For users who are accustomed to using the phone for its intended purpose (calls, SMS), the LG GU230 phone is intended. The designers have worked hard to ensure that the device at a relatively low price has a fairly presentable appearance.
Exterior
Slider LG GU230, designed for users who are not used to aiming at buttons.
Fearing to make the phone too simple, the designers did not use transparent keys and gloss, but made a dark metallic body and practically did not use chrome.
The model turned out to be austere, slightly reminiscent of a communicator with its angular shapes and buttons above the screen. This leads to an analogy. But that's where the similarity ends.
The material from which the device is made is quite pleasant to the touch, well-fitted parts, and the assembly deserves praise. The only drawback is no more shaking of the body in the open position.
The display of the phone is convenient for work, its size is 2.2 inches. The downside here is that when you open the screen, it gets dirty from your hands. The display is quite clear (the viewing angle is up to 170 degrees on the sides).
The keypad on top of the device has four keys and a four-way navigation button. With this keypad, you can answer calls, use the Frequently Asked Questions menu, and open your notebook. In the new phone, this menu consists of 10 empty items that can be filled in for every taste. You can add any item to the main menu.
Navigation keys launch the camera, notebook, new SMS and player.
The main keyboard is very easy to use. It consists of 12 large black keys with white characters and the same backlighting (not too weak for darkness). The letters are arranged in a classic style, but writing SMS is not easy, already on the second word you have to hold the phone with your other hand (elastic buttons close to the edge).
On the case there is a headset and charger connector hidden under a plastic cover. The jack is designed for a bundled headset, so music lovers won't be able to use standard headphones.
Installing a SIM card is easy enough. The memory card is located next to the SIM card, but it is fastened using a folding mechanism. The battery fits snugly enough, but at the same time, it is easy enough to remove.
Communications and networking
BlueTooth. There is a possibility to select hidden or visible modes or visibility mode within a minute, and also to set the name of the device. Lists of connection profiles (file transfer, headset, dialing, hands-free, and so on) are also located.
You can connect to your computer by selecting the removable disk mode (or PC Suite). And it is possible to turn off the device without disconnecting it from the cord, so as not to interrupt the charging process.
There are two modes of connection to and-not via GPRS.
Phone settings
The main menu consists of nine large icons. It is possible to arrange menu items in the form of a list.
You can set any image as the wallpaper for the home screen. Dialing can be done in different colors. The type of the font is presented in three versions. The backlight is adjustable. There are two screen themes available.
Time and date are set in some menu items. From time to time, you can check the set data.
You can set the time interval in which the keyboard will be automatically locked (from 5 seconds to one hour).
Posts
Here, in addition to the usual items (SMS, MMS, e-mail), there is an interesting item called "Smilies". You can select a face and add it to your message.
You can automatically convert SMS to MMS.
Writing SMS is quite simple and interesting.The menu contains a useful tab with which you can add entries from the phone book. You can also insert
A phone number just from the phone book in a couple of clicks (which is often ignored by developers). It is also possible to add emoticons and symbols. By the way, in this model, the number of characters is up to 30 pieces in length.
T9 mode is far from simple, the only simple point is printing emoticons (:) and :-)).
Delivery reports can be viewed in the Sent Messages folder. This is very convenient, because above their text, the user will see whether the SMS was delivered, as well as when and at what time.
Contacts and calls
Allows you to save up to 1000 contacts directly in the phone memory. If you do not select the source of contacts (phone and SIM), then they will be mixed in the general list. You can also create a backup, and take out an external card as needed. This feature is very useful.
For each of the contacts, at the beginning, there are 3 fields (number, first name, last name). But during use, you can create unlimited fields. This is a melody, a picture, and various notes.
It is also possible to create groups. Here you can use the standard groups, or delete them and make your own.
To set up speed dialing on one of the nine numeric keys, you must first enter the number in the phone book. And then place it on one of the free buttons.
The call log can be viewed as a complete list (by pressing the "green" button) or separately, divided into missed, outgoing and incoming calls. Information on the duration and cost of calls is available.
There are five variants of work profiles and three blank profiles for your own parameters. When making the settings, one should take into account that the device's loudspeaker is rather weak, and in the “normal” mode the call is practically inaudible.
Business applications
The first in the list of the organizer menu is the alarm clock, which is quite original. In addition to the usual time, it is possible to set the actuation after 10 minutes and after an hour. You can also set signals for certain days and sign the text, and the melodies will be played in random order from a certain playlist.
In the calendar, you can set reminders (appointments, anniversaries ...) with time and date. With the help of the event search, you can find the desired date, and also mark all the holidays. As in the case of contacts, a backup copy is created here too (if desired).
You can also create reminders in the "notes" menu, but this is without sound reminders. There is also a mysterious item "secret notes".
Other standard functions: stopwatch, calculator, converter, world clock.
The browser looks as usual (bookmarks, home page, saved pages, entering an address, last visited site). Everything else is standard. Of interest is only the option that helps to save addresses behind the numeric buttons.
Entertainment
Media applications in LG GU230 are common (player, camera, radio, voice recorder). The camera has a resolution of 1.3 megapixels, so the quality of the resulting picture is not the best. The music player and radio are played both through the headphones and through the speaker. To listen to FM channels, you must use a headset as an antenna. Dictaphone recordings are limited in time, the maximum is 3 minutes, regardless of the total memory.
In the "gallery" menu there is a conductor, with which you can open the entire list of folders both on the map and on the phone.
In touch
The device has a decent level of network maintenance and network search (if the signal is weak, it does not lose the network, the conversation does not stop).
It takes about 3-4 hours to charge the battery. The charge is enough for an average of ten days, provided that the workload is not strong. With a weak battery, the user may simply not answer the call.
In the process of communication, electronic notes periodically appear in the subscriber's voice, but the speaker volume does not betray even under very noisy conditions.
The slider, as already mentioned, is not very convenient when opening, due to the absence of any stop on the top of the lid. To close the phone, it is easier to rest it against your temple or chin.
While in standby mode the device does not inform about incoming calls or messages in any way, the screen message is visible until the backlight is on.
Drawing conclusions
The cost of the LG GU230 is quite adequate for this model and absolutely corresponds to its capabilities. The advantages of this phone are a pleasant appearance, large keys, a conveniently invented reporting system for messages, and good call quality. The downsides are a tight slider mechanism, weak keyboard backlighting, a quiet vibration alert and ringtone, as well as a complex T9 dialing.
