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LG Optimus Black

No, not a new Harry Potter villain...

Super Nova

But while the display looks great, it’s not quite as sensitive as most of its rivals, sometimes requiring a few presses to register a command.

LG Optimus Black LG Optimus Black

LG has dropped its own S-class UI on top of Android

The gesture button allows you control your phone with motion. When you press it, you can scroll through the seven home screens by tilting the handset. You can also tilt the phone up or down while browsing to scroll through a web page, and if you press it while viewing a picture, it will zoom in, and you can tilt to move your way around the picture. It’s no more efficient that brushing your fingers across the screen, but a fun gimmick nonetheless.

The Black ships with Android 2.2 Froyo rather than the more up-to-date 2.3 Gingerbread, but you won’t be missing too much while you wait for the inevitable upgrade. The latest version focuses on future-proofing, with support for SIP VoIP and NFC (Near Field Communication), both of which are really still waiting to take off.

LG’s S-Class UI uses its own icons rather than Android’s. They're neither better nor worse, but there are a few useful widgets, including Social Feed, which pulls together your social networking updates.

LG Optimus Black LG Optimus Black

LG also offers its own keyboard designs, useful because they include handy keys like '@' and '.com' right up front. The apps menu can also be sorted into different categories to help you find your favourites.

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