head to head LG KE970 SHINE v SONY ERICSSON W880i
LG KE970 SHINE
SPECIFICATION
Size
Size
Length 99.8mm
Width 50.6mm
Depth 13.8mm
Weight
125g
Main display
TFT, 256K colours, 240x320 pixels
Camera
2mp, 1600x1200 pixels, autofocus, macro, flash, video (CIF)
Connectivity
Triband GSM, EDGE, USB, Bluetooth
Memory
50MB internal, microSD memory card slot
Battery
Standby 280 hours
Talk time 3 hours
Look and feel:
Stunning stainless steel body with large mirror-effect screen, great hand appeal. Skinny, quite light, feels reassuringly sturdy, satisfyingly positive slide. Styling is not quite so seamless when slider is open (slider rails exposed).
9/10
Externals:
Generally uncluttered. Camera lens on rear; memory slot, music player and camera controls arranged conventionally along the sides.
8/10
Keyboard:
Keys are etched into steel surface, respond well’ highly effective blue backlighting. Novel roll bar navigation tool works well too, scrolls through menus easily (a bit too easily until you get used to it).
8/10
Display:
Generous screen with good contrast and legibility – very good on text and icons. Suffers in direct sunlight.
7/10
Memory:
50MB on board, microSD memory card slot.
7/10
Camera:
2mp and video, LED flash, autofocus, macro mode. Pictures have a slight blue cast but detail is good. Lens is exposed and can attract dirt smears.
7/10
Music:
Player is basic but usable (can’t create playlists, though). Speaker playback is a bit anaemic, volume too quiet.
7/10
Phone:
Call quality is fine, but reception is poor in low-signal-strength areas (and the signal strength indicator didn’t seem to update often enough).
8/10
In Use:
User interface is much improved over the Chocolate – better typeface, easier navigation with scrollbar.
8/10
Extras:
Useful in-call features – speakerphone, call , in-call text messaging, in-call texting, call recording. Usual organiser functions, plus basic document viewers.
8/10
We Like:
• Look, feel, hand appeal, stylishness general
• Scroll bar navigation
• Build quality
We Don't Like:
• Signal reception
• Hard to see screen in direct sunlight
• Mirror screen smudges easily
Overall:
LG’s design studio does it again – a usable fashion phone with quality build, a phone to be seen with. 3G version (looks virtually identical) is imminent, too.
SONY ERICSSON W880i
Width 50.6mm
Depth 13.8mm
Weight
125g
Main display
TFT, 256K colours, 240x320 pixels
Camera
2mp, 1600x1200 pixels, autofocus, macro, flash, video (CIF)
Connectivity
Triband GSM, EDGE, USB, Bluetooth
Memory
50MB internal, microSD memory card slot
Battery
Standby 280 hours
Talk time 3 hours
Look and feel:
Stunning stainless steel body with large mirror-effect screen, great hand appeal. Skinny, quite light, feels reassuringly sturdy, satisfyingly positive slide. Styling is not quite so seamless when slider is open (slider rails exposed).
9/10
Externals:
Generally uncluttered. Camera lens on rear; memory slot, music player and camera controls arranged conventionally along the sides.
8/10
Keyboard:
Keys are etched into steel surface, respond well’ highly effective blue backlighting. Novel roll bar navigation tool works well too, scrolls through menus easily (a bit too easily until you get used to it).
8/10
Display:
Generous screen with good contrast and legibility – very good on text and icons. Suffers in direct sunlight.
7/10
Memory:
50MB on board, microSD memory card slot.
7/10
Camera:
2mp and video, LED flash, autofocus, macro mode. Pictures have a slight blue cast but detail is good. Lens is exposed and can attract dirt smears.
7/10
Music:
Player is basic but usable (can’t create playlists, though). Speaker playback is a bit anaemic, volume too quiet.
7/10
Phone:
Call quality is fine, but reception is poor in low-signal-strength areas (and the signal strength indicator didn’t seem to update often enough).
8/10
In Use:
User interface is much improved over the Chocolate – better typeface, easier navigation with scrollbar.
8/10
Extras:
Useful in-call features – speakerphone, call , in-call text messaging, in-call texting, call recording. Usual organiser functions, plus basic document viewers.
8/10
We Like:
• Look, feel, hand appeal, stylishness general
• Scroll bar navigation
• Build quality
We Don't Like:
• Signal reception
• Hard to see screen in direct sunlight
• Mirror screen smudges easily
Overall:
LG’s design studio does it again – a usable fashion phone with quality build, a phone to be seen with. 3G version (looks virtually identical) is imminent, too.
77%
SONY ERICSSON W880i
SPECIFICATION
Size
Size
Length 103mm
Width 46.5mm
Depth 9.4mm
Weight
71g
Main display
TFT, 256K colours, 240x320 pixels
Camera
2MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video (QCIF), 2.5x digital zoom; secondary VGA video call camera
Connectivity
3G, Triband GSM, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0
Memory
16MB internal, M2 memory card slot (1GB included)
Battery
Standby 425 hours
Talk time 6.5 hours
Look and feel:
Nice. Very slim, mostly steel body (maybe a bit light), two great colour combos (steel silver, red/black).
8/10
Externals:
Top and bottom edges are blank; left side has Walkman shortcut, USB/charger.headset port, M2 memory card slot (hot-swappable)’ right side has camera shutter button and tiny slider for volume control and camera zoom.
7/10
Keyboard:
Excellent. Great protruding keytops, good positive feedback, comfortable to use.
8/10
Display:
Good, even in direct sunlight (unlike some other Sony Ericssons), but screen feels a bit cramped and too narrow.
7/10
Memory:
Only 16MB internal but 1GB M2 card is supplied (and is hot-swappable too).
8/10
Camera:
2mp camera with 2.5x digital zoom but bells and whistles – no autofocus, no flash, no macro mode. Picture quality is ok, and picture blogging is included. Low-res (CIF) video capture.
7/10
Music:
Walkman version 2.0 with improved interface – intuitive and easy to use. Several equalizer presets. 1GB on memory card, A2DP support for Bluetooth stereo, headset has 3.5mm adapter. Battery allows 18 hours play time. No FM radio though, and speaker is poor.
8/10
Phone:
Signal strength excellent even in poor-coverage areas, sound during calls is loud and clear. Loudspeaker is poor, though.
7/10
In Use:
Works pretty well. New user interface includes multitasking for up to three Java apps at once (eg music, game, IM simultaneously).
8/10
Extras:
Good organiser functions. SE’s excellent file manager. NetFront web browser is one of the best. Push email.
7/10
We like:
• Slimline styling
• Memory capacity and expandability
• Great battery life
We Don't Like:
• Music playing not as good as W810i or W850i
• Headphone jack on side rather than top or bottom
• Keys are a bit small for fast texting
Overall:
Another Walkman winner, though stylish design has meant compromises in camera and music capability.
Width 46.5mm
Depth 9.4mm
Weight
71g
Main display
TFT, 256K colours, 240x320 pixels
Camera
2MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video (QCIF), 2.5x digital zoom; secondary VGA video call camera
Connectivity
3G, Triband GSM, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0
Memory
16MB internal, M2 memory card slot (1GB included)
Battery
Standby 425 hours
Talk time 6.5 hours
Look and feel:
Nice. Very slim, mostly steel body (maybe a bit light), two great colour combos (steel silver, red/black).
8/10
Externals:
Top and bottom edges are blank; left side has Walkman shortcut, USB/charger.headset port, M2 memory card slot (hot-swappable)’ right side has camera shutter button and tiny slider for volume control and camera zoom.
7/10
Keyboard:
Excellent. Great protruding keytops, good positive feedback, comfortable to use.
8/10
Display:
Good, even in direct sunlight (unlike some other Sony Ericssons), but screen feels a bit cramped and too narrow.
7/10
Memory:
Only 16MB internal but 1GB M2 card is supplied (and is hot-swappable too).
8/10
Camera:
2mp camera with 2.5x digital zoom but bells and whistles – no autofocus, no flash, no macro mode. Picture quality is ok, and picture blogging is included. Low-res (CIF) video capture.
7/10
Music:
Walkman version 2.0 with improved interface – intuitive and easy to use. Several equalizer presets. 1GB on memory card, A2DP support for Bluetooth stereo, headset has 3.5mm adapter. Battery allows 18 hours play time. No FM radio though, and speaker is poor.
8/10
Phone:
Signal strength excellent even in poor-coverage areas, sound during calls is loud and clear. Loudspeaker is poor, though.
7/10
In Use:
Works pretty well. New user interface includes multitasking for up to three Java apps at once (eg music, game, IM simultaneously).
8/10
Extras:
Good organiser functions. SE’s excellent file manager. NetFront web browser is one of the best. Push email.
7/10
We like:
• Slimline styling
• Memory capacity and expandability
• Great battery life
We Don't Like:
• Music playing not as good as W810i or W850i
• Headphone jack on side rather than top or bottom
• Keys are a bit small for fast texting
Overall:
Another Walkman winner, though stylish design has meant compromises in camera and music capability.