorbed and so the sensor failed to work properly.
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