A Fine Balance

<p>Usually i'm more than happy when a gadget goes back to its company. One less thing to look after. But saying goodbye to the LG G4 was an exception. I know I’m going to miss this phone which very quickly began to feel like it was mine and which is somehow just plain comfortable to use ­— for a big phone. While there’s nothing groundbreaking about it, using the G4 makes you realise there doesn’t always have to be. It’s a nice mix of everything, and that should be enough for most.<br><br>The first thing that stands out on the G4 is its leather back — if you have that version and not the metallic looking one. I’d highly recommend the leather, stitched down the middle and very good looking. I had the tan, but there are changeable backs. The back panel opens up to let you add the SIM and memory card. Without the leather back, the G4 will look unremarkable. There’s a case that covers the front in addition to duplicating the back panel.<br><br>The G4 is ever so slightly curved, which makes it a better face-fit. It’s pretty comfortable to hold. You have the signature LG buttons for power, volume and even camera trigger on the back and these are quite natural to use just where they are, except that you’ll likely use the knock-knock feature on the screen to wake up the device. There are patterns you can set to security-protect your phone from anyone who tries to pry. Actually, you can also lock down photos and files, even individual ones. Those can be separately code-protected.<br><br>I rather like LG’s formulas for their screens. I found the G4’s “soothing,” and that’s saying something, considering I use a device practically all waking hours. It’s fine, has realistic colours and is generally easy on the eye while still being crisp and bright. Some reviewers in the US report unresponsiveness on the screen — possibly a software issue — but I didn’t encounter that at all.<br>&nbsp;</p><table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 640px;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="color:#800000;"><strong>CHECK OUT</strong></span></td></tr><tr><td><strong><img alt="" src="http://bw-image.s3.amazonaws.com/Xolo-Chromebook-300.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 192px; float: right;">XOLO CHROMEBOOK</strong><br>If you’re in the happy situation of having 24/7 connectivity to the Internet and not a whole lot to do, you could make do with a Chromebook. I say make do because the Chromebook, Google’s bare-bones laptop is just the very basics of working online. Of course, in some enterprises where the work is specifically just online and say, on a website, a Chromebook is just what the doctor ordered, helping to keep costs low and altogether avoid Microsoft’s Windows and other software.<br><br>You live a Google life, working on Google Docs, and use the Chrome browser and other Google services. At one time, Chromebooks cost too much and gave too little — but with budget versions out, a company can consider these for specific use cases. But life is not all work and no play on this Chromebook — you can use Android apps and games using the browser.<br><br>The Xolo Chromebook, one of three, Google just launched in India, is a tidy no-nonsense laptop with an 11.6-inch non-touch display. The screen is adequately bright. The keyboard is pretty nice as well. It's gently stylised and not focused on looks. It’s 1.15kg and boots up at top speed and uses a 1.8GHz Rockchip 3288 with 2GB of RAM. You mostly store things online but there’s a storage card of varying capacities you can use. Battery life is 10 hours. There are two USB ports, but these are 2.0, not the newer 3.0. You do have good speakers, a headphones jack and a camera. The Xolo Chromebook costs Rs 12,999 and is available online at Amazon and Snapdeal.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Well, you need a great screen to do justice to the camera. In this case, a 16 megapixel shooter that makes this one of the most recommended phones if you’re into phone photography. You have control over white balance, ISO, exposure, etc., and yet the app is simple and intuitive. You can flip to the 8MP front camera with a swipe. The optics are powerful and the images are really good and can even be saved as RAW files. You have optical image stabilisation as well. Low light images are fine, but not special. LG uses its own CSS flash technology which adapts to the environment — sometimes with passable results and sometimes not.<br><br>The G4 has a powerful processor and an interface that doesn’t get in the way, so its performance is smooth. Incidentally, the Sony Xperia Z4 and HTC One M9 sport the 810 Snapdragon while Samsung uses its own. The LG skin, on top of Android Lollipop, doesn’t appeal to all, but it’s not problematic. There are specific widgets, such as a wordy weather one that annoys some people, and easy multi-tasking if you want it. It just doesn’t have any special features that pop out at you — but then Samsung was criticised for just the opposite: putting in too many features and making it all complicated. The G4 has useful capabilities while at the same time not being overwhelming.<br><br>Peculiarly, I couldn’t find where to select certain mobile network settings. The battery wasn’t stellar and while I found it to be adequate for moderate use, reviewers have reported having to charge the device twice a day.<br><br>Overall, the G4 is a well-equipped phone with all necessary tools. The camera stands out as good and there’s no shortage of processing power. However, it does not have any blow-you-over software features.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 27-07-2015)</p>