The Razr gets competition

GIZMO GALLERY: If it's more than fashion you're interested in, these slim-bodied instruments are disappointing.

It's a RAZR! No silly, it's LG, corrected the manual that accompanied the phone. Uncannily similar to a Motorola RAZR, LG has introduced P7200, after doing away with the bulky-looking T5100. Motorola, on the other hand, has launched SLVR or L7 "" another anorexic phone that has an eclectic mix of good and bad features.

The P7200 gives Motorola's RAZR a close call at 96 x 50 x 17 mm and at 112 grams, it is decidedly a heavier than Motorola's L7 which is only 85 grams. With dimensions of 113.5 x 49 x 11.5 mm as opposed to 98 x 53 x 13.9 mm for the RAZR V3, L7 makes a sensationally thin phone.

The unfortunate aspect of these slim phones is that they are available only in anodized blackish color, which is getting rather stale. Fortunately, LG did not compromise too much over the cutting-edge design.

Although due to the slim form factor, this is not a phone for the danger prone. Noticeably, the P7200 is wider and a bit taller than many flip phones available in the market. But the flat-bedded numerical keypad of the P7200 ails from poor responsiveness and a tangible separation of its buttons. So, if you intend to use text input without T9 editor then you are in for a nerve-wrecking task.

The phone is topped with a 2 megapixel camera that makes pictures look great on its 262K colour screen (main display). The rotable flap that swivels 180 degrees and was available only in the T5100 is available in the P7200 as well and converts into a super-slim dedicated camera by simply rotating the front cover 180 degrees and closing it back on top of the keypad.

The camera also offers minute-long video recording at 176 x 144 pixels (to record, one has to necessarily flip the front cover, which can be irritating). Sadly the camera suffers from a rather low shutter speed. But it still delivers better than Motorola's RAZR V3 and L7 that come with a VGA camera and can snap photos in three resolutions "" 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120.

Enthusiasts looking for higher-resolution cameras are advised to wait for upcoming Motorola models such as the RAZR V3i and the 3G-enabled V3x.

EXPANDABLE MEMORY
The P7200 offers 60 MB of integrated USB memory (making it a plug-and-play device) and a microSD card of 64 MB (bundled along) helps tide over the space restraints. L7, with 5MB of usable memory onboard, gives room to expand the onboard memory by up to 512MB.

The standard package comes with a 128 MB microSD card. There is a USB port for data transfers, a voice-activated dialer, and a speakerphone that come with L7.

As far as connectivity goes, the LG P7200 supports GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz and GPRS. Unfortunately, EDGE and infrared support have been excluded (including L7), but Bluetooth and a bundled USB cable help in short-range connectivity. Also sporting an integrated MP3 player, the LG P7200 offers sound playback of above mediocre quality (comes bundled with earphones).

Moreover, because the L7 uses USB 1.1 for connecting to a PC, transferring songs is just as slow as on the ROKR. On the communication side, the Motorola L7 is a quad-band phone that is ready for global roaming. The battery works up to 5-6 hours (upper limit) for both P7200 and L7.

Priced at Rs 19,500, P7200 is way highly priced than Motorola's candy bar, which plays safe at Rs 12,820.

LG, though it tried hard, has not managed to overcome T5100's drawbacks like loss-of-contrast syndrome, when viewed sideways.

LG's T5100 suffered from freezing while switching between photos and MP3; while the problem has been taken care of in the S5300 and the P7200, the phones are appear rather sluggish (in between applications) when pegged against Motorola.

The LG P7200 should come with the warning "" impulsive texters stay away. Rest, who desire a slim clamshell, can look forward to be served well.

L7 also comes with its own set of problems. If you have saved a MP3 ringtone/song on the memory card and would like to apply it as ringtone, then there are no options like 'apply as ringtone' unless you save it to the phone memory. (LG's P7200 comes with this option)

These phones are aggressively marketed for the fashion-conscious and if expectations go beyond looks, then steer clear of these sexy slim bodies.