LG Pop GD510 review

With its streamlined set of features, the LG POP doesn't have too many power-guzzling apps to wear down the battery life. LG estimates that in optimum conditions its 900mAh battery can keep it running on standby for up to 360 hours, or deliver 3.6 hours talktime.

In our tests, we found it had impressive staying power for such a slim touchscreen phone, running comfortably for around three days between charges. As an additional accessory option, LG also offers a solar cell powered back panel cover (though we didn't get one to test).

Organiser

The LG POP touches the usual organiser bases, packing standard issue features such as calendar, memos and to do lists, alarms and voice recorder. Other tools include a calculator, unit converter, world clock and stopwatch – all functional phone regular apps that haven't been made any flashier for touchscreen.

There's also a drawing panel, which enables users to write memos or scribble pictures or diagrams with their finger, save them as an image file and send as a picture message.

Connectivity

A quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) handset, the LG POP GD510's absence of 3G connectivity hampers its online connectivity speed, the phone relying on GPRS/EDGE data connections. Wi-Fi is also absent – not a great surprise on a budget handset like this.

The phone's Bluetooth connection options include A2DP support for regular streaming of music to wireless headphones or other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

The POP also supports swappable MicroSD card expansion. There's no card supplied in-box, which is a little disappointing, but cards up to 8GB can be handled by the device, and cost less than £15 these days.

The phone's microUSB port and USB cable can be used for syncing contacts and calendar with a PC and backing up messages and other files using LG's supplied PC Suite software, and for transferring files. Mass storage transfer is supported too, while music can also be synchronised with Windows Media Player 10/11.

Other

There are a sprinkling of additional features onboard the LG POP, mostly for casual entertainment. These include a bunch of games, including some touchscreen and accelerometer based time-fillers, plus a Weight Tracker and Running Mate pedometer performance monitor.

There are also several quirky apps that'll get users scratching their heads figuring out what they're for - such as a Mellow Candle virtual burning candle, a Mind Selector rolling decision-maker, Sound Tuner random sound player, and a scrolling Banner app, to make your phone look like a scrolling Times Square message ticker.