Review: LG Optimus S
Bluetooth
Bluetooth worked well on the LG Optimus S. I paired the phone quickly and easily with all my devices, including a headset, a set of stereo speakers and my Mac laptop. The headset sounded fine during calls. At times, it might have even sounded better, though it did occasionally drop out, especially when I swapped the phone from pocket to pocket. Music sounded good through my speakers. I was also able to transfer photos from the image gallery to my Macbook quickly using the Bluetooth connection.
Clock
Press the screen lock button on top of the LG Optimus S to turn on the display and the first thing you'll see is a big, bright clock. There is also a clock in the notification bar, but that bar disappears in some apps, so it's not always reliable. There are plenty of clock widgets available for free from the App Market that you can add to your homescreen panels. There is also a Clock app that comes with the phone, providing alarm clocks and a stopwatch for all your timing needs.
GPS
The LG Optimus S has a number of GPS options on board, and more in the Android Market. Google Maps provides free, turn-by-turn navigation with spoken directions. Actually, Sprint also offers a TeleNav GPS app for free, as well, while other carriers charge a monthly fee for a TeleNav or similar navigation options. Both work very well, so the choice might be a matter of style and taste. The Sprint TeleNav app does not come preloaded on the phone, but it is downloaded when you pick the Sprint branded ID pack, and it comes with a few other packs as well, so it's hard to avoid. The LG Optimus S found my position fairly quickly and tracked me on my travels in and out of the city with no problem. I used Google Maps on my way into Dallas and TeleNav on my way out, and both worked fine, redirecting me quickly when I got lost.
Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot
As a nice bonus, the LG Optimus S includes a Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot option built into the Android OS. You can thus use the phone's network connection to create a Wi-Fi hotspot, then connect your other devices, like a laptop or a tablet. Other carriers, like T-Mobile, have been restricting this feature even on their flagship Android phones like the T-Mobile G2, so it's nice to find the hotspot feature active on an inexpensive phone like the Optimus S. Unfortunately, this feature will cost an extra $30 per month. That's an exorbitant fee, and probably beyond the budget of most buyers interested in this $50 phone (at launch price). On my review unit, the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot feature did not work properly, and always returned a "network unavailable" message, even when I had a strong signal and data connection. For $30 per month, the feature should work consistently, and it should also make me coffee and fetch my slippers.
CTIA Fall 2010
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LG Optimus S / Optimus U / Optimus V
