LG Glance VX7100 Review

Introduction:

It's pretty apparent that LG has been showcasing tons of QWERTY devices for Verizon's lineup. How about something for those looking to just make quick and hassle-free phone calls? Well LG responds by offering the Glance which incorporates a somewhat fashionable look and focuses on what it was meant to do; make phone calls. Although it may not be the feature rich behemoth, at least it tries to stay away from being thrown into the herd of other basic phones.

The package contains:
LG Glance
Charger
microUSB cable
Users Manual

Design:

Don't be fooled by the candy bar form factor of the LG Glance, it's surprisingly well made all around. The slick aluminum border on the front blends well with the dark plastic while the rounded edges give it a nice contour. By far the most eye catching area is the battery cover which has a goldish colored knitted pattern – protecting the battery quite well. You won't even notice the weight (2.92 oz) when holding in your hand and is easily concealed in the pocket thanks to its thin profile (0.38”). We'd imagine that it would survive through a lot of punishment thanks to the durable materials and solid construction.


You can compare the LG Glance VX7100 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

We would have liked to see LG increase the size of the screen, but the 2” TFT screen provides great clarity at 240 x 320 resolution. It's capable of displaying 262k colors that jump out and fill the screen with luscious gradients. Combining the great clarity and color levels, we did not find any flaws with it. Adjusting it to the brightest setting will still allow you to view it in direct sunlight, but there was some noticeable glare.

The navigation joystick used is reminiscent to the one found on the AT&T LG Shine, but we like it  more because it's bigger and moves around more freely. You really can't mis-press the left and right soft keys that are large enough to accommodate even the biggest fingers. While the keypad, also well sized, is flush with the surface and has a decent tactile feel. The white backlighting is strong enough to see in any lighting condition. 



Although they were still easily pressed, smaller buttons were used for the volume rocker, speaker phone, and camera button. You'll be able to quickly place a 2.5mm headset by removing the cover found on the left side. Kudos to LG for issuing a more standard microUSB port for charging and connecting to a PC; found on the right edge. The 1.3 megapixel camera is located squarely in the middle top portion of the rear with the speaker just underneath it. We're still scratching our heads as to why LG decided to use a really strong material with the patterned design for the battery cover. It really doesn't add any better grip, but it will protect the battery with the fashionable look.

Software/Features:

LG has always featured some eye catching UI on all their phones – and you won't be disappointed with the Glance. It offers some neat personalizations, like the theme and font styles, to make each device look different. As far as the home screen, you can change the wallpaper, clock type, or use a nifty looking animation. There's no hint of slowdown when getting into the main menu; which can also be modified to a tab, list, or grid view. It might not have all the fancy looking animations or transition effects, but it's functional and works effectively.


The contacts system does not emphasize complexity in its organization. Instead, it can save up to 1,000 contacts with up to 4 phone numbers, a home address, and email associated to each person.



Traditional texters will find the messaging capabilities sufficient for both SMS and MMS. There are no pre-made templates, so you'll have to rely on typing the old fashion way or utilize the predictive messaging option for a more swift option.

The Glance offers a somewhat robust mobile email application powered by OZ. There are a few options to select when setting it up initially by providing the email address and password. If you have some obscure provider not listed, you can still put in your information and it will ask for the mailing server addresses. Although it may be painstaking to type up a whole email, we found it useful. However, you won't be able to attach files with the application.



Just like the email application, instant messaging was also a painless experience. The choice is pretty much the same – AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. Exiting back to the home screen will keep you signed on so you can continue to receive messages. Finally, you can log into all three IM clients at the same time for simultaneous chatting.

Under the Tools Menu, you'll find access to common applications like the calculator, calendar, tip calculator, alarm clock, world clock, stopwatch, voice commands, and notepad. Travelers on the go will find VZ Navigator useful in providing turn-by-turn directions. Once we loaded it up, it found our location almost instantaneously and retained relatively good signal throughout our trip.




The instinctive nature to quickly snap a shot of something exciting is what the Glance was meant to do and nothing more. There's no denying that colors are correctly reproduced in outdoor settings with good lighting, but lacks fine detail even when set to its highest 1280 x 960 resolution.  The phone does its best to capture indoor settings when set to automatic white balance. Ultimately, the overall quality produced would be only suited for MMS use.



One glaring item that was absent from the Glare was video capture. It left us wondering why this almost standard feature was omitted – maybe it could be due to memory limitations?

Think again about trying to play media on this device; whether it be music or videos. When selecting the Media Center option under the Main Menu, it will show the option for Tunes & Tones. To our dismay, you can only preview the ringtones and system sounds. Seeing that there was no option for a video player, we decided to get on YouTube and see if it would play something. Regrettably, we had no luck in getting any streaming videos from the site to load up.Using it domestically, you won't run into problems using the CDMA (800/1900 MHz) device on Verizon's network for phone calls. On the other hand, it's a non-3G phone.

The WAP browser used on the Glance will definitely infuriate users with its long load times and single column view. Its not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but scrolling is tolerable using either the joystick or volume rocker. Thanks to the detailed screen, you won't have to strain your eyes attempting to see even the smallest of text. The quick ability to view web pages is a nice option, but would rarely rely on it on this handset.



One of the obstacles we faced with the phone was figuring out a way to download photos. Unfortunately there is no Bluetooth or microSD option to transfer data. And of course the other way to get it off is by sending it via MMS; which changes the resolution to 640 x 480. Luckily you can connect it through USB and use a third party program like BitPim to download the original images.

Performance:

So you pick up the Glance and think it makes for great phone conversations? We had some mix results with the quality during our testing. You won't have problems listening to people on the handset when set to the lowest volume, but we noticed a prominent echo at the loudest setting. Voices were clear for the most part and callers said we had an almost screeching sound. The speaker phone came out with the same results except that callers said our voice was low; so we had to speak up more. Finally, we had to lower the volume just because every word uttered was accompanied with some background interference.

Retaining a signal was not an issue when using it around the greater Philadelphia area. It did not fluctuate too heavily in the amount of bars being displayed at any given time.

After only two days of using the phone, we were left with two out of four bars. We'd imagine getting more time out of the battery (800 mAh), but we did have Bluetooth on and the brightness of the screen set to the highest. Nonetheless, we were disappointed with the battery life. LG rates the Glance with 4.33 hours of talk and 350 hours on standby.

Conclusion: 

Solid construction, an interesting patterned design, and somewhat flashy UI makes for a decent start for any phone. While it excels in those elements, some other notable features are omitted from the Glance. Other devices currently available may offer more functionality at probably the same cost. Its not to say the least that its the best candy bar phone out there, there are just others that make for a better solution. Taking one quick glance may get you intrigued enough to initially pick it up, but the glaring lack of features will quickly make you put it down.

LG Glance Video Review: