When mp3 playback was first introduced to mobile phones back in 2001 not many people envisaged that it would catch on as much as it did. While back then mobiles were still predominately used for phone calls – even text messages were only beginning to be used extensively – it is a much different story today. As time has evolved our phones have become not only our means to make phone calls on the move but they have become one of the main ways that we access the internet and play games. By 2006 more ‘mp3 players’ were sold within mobile phones – by mobile phones come mp3 players from Sony Ericsson and Nokia – then were sold alone; staggering. So how does the new addition to the genre ‘music phone’ compare?
The LG Cookie Gig KM570 is aimed more at the budget end of the mobile phone market however this does not mean that we should dismiss it off hand. A 3 inch TFT screen that has a touch screen and 240 x 400 resolution display is not the feature of your average ‘budget’ mobile. Not only have our mobile phones become personal music players but they have also become our second or even main source of taking photographs. So it is useful to know that the LG Cookie Gig KM570 comes with a 5.0 mega pixel camera that can be used to take some crystal clear images. Indeed this is a better camera than the iPhone however it doesn’t come with a flash feature although you can record video at 30 fps.
LG have generally been noted for their accessible home screens and the LG Cookie Gig KM570 is no exception in this regard as it features three well laid out home screens with plenty of rooms for widgets etc… However some have been a little disappointed with the speed of the LG Cookie Gig KM570 in that it tends to lag a little when accessing menus of typing symbols however it can’t be said that this is such a huge flaw as not to buy it. The touch screen also features of landscape QWERTY keyboard that can be used on text messages and emails and will be greatly appreciated to those who are more used to typing long messages on their laptop or desktop as opposed to their mobile.
Perhaps one of the biggest downsides of the LG Cookie Gig KM570 is that it does not follow the recent trend of new mobile phones and provide Wi-Fi access. Even though it does have 3g capability, the capacity to access Wi-Fi networks would be a welcomed addition. The browser itself is adequate for simple, basic browsing but will struggle – like most mobile phones – when it comes to content heavy websites. Although you can get Opera Mini 5 for the LG Cookie Gig KM570 that, even know it not specifically designed nor optimized for the phone, will work better when it comes to websites rich in images than the integrated browser. So using the LG Cookie Gig KM570 for Facebook, Twitter and the like is perfectly acceptable; the likes of YouTube may prove to be more problematic.
As this is marketed as a multimedia type mobile then you would expect the memory capacity to be good – and it doesn’t fail. It comes with 4 GB of internal memory which can be expanded to 16 GB with a microSD card. However it is the actual music features that we are maybe most interested in with this new offering from LG. The LG Cookie Gig KM570 has Dolby Mobile and a decent equalizer to give you different sound options however for a mobile that is meant to be a music orientated phone. It does have a FM transmitter and onboard radio but no option to access last.fm which you would have expected as the norm for a mobile that is so big on attracting the music loving crowd. Video wise, and the LG Cookie Gig KM570 is average for a phone of its caliber; it has the ability to play MP4 720×480 videos however any lengthy files will inevitably endure some visual/sound de-synchronization.
The battery should last up to 4 hours in use and 100 hours on standby. Although it should be mentioned that some users have complained about the ‘sharpness’ of the call quality when on the phone and there is no way to ‘deepen’ the sound quality. While the main marketing feature of the LG Cookie Gig KM570 is its music ability the fact that the core function of a mobile phone – to make calls – is somewhat lacking in quality cannot be ignored.
Overall the LG Cookie Gig KM570 is not a bad phone. It boasts a decent camera and continues with the LG tradition of having a good, clear and aesthetically pleasing display. The camera is one of the big plusses on this phone; at 5.0 mega-pixels it is at the higher end of the market and can take some clear, sharp pictures that mobiles such as the most successful iPhone range cannot. However for being marketed as a ‘music phone’ it isn’t exactly a multimedia paradise. In reality, it is rather basic. For sure it provides good onboard memory with the ability to extend it to a much higher 16 GB that is more than adequate for the average music lover but it isn’t really on the same level as the iPhone with its iPod like mp3 player. The browser is also a little disappointing when it comes to heavy use websites although upgrading to the Opera Mini 5 you can greatly enhance your internet experience. There are both pros and positives with the LG Cookie Gig KM570, as with any mobile really but you can’t help but feel that it is somewhat of a letdown when it promised so much. However the LG Cookie Gig KM570 is aimed at the lower end of the price scale and certainly its performance and features reflect this. No doubt most of the LG Cookie Gig KM570 deals will reflect this in terms of pricing. You can leave your own thoughts on this phone at the LG Cookie Gig KM570 reviews page.
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