LG GT505 review

LG’s GT505 is exclusive to Orange on a contract.

It isn’t technically a smartphone, but you can download Java apps in the form of widgets. These reside in a bar at the bottom of the screen and can be dropped on to the home screen. You can auto-arrange the widgets by shaking the phone, and swiping a finger along the top of the screen takes you to your favourite contacts. There are icons at the bottom of the screen for the dialler, contacts, messaging and the main menu.

The interface isn’t intuitive, but it gives you fast access to common tasks once you’re used to it. We’re not fans of widgets, as they don’t give you as much control as a full app. They don’t synchronise with services such as Exchange or Google either, so you’ll have to enter your address book and calendar by hand. You can retrieve email from webmail (POP and IMAP services) but not Microsoft Exchange.

As well as Call and End call buttons, there’s a button under the screen that works as a quick launcher and task manager. Along the side are volume controls, a camera button and a lock button. The screen is bright and clear but soon gets greasy, and its touch sensitivity is clunky. The camera is the GT505’s best feature, as it takes vibrant images with not too much noise.

There’s a micro-USB port for data transfer, which doubles as a headphone socket – a 3.5mm adaptor with in-line remote is included. The phone has just 60MB of internal memory, and Orange doesn’t bundle a memory card. Although you can download more apps for the phone, they’re limited to trial offers, slimming apps and trashy ‘mobile books’. There’s no Facebook, MySpace or Twitter except through the browser, and no way to load more apps from the internet.

The GT505 is well built with a good camera and screen, but is let down by awful application support. The lack of memory is unforgivable at this price, too. It has potential, but the GT505 is hardly a smartphone as Orange ships it, and it’s inconceivable that it should cost more than the better-equipped Viewty Smart.