Close-up - LG Electronics Phenom

Thanks to Windows CE, choosing a palmtop computer is now a much simpler business. They all have the same pocket Windows applications and the only thing that sets one CE palmtop apart from another is the hardware itself.

LG Electronics' Phenom certainly stands apart from other CE palmtops - literally. With a footprint of 4.25in by 7.75in, it's one of the biggest and heaviest of its kind. It's sturdily built though and the grey plastic case should stand up to being knocked about in the bottom of a bag or briefcase.

This extra size has allowed LG to fit a larger-than-usual screen, measuring 7.25in from corner to corner. Though it's only mono, it is crisp and clear, and the narrow strip of application icons that run across the bottom doesn't intrude too much.

Screen aside, the other important ingredient in any palmtop is the keyboard and it's incredible that so many manufacturers just can't get this vital component right. Sadly, the Phenom doesn't buck this trend and its keyboard is dreadful. Though widely spaced, the small calculator-style keys have an awkwardly-shaped top surface and wobble from side to side in an unpleasant way. The toppling tendency exhibited by some palmtops is prevented by two fold-out struts but design effort would have been better expended elsewhere.

The Phenom does have its good points though - supplied rechargeable batteries and a built-in monitor socket, for example. The latter allows a monitor to be connected using the supplied cable adapter. This only works with Pocket PowerPoint but it's still handy if you need to show presentations to large groups of people and don't want to cart around a notebook computer.

Like all Windows CE palmtops so far, the Phenom is something of a mixed bag. The built-in VGA is useful, the unpleasant keyboard less so, but there are enough other features to make this a tempting prospect.

SPECIFICATIONS

8Mb RAM, 16Mb ROM

640 x 240 monochrome backlit, touch-sensitive screen

Serial/VGA-out port, Type II PC Card slot, Compact Flash slot

Voice memo facility

80MHz 32-bit RISC processor

#499 (inc VAT)

LG Electronics: 01753 500400

LG ELECTRONICS PHENOM

Build quality: ****

Performance: ***

Features: ****

Value for money: ***

Overall: ***.

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!