LG AX275 (silver)

The good: The LG ZX275 offers a simple, easy-to-use design, an admirable camera, and good photo quality.
The bad: LG AX275 had small displays and variable speakerphone quality.
The bottom line: The LG AX275 doesn't offer fancy features, but it delivers on its basic calling promises.
Reviewed by:
Kent German
Review date: 6/18/07

LG and Alltel have long been friends, so it didn't surprise us when the two companies introduced a new handset. The LG AX275 offers basic to midrange features in a minimalist design. It won't wow cell phone geeks or slaves to fashion, but it should satisfy anyone looking for a simple phone for making calls and taking photos. The AX275 is a reasonable $139, but you can get it for $99 with service.
DesignThe AX275 isn't the most stylish phone, but it has an understated appeal just the same. Available in silver or pink (we reviewed the silver model), it has a basic rectangular shape with clean lines and a smooth finish. The angles are a bit sharp, but it's compact and lightweight (3.58 inches long by 1.81 inches wide by 0.78 inches thick and 2.82 ounces) and has a comfortable and solid feel in the hand. The external display is small (0.75 inch diagonally) for the phone's size, but it manages to cram in all the essential information, including the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID. The display is monochrome, however, so it won't show photo caller ID, and it doesn't work as a viewfinder for taking self-portraits with the camera.
The camera lens sits just above the display, while a speaker sits on the bottom of the front flap. A black rectangle surrounds the external display on both the pink and silver versions and adds a bit of color contrast. Other features on the exterior of the AX275 are few. A volume rocker, camera shutter, and covered headset jack sit on the left spine, while the charger port rests on the right spine.
The square internal display is also a bit small at just 1.5 inches diagonally (160x120 pixels), but it has a decent resolution, with support for 65,000 colors. Graphics weren't terribly sharp, but on the whole, the screen is perfectly fine for this caliber of phone. The simple menus are easy to understand and come in two styles. You can change the dialing font size and color, the brightness, and the backlight time.
The navigation controls are very spacious; in fact, they take up almost a third of the phone's lower flap. There's a square four-way toggle with central OK button, two soft keys, the Talk and End controls, and a back button. The latter key does double duty as a speakerphone control (nice), and the toggle works as a shortcut to four features. Just be aware that all navigation controls are flat with the surface of the phone, so dialing by feel can be difficult. They keypad buttons are flush as well, but they're quite large with clear definition between the individual keys. Also, they have large text and a bright backlighting.
Features The AX275 has a 500-contact phone book with room in each entry for five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and notes. You can save callers to groups and pair them with one of 31 polyphonic ringtones. You can assign a photo as well, but remember that it won't show up on the external display. Other features are pretty standard. There's a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, voice dialing, USB mass storage, a speakerphone, an alarm clock, a calendar, a tip calculator, a notepad, a world clock, a stopwatch, a unit converter, and a calculator. The AX275 has about 15MB of shared memory.

Sony VAIO FZ180E

The good: Typically excellent Sony design; handy media control buttons; Blu-ray drive and HDMI output.
The bad: Loaded up with adware and bloatware; no Bluetooth; not configurable.
The bottom line: We can't imagine the market for a 15-inch home theater laptop with Blu-ray is very large, but the Sony VAIO FZ180 certainly fits the bill--even if it's preloaded with unwanted come-ons for other Sony products.

The midsize Media Center laptop is a hard concept to get one's head around. Those interested in playing movies, especially via Blu-ray, are likely to want a 17-inch or larger display, while mainstream users often turn to 15-inch laptops for their mix of portability and pricing--not a surfeit of media features. Still, there's no denying the appeal of a well-designed laptop, and the $1,999 Sony VAIO FZ180 is, like the rest of Sony's line, head and shoulders above the competition in that regard, second only to perhaps Apple. If the design and features appeal, but you don't want the added expense of a Blu-ray drive, the FZ160 knocks $500 off the price by subbing in a plain-Jane DVD burner.

Price as reviewed
$1,999
Processor
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300
Memory
2GB, 667MHz DDR2
Hard drive
160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset
Intel 965
Graphics
Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT
Operating System
Windows Vista Premium
Dimensions (WDH)
14.0 x 10.0 x 1.4 inches
Screen size (diagonal)
15.4 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter [pounds]
5.9/6.9 pounds
Category
Mainstream
Like much of the Sony VAIO laptop family, the FZ180 has a large VAIO logo embossed on the back of the lid, while the sharp, angular case eschews the recent trend toward soft, rounded edges. At only 1.4 inches thick, it's slimmer than other recent 15-inch media-friendly laptops, such as the HP Pavilion dv6500t and the Dell Inspiron E1505.
Sony's flat-key keyboard is among our favorite laptop keyboards, but we wish the tiny touchpad mouse buttons were a little more substantial. Keeping with the multimedia theme, there's a four-way click-wheel above the keyboard that acts as a media-control hub, offering fast-forward, rewind, play, and volume controls.
The 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,280x800 native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size. Showing off a little corporate synergy, Sony uses the same LCD technology found in its Bravia line of HDTVs, which the company calls Xbrite, promising higher contrast and richer colors. The screen indeed looks excellent, especially when playing back a high-definition Blu-ray movie--although at 1,280x800, it's not really true 1080p resolution. You'll need the HDMI output into your big-screen TV to get the full Blu-ray experience.
But the system's generally excellent design and features are marred by some annoying "extras." At a time when other vendors like Dell and HP are making conscious efforts to declutter their systems, removing desktop come-ons for Internet access and music subscription services, the VAIO FZ180 is one of the most egregious offenders we've seen in recent memory. Not only is the default desktop background image an advertisement for Sony's Spider-Man 3 movie, the system comes thoughtfully preloaded with full-length copies of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, you'll have to pony up $8.99 each to unlock the protected film files via an Internet connection, and even then, they'll only play on the original laptop. Together, the two films take up around 2.6GB of hard drive space. Other conspicuous partner applications include GameTap, Napster, and a Travelocity desktop widget.
Clicking the AV Mode button above the keyboard pops up a toolbar with links to a Sony Webcam utility, Intervideo's WinDVD for playing back Blu-ray discs, and Sony's much-maligned SonicStage music application (which pales in comparison to iTunes or Windows Media Player).


Sony VAIO FZ180
Average for mainstream category
Video
VGA-out, S-Video, HDMI
VGA-out, S-Video
Audio
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data
3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, multiformat memory card reader
4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, multiformat memory card reader
Expansion
ExpressCard/34 slot
PC Card slot
Networking
Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi
Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
Optical drive
Blu-ray BD-RE
DVD burner
We were pleased to see the inclusion of 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, and the HDMI port is a no-brainer in a system with a Blu-ray drive. The lack of a Bluetooth antenna was disappointing but won't be a deal breaker for most.
As a fixed-configuration system, you're stuck with the default specs of the FZ180, but with a fast Core 2 Duo T7300 CPU running on an 800MHz frontside bus from Intel's new Centrino Duo lineup along with 2GB of RAM, Nvidia's new GeForce 8400M GT graphics card, and a decent-sized hard drive, we have no complaints. The similarly configured VAIO FZ160 costs $500 less and leaves out the Blu-ray drive and HDMI output.
The Sony VAIO FZ180 performed in line with other recent multimedia-friendly 15-inch laptops. The HP Pavilion dv6500t and the Gateway E-475M were marginally faster, on account of their T7500 CPU being one step farther up the Core 2 Duo ladder, but in real-world terms, you're unlikely to see any performance difference, even under heavy multimedia use. We were able to, for example, play a Blu-ray movie, surf the Web, and work on an Excel file at the same time with no slowdown or stuttering.
The FZ180 ran for 2 hours and 2 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using the included lithium ion battery. Two hours from a 15-inch laptop isn't especially impressive but falls within acceptable parameters and was better than the HP dv6500t. Our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.
Sony includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system, which included on-site service. Upgrading to a three-year plan will cost an extra $199. Support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line and an online support Web site, which helpfully gives you a custom page of links to manuals and drivers for your specific model.


General
Platform technology
Intel Centrino Duo
System Type
Notebook
Built-in Devices
Wireless LAN antenna
Width
14 in
Depth
10 in
Height
1.4 in
Weight
5.7 lbs
Processor
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 / 2 GHz
Data bus speed
800 MHz
Cache Memory
Type
L2 cache
Cache size
4 MB
RAM
Installed Size
2 GB / 4 GB(max)
Technology
DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz
Memory specification compliance
PC2-5300
RAM configuration features
2 x 1 GB
Storage Controller
Storage controller type
Serial ATA
Storage
Floppy Drive
None
Hard Drive
200 GB - 4200 rpm
Optical Storage
Type
BD-RE
CD / DVD read speed
24x (CD) / 8x (DVD) / 2x (BD)
CD / DVD write speed
24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) / 2x (BD-R) / 1x (BD-R DL)
CD / DVD rewrite speed
16x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM) / 2x (BD-RE) / 1x (BD-RE DL)
Card Reader
Card reader type
Card reader
Display
Display Type
15.4 in TFT active matrix
Max Resolution
1280 x 800 ( WXGA)
Display (Projector) / Widescreen Display
Yes
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT
Audio
Audio output type
Sound card
Audio Output Features
Sound Reality technology
Audio Input
Microphone
Notebook Camera
Camera Type
Integrated
Input Device(s)
Input device type
Keyboard, Touchpad
Keyboard localization and layout
QWERTY
Telecom
Modem
Fax / modem
Max transfer rate
56 Kbps
Protocols & Specifications
ITU V.90, ITU V.92
Networking
Networking
Network adapter
Networking / Wireless LAN Supported
Yes
Wireless NIC
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Data link protocol
Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
Networking standards
IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free)
) x Memory, 1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard/34
Interfaces
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45, 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11, 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 3 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x Video - S-video output - 4 pin mini-DIN, 1 x Docking / port replicator, 1 x Video - HDMI
Power
Power device form factor
External
Battery
Technology
Lithium ion
Installed Qty
1
Mfr estimated battery life
4 hour(s)
Operating System / Software
OS Provided
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Software type
Sony Click to DVD, Microsoft Works 8.5, AOL Online (90 days trial), Microsoft Office 2007 (Trial), Norton Internet Security 2007 (60 days subscription)
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & support type
1 year warranty
Service & Support Details
Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year, Technical support - Phone consulting - 1 year

Ad-Aware 2007 7.0.1.3

With the ability to scan your RAM, Registry, hard drives, and external storage devices for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components, Ad-Aware 2007 easily can clean your system, allowing you to maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the Web.

Ad-Aware 2007 includes a redesigned engine, improved code sequence identification, incremental definition updates, one-click Web-history cleanup, multiple browser support, and other new features. Version 7.0.1.3 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes

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Free security softwares

The terrible thing about security software is that some of it doesn't protect you well, and worse yet, it can cost a bundle. Security should be universal--and it can be.
Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition and Spybot Search and Destroy both run on my system because there's so much spyware out there, one of them will often catch stuff the other doesn't.


ZoneAlarm is one of the best free firewalls out there. You'll have to spend some time training it, but once you do, it's pretty bomb-proof.


Some other notables:
AVG Anti-Virus
Avast Home Edition
AntiVir Personal Edition
Bonus
Don't want to download anything onto your system? Try Panda ActiveScan, which is a Web-based virus detector.

Spyware Doctor: Speed up your start-up

If you turn your computer off and on a lot, you know it's true: waiting for tons of programs to load can drive almost anybody to coffee-mug-hurling madness. You can speed up the process by shutting down some of those auto starts, and you can begin with Spyware Doctor; if you only want to use it to scan for malware manually, you don't need to have it running all the time. Stop auto loading by clicking Settings, then Startup Settings. Under Pick a Category, uncheck Run at Windows Startup. (Be warned, though, that you won't get Spyware Doctor's constant OnGuard vigilance.)

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MSDict Concise Oxford American Thesaurus 5.4

This thesaurus is an essential tool for everyone who needs to write quickly, clearly, and well. A convenient and complete thesaurus for school, work, and home, The Concise Oxford American Thesaurus includes more than 15,000 main entries and over 350,000 synonyms, sample sentences and phrases for virtually every sense. Synonym Studies that show the subtle differences in meaning among a group of easily confused words are included, as well as the Oxford exclusive Language Guide, with information about grammar, usage, punctuation, frequently misspelled words. All Oxford American dictionaries use an easy-to-use respelling system to show how entries are pronounced. It uses simple, familiar markings to represent common American English sounds.

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Strong's Old Testament Bible Dictionary for Smartphones 5.5

The Strong's Old Testament Bible Dictionary for Windows Mobile smartphones is actually an index. Each word from the original Greek script was given a unique number by Dr. James Strong over 100 years ago. It is still in use by many followers today and the numbers are called Strong's numbers. This version of the dictionary has two lexicons allowing you to search by word, providing the corresponding Strong's number, the pronunciation of the word and its description in English, or using the reverse lexicon to search by index. For Bible studies, this is the most common way to look up original language definitions. Based on the mobile industry standard Beiks Dictionary Reader, this product is specially optimized for one-hand operation, minimal memory requirements and optimal access speed. It can be installed on either main memory or on an extension media card and once installed does not require or utilize network connection.

Download: