Panasonic GD88

Click for more pictures of the GD88.

Once in a long, long while, we find a cell phone that not only surprises but fills us with delight. The remarkable Panasonic GD88 falls into this category.

The Future Today
When this silver-gray handset fell into our hands, we immediately noted its slimness and solid build quality. Apart from being slightly elongated, the 103g GD88 followed the dual-screen clamshell form of those currently in the market.

But tucked away within its ordinary shell is an extraordinary set of features. The first hint of the GD88's true nature is the camera eye on the outside of the front flip. Then when you open the handset, the brilliant nine-line display leaps out at you in all its 65,000-color glory.

Panasonic has opted to forego Bluetooth, but all other connectivity features are onboard: Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS); triple band technology; General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a WAP browser, and SyncML.

But to focus on the GD88's laundry list of features would be to miss the point entirely. In most cases, the phone is outstanding not in the features per se, but in the implementation of these functions.

For instance, its 16-tone polyphony delivers loud and crisp sounds to rival any handset we've heard so far, almost--but not quite--on par with Samsung's polyphonic mobiles. That's because the GD88's library of 20 ringtones could be improved upon. Save for an energetic number, complete with bubbling sounds, the other melody tones are a tad too esoteric to appeal to more mainstream tastes.

We also appreciated that much consideration has been given to the subtler bits of design. Navigation using the icon-based menu is highly intuitive, made simpler by the lively graphics and responsive five-way rocker key. And unlike most other clamshells we've tested, the GD88 locks into place when the flip cover is opened or closed. This keeps the top lid firmly in place, and gives the phone a satisfyingly sturdy feel.

Camera Highlight
The trump card here has to be undoubtedly the camera function, a polished implementation that belies Panasonic's small imprint in the world handset market.

But first, a caveat: Camera-integrated phones are meant for taking casual pictures on a whim. In terms of picture quality and power, there remains a sizable gap between converged devices and dedicated cameras.

It is therefore no surprise the GD88 offers a fixed low-picture resolution of 132 x 176 pixels. On the handset, the photos occupy much of the screen's real estate, but once transferred onto the desktop you may find the images painfully small. You'll get tiny thumbnails from printouts.

Thankfully, the picture quality is generally good and relatively sharp for a camera-phone, with colors reproduced accurately. You do need steady hands to take good pictures under low-light conditions. In our tests, after storing 20 pictures of more than 20kb each, there was still 35 percent space left in the phone.

Fun With Photos
Panasonic pumps up the fun factor in the GD88, packing it with loads of customizable options. We were impressed by the "Frame" setting which lets you specify your own border around the photo. For instance, you can frame your subject in a heart-shaped or wood-panel border, much like the Neoprints--little picture stickers--that were the craze for a time. You can even take your pictures in sepia, monochrome or negative tones. The latter creates a funky effect where skin tone goes blue and hair color turns white.

For the GD88, the screen acts as the viewfinder in camera mode, while the lens lies on the reverse side. So how do you frame and snap a picture of yourself? Panasonic uses an ingenious method to get around this problem.

The GD88's camera function works even with the clamshell fully closed. Just below the camera lens is a round, mirror-like surface you'll miss at first. It turns out that this shiny metal piece doubles as an auxiliary viewfinder. To take a picture of yourself, position the phone so you can see your reflection in this alternative "viewfinder". Say "cheese", press a button located below the one-line display, and voila! You now have a self-portrait. Open the phone again to store the image.

Blemishes
Impressive as the GD88 is, no phone is without some flaws. The camera function comes with a cheesy, artificial "click" that we couldn't turn off, even in silent mode. The microphone in speakerphone mode wasn't as sensitive as we would have liked. Furthermore, while most folder-type phones feature an active flip where opening it answers an incoming call and closing it terminates it, the GD88 requires you to manually accept calls by opening the handset and pressing a button.

The biggest oversight in the GD88 is its photo storage system. The "images" folder, which contains photographs taken with the phone, is rather disorganized. Every picture is tagged "00000000.jpg", so it's up to you to scroll through them individually to find the one you want. You can rename them one by one, but that's way too inconvenient.

Reception And Battery Life
Reception proved average, although on rare occasions we failed to obtain a network signal. We had no complaints with the voice quality.

The battery life is adequate for a color-screen mobile. The 720mAh Lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 220 hours on standby and 7 hours of talktime. In our real-world tests, we managed two days of usage.

According to Panasonic, the GD88 measures 0.633W/kg on Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) tests. According to the recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, this is well below the limit of 2.0W/kg.

Conclusion
Panasonic expects the GD88 to be available in early December, priced in the region of S$900 (with a two-year plan). This is reasonable considering the bulkier Nokia 7650 cost about the same when it was rolled out two months ago.

Right now, there aren't too many rivals to the GD88. Panasonic's technology, imported from Japan, looks to be a class above its current competitors on the market. Granted, S$900 for a cell phone may be above the pain threshold for some users. But if you are currently in the market for a good camera-phone, they don't come much better than the Panasonic GD88.

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