My new LG L1400

In leaving Nokia, I had to give up my company owned 7610. This was a sad day indeed because it is a truly fantastic device IMO, but on the other hand losing the 7610 also presented me with an opportunity to revisit which features are most important to me and which handsets on the US market today meet the requirements.

I started my handset shopping by putting together my specs. Candidate handsets had to:

• Be cheap or free with service (something mass market like my mother might have, not the typical uber-device a gadget nut like me might opt for)
• Be GSM-based including GPRS (EDGE preferred), supporting at least three of the four GSM frequencies including both US freqs (850 and 1900 MHz)
• Have a clamshell or fold form factor (I’ve been using monoblock aka “candy bar” Series 40 and Series 60 handsets for some time and wanted to get more full time hands-on experience with folds)
• Have a built-in camera (minimum VGA, MPix and/or flash preferred)
• Support WAP 2.0 and MIDP (minimum 1.0, 2.0 preferred)

Given my existing knowledge of Nokia products and their relative lack of fold options, I turned my attention to competitors (Motorola, Samsung, LG, etc.). I considered models available from T-Mobile and Cingular (with AT&T Wireless now absorbed by Cingular, “T” and “C” are the only two nationwide GSM based operators in the US). I read up on the the Motorola V551, but found a large number of customer reported white screen issues that turned me off of that model. Likewise in trying out the Razr V3 I felt it was too expensive for the features it provides, violating my first requirement of cheap/free. I then considered the Samsung e317 but found quite a few bad reviews of it highlighting poor sound quality as their #1 complaint (obviously, a mobile phone that doesn’t work well as a phone is right out for me). In reviewing the networks of T and C and having decided C would work better for me during and after my move, I was unable to consider the Samsung p735 since it’s exclusive to T-Mobile in the US, but I find the “hub” around which its flip rotates rather ugly anyway so that’s ok.

This left me with the very interesting LG L1400. It’s a tri-band (both US plus 1800MHz for international usage) GSM/GPRS fold handset with a built-in VGA camera, WAP 2.0, and MIDP 1.0. Among the many interesting features, the L1400 supports a multishot camera mode (three or more pics in quick succession depending upon the resolution at which you’re shooting) and can take pictures with the fold closed (very useful for self portraits since you can see the picture you’re composing on the external OLED). And right in line with my “free or cheap” mantra, it’s available for only $24.99 USD after rebate from Amazon (one year Cingular service agreement required).

I ordered one earlier this week. I’ll blog about my experiences with it, good and bad, as they occur. More to come…

PS If only I’d had Russ’ US Mobile Christmas collage earlier, it might have saved me a little time! 🙂