The LG GW300 looks and performs similar to a baby version of the popular BlackBerry range, with its colourful touches and LG branding making it look a little less austere than RIM’s high end handsets. The GW300 is very much aimed at the mainstream, with its suitably cheap price tag. But some may wonder whether it is limited by its low cost in ways that negate the messaging and browsing functions which it offers. We shall attempt to find out.

The LG GW300 connectivity is limited to a 2G connection. There is no 3G support, no sign of HSDPA for superfast downloads and definitely no Wi-Fi. People who are used to powerful smartphones will probably be sneering at the inferiority of the GW300 at this point, but there are a number of key reasons that sticking with a 2G phone is perfectly acceptable, especially for the target audience that LG is gunning for.

The obvious problem with using a 3G phone is that the battery life is seriously affected by the higher speeds and data requirements of 3G networking. The more technologically advanced the product, the more juice it requires. Because the LG GW300 connectivity is all based around the standard 2G GSM networks with EDGE support, there is no need for a hefty battery and there is no need for the user to worry that using the network connection will quickly gobble up all of the battery’s charge before they have got anything done. Both 3G and Wi-Fi will require a good, powerful battery, but without either of these the LG GW300 needs less energy on tap.

Another issue with 3G connectivity is that most handsets that advertise themselves by their 3G compatibility neglect to mention the fact that the real life speeds offered by 3G are much lower on average than the theoretical speeds on which manufacturers base their marketing. Depending on where you live, you could find yourself surfing on a 2G connection even if you have a 3G phone. With the LG GW300 connectivity limited to 2G, you always know that not only will you be able to find coverage, but it will generally be operating at the best of its abilities.

2G works in the GW300’s favour because for the most part it will only be used for social networking and emailing. Both of these are heavily based on loading up text and little more. There is a preinstalled Facebook app on the GW300, but it is important to bear in mind that this app takes a small snapshot of the whole site’s functions, rather than attempting to emulate them all in a data-hungry way. The profile pictures of your friends are scaled down so that they do not take long to load and you can still see all of the status updates and comments that have been made on various walls and posted items. As a result, you really lose little by having a 2G phone. If you happen to be a fan to Twitter then the Java support of the GW300 will allow you to install an app that supports this microblogging service. And with the 2G connection you should have more than enough speed to send tweets and view the world of the microblogosphere at a satisfying rate.

This discussion has not really looked at whether the LG GW300 connectivity options are suitable when compared to the more expensive handsets, but at whether spending the extra money will actually help out the people who might consider buying LG’s mobile. Hopefully it has made clearer the kinds of things that it is necessary to think about when trying to cut through the marketing jargon and technical language surrounding mobile phones.

Tags: connectivity, lg, lg gw300

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on Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 9:47 am and is filed under Mobile Phones.
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