The LG GM750 is LG’s first windows phone, and is generously full of features. Which makes it all the more disappointing that it’s not a great deal of fun to use.

 

Style and handling for LG GM750

There’s no mistaking that the LG GM750 is an LG handset, with its glossy, sleek and rounded finish, discreet pattern on the back and three-inch capacitive touch-screen. There is also a touchpad that sits beneath the screen, although it only really does anything in the web browser, when you can use it to select small links but not to scroll. It seems a bit pointless really, especially as the touch-screen is accurate and responsive.

The multi-screen user interface has a cube layout like that used by LG for its 3D S-Class interface. There are five home screens for contact, media, widgets, customisable shortcuts and, on the home screen, notifications and shortcuts. We’re not sure why you can’t customise the home screen, though.

Windows phones all have a PC-style Start button that brings up your programs menu, and it works well. LG confuses the issue by including a programs shortcut of its own that takes some time to get used to and isn’t that efficient anyway.

 

Messaging on the LG GM750

The touch-screen on the LG GM750 is nice to use, unless you’re using the QWERTY keypad, in which case it’s practically unusable. There’s no auto-correct function, just a spell check that makes a stab at what you’re trying to type, so doesn’t really help. If you type in landscape mode, the keyboard is spacier and easier to use, but the auto-correct, such as it is, stops working. To type accurately we had to go slowly, which was a frustrating experience.

You have support for up to 10 accounts on LG Email, including Gmail and Microsoft Exchange. Unfortunately, actually sending and email is a lengthy process requiring lots of clicking around. You need to click on the message box, which takes you to a new screen to write your message, then click OK to go back to the message. You need to do the same for address, plus an extra click for confirmation, subject matter and sending the message. This is especially disappointing because the whole point of Windows Mobile is easy-to-use business features – somehow LG has managed to spoil it.

 

Internet on the LG GM750

The Windows Mobile 6.5 browser now has better support for HTML, meaning you can view full web pages as well as mobile-optimised ones. We used a 3G connection to test the LG GM750 as the phone is a Vodafone exclusive and will therefore use a 3G connection all the time. Loading full web pages took as long as 30 seconds for data-heavy pages, although mobile-optimised pages loaded up in a far more friendly five seconds or so. The full internet pages were pixelated with ragged fonts, while the mobile pages resulted in nice, clear pictures with good colour.
To zzom in you have the option of double-tapping on the part of the page you want to view or using the new zoom slider, but this does lag a bit.

 

Camera on the LG GM750

The five-megapixel camera is probably the best we’ve seen on a Windows Mobile device. It includes panorama mode, exposure adjustment, auto-focus and a host of other auto settings. Strangely, it’s the daylight pictures that comes out worst, with a green tinge and too slow a shutter speed to capture decent action shots. But pictures are clear and sharp, and low-light pictures come out really well.

The music player is standard and works well, but has nothing to make it stand out from the crowd.

 

The verdict for the LG CM750

LG’s first Windows phone is a disappointment. The S-Class user interface doesn’t make the most of the operating system and emailing is unnecessarily long-winded. It has its good points – the touch-screen works well and the music and camera features are good – but it fails on all the key business points: email, customization and internet. What a shame.

 

Buy the LG GM750 Here