LG KS20

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Though overshadowed in volume by regular mobile phones, PDA-phones and handhelds have always had the latest and greatest when it comes to technical features. Unfortunately, most of them lack a crucial element--style. That's a factor which is becoming a major consideration even among techies who used to just focus on the features. That's why brands like LG are a welcome addition to upcoming handhelds. The company has a reputation for making some good-looking mobile phones, and that's something it will bring to the PDA-phone world with the KS20.

Design

At just 12.8mm, the KS20 is the slimmest Windows Mobile 6 handset with a touchscreen you will be able to find. It's just a hair thinner than the Samsung SGH-i780 which has a depth of 12.9mm. The chassis of the KS20 is modeled after the Prada phone, which was well-received because of how good it looked. With its uncluttered facade and pocketable size, this handheld is definitely one of the prettiest you can find without a keypad.

The front may be uncluttered, but the right side of the KS20 is quite crowded.
(click for larger image)

Not only is it thin, the KS20 is also very light. Everyone who handled our review set was amazed at how weightless it seemed. At just 92.5g, this handheld is even lighter than the HTC Touch which tips the scales at 112g. While most users will be happy with that, some may lament that it feels too much like a toy because of the same reason. While we admit that the chassis is a little plasticky, the fine construction on this LG ensures that it doesn't come across as cheap. The black and silver glossy finish does invite fingerprint marks easily, so using it with a case is advisable.

Although its front surface is pretty clean with only the call and hang-up keys along with a directional joystick below the display, there are quite a number of shortcut buttons on the right side. One of those is the power button, while the other two activate the browser and camera applications. We would have liked one more button to act as an OK key so minimizing applications can be done much faster. A microSD card slot is also found there which supports cards up to 2GB in capacity.

On the left side are the volume control keys and a cover connector port for headsets and the charge/sync cable. This is a proprietary LG connector so you'll need to use the charger and sync cable found in the box and not the standard mini-USB one most users are accustomed to for Windows Mobile handhelds. An upside is that an adapter is also included in the standard retail set, which allows you to plug in a 3.5mm audio connector so you can use your own headphones when listening to music.

Most likely in an effort to cut down the size, the battery of the KS20 does not sit behind a cover like most other devices. This means the back of the battery is also part of the chassis of this PDA-phone and can be removed by pressing a button at the base. Mobile phones that employ this design aren't common these days, partly because the battery gets loose over time and may cause unplanned resets. This may be a problem for those who keep their mobile phone for a few years, though not so much for those who upgrade regularly.

The stylus of the KS20 has the same color as the sides, i.e. silver. This is an extendable one found on the bottom left corner of the device--a strange place because it's almost impossible to retrieve when holding the handset in the left hand. So, on this rare occasion, left-handers are advantaged.

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