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Watch phones tested

Indulge your inner Dick Tracy with the ultimate in wrist-mounted gadgetry. Russell Deeks talks to the hand.

LG GD-910

Best price: £499.99 from Play.com
Frequencies: Tri-band Screen: 1.43 inches (128x160 pixels)
Weight: 84g
Info: www.lg.com/uk

 

 

 

 

sWaP Active

Best price: £249 from Play.com
Frequencies: Tri-band Screen: 1.46 inches (176x132 pixels)
Weight: 74g
Info: www.s-w-a-p.co.uk

 

PHONE QUALITY

 

LG GD-910

The best thing about the LG is the crystal-clear loudspeaker when not using the Bluetooth headset. However, calls sounded echo-y and distant, and we had numerous cut-outs. The touchscreen isn’t very responsive, either.

sWaP

Sound quality here is great. The ring and alert tones are bright and clear, the touchscreen responsive and the menu system intuitive. In fact, only the slow and error-prone handwriting input for text messaging lets it down.

 

LOOKS

LG GD-910

For most people, the LG is the clear winner on the looks front. It’s slimline, stylish and sophisticated, with a leather strap, metal clasp, and a choice of eight different watch faces, including digital, ‘analogue’ and dual-time options.

sWaP

Chunky, statement-making watches like this split opinion and not everyone we showed it to was impressed. “It’s a bit clunky, isn’t it?” seemed to be the general consensus. The plastic strap’s a bit cheap-looking, too.

 

FEATURES

LG GD-910

Bluetooth-enabled, it features an MP3 player and camera for video calls – a major plus point. You can also set up voice commands and have it read SMS messages out to you. But its software is PC only – so syncing to a Mac is out.

sWaP

The sWaP isn’t suitable for video calling, because the camera is mounted on the side. But it does offer still and video photography, MP3 and MPEG-4 video playback, Bluetooth and WAP browsing – all for half the price of its rival.

THE VERDICT

The LG proved a hit in the image stakes, and unlike the sWaP, which you really need to use the hands-free kit with, it functions perfectly well on its own. But the PC-only software, confusing menus and unresponsive touchscreen let it down.

11/15

The sWaP, on the other wrist, isn’t without its flaws – notably the slow handwriting input for texting. However, it requires no accompanying software, you can watch films on it and, most importantly, it offers a ‘telephony experience’ that’s far better than that of the LG model, for half the money. Despite there being only a slight difference in the marks, in terms of overall satisfaction the sWaP is a clear winner.

12/15

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Issue: 
The Science of Fear
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