Slim phone is one for the road
By Deborah Porterfield
Gannett News Service
Don't you love it when tech designers get their acts together and create an affordable product that not only looks sharp but is also relatively easy to use?
Such a product is the sophisticated-looking LG-TM510 wireless phone. For $150, you get an LG InfoComm phone packed with some top-notch features. For starters, the tri-mode phone for Verizon Wireless can operate on three types of network systems, which increases your odds of making calls from most anywhere in the country. It also is capable of giving you access to the Web and e-mail messages. And better yet, this palm-size phone is incredibly tiny. When its clamshell-like lid is closed, its 4.23-ounce body measures a mere 3.4- by 1.90 by 1.1-inches, making it small enough to tuck inside a shirt pocket. A tiny LCD screen on the outside of the lid displays essential details, such as the remaining battery life and the current time and date. When the phone rings, this screen also reveals the phone number of the incoming call. You then have the option of taking the call or switching it to voice mail.
When you're ready to take or place a call, open the phone's cover to reveal an even bigger LCD screen on the inside of the cover and a keypad on the bottom section. This five-line LCD screen contains an array of helpful information, including the strength of the call's signal. It also contains links to the phone's menu options, where you can choose the sound of the ring, change the display information and create a phone and address book.
LG-TM510 wireless phone
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Rating: *** 1/2 (out of five)
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Price: $150 (May be less, depending on the service plan you choose.)
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Pro: Sophisticated styling, compact size and dual LCD screens make this a good choice for folks who like to travel light.
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Con: Typing names, phone numbers and other information on the phone's tiny keyboard can be rather cumbersome.
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Bottom Line: It's hard not to like a phone that's small enough to slip into a pocket yet powerful enough to surf the Web and make calls from most anywhere in the country.
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Details: Features on this LG InfoComm tri-mode phone for Verizon Wireless include a dual LCD screen, choice of Spanish or English language settings; voice-activated dialing, voice recording, data/fax service capability, caller sound ID, Tegic T9 text input system and the UP 3.1 WAP browser (can be upgraded to UP 4.1). The phone ships with a battery charger and a helpful owner's manual. The phone's battery has enough juice for about 180 minutes of talk time and 200 hours of standby time in digital mode.
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Information: www.lginfocomm.com
Unfortunately, navigating through the phone's numerous options and settings proved to be somewhat tasking, and often the results weren't worth the required effort. For example, the phone's Tegic T9 text input system is supposed to be smart enough to figure out what letters you're typing on its numeric keyboard. While it had no problem guessing that 8-6-4-2-3 6-2-4-5 was "voice mail," it never did grasp that 666 was supposed to be "Mom."
The phone also comes with a calendar and scheduler, but because inputting data on the phone is so much work, these items didn't prove that useful. Folks who are determined to use these features would be wise to invest in an optional accessory that allows you to synchronize this information with your PC.
Browsing the Web on the phone also proved hit or miss. While it was easy enough to go into a portal, such as Yahoo, getting out of that site to check another one required a dizzying number of clicks.
Even so, this phone remains a smart choice for travelers. One reason, of course, is that it can access three different networks. Because the phone can use the 1.9 GHz PCS, the 800 MHz cellular digital and the Analog Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) wireless phone frequencies, it's better able to handle calls in a variety of locales. Indeed, this model easily made calls to and from big and small communities in New York, Florida, Colorado, Virginia and South Carolina. In fact, the only place it didn't work well was in a sparsely populated area of Wyoming.
