If we duck on dual SIM mobile phones like the MVL G81 we’re reviewing more than the single SIM ones, don’t blame us. Looks like, simultaneous two numbers have become the latest fad among users these days. With the dual SIM mobile phone market gaining an all time high, it seems to be more than obvious why MVL Mobiles chose its handset to support two phone numbers. The G81 appeared in a pretty white box with a golden scheme, so we grabbed it almost immediately for a detailed inspection. Neatly bundled in with charger, headphones, installer CD, USB cable, and user manual with warranty card, the handset packed in a leather pouch.
Well, we don’t want to sound cynical right at the beginning but the leather case though was convenient to carry and looked elegant, it didn’t cover up the device completely and the handset was difficult to pull off once placed in. During the device’s on and off usage for our review, its battery life lasted up to a day. Light on its feet, the 382g device sports an ‘in-trend’ look and is fancied with a metallic rim routing around its edges and has a matt-textured back. The first look at the MVL Mobiles G81 is sure to remind you of any standard BlackBerry device since it seems to be the twin of most of RIM’s devices.
Now, before we scrutinize the handset in and out, let’s read out words printed on its white packaging box. Adorning a 2.4” 240 x 320p display, it has a 78MB internal memory and can support up to 16GB expandable memory by microSD card. Again resembling the Curve 8520, the MVL G81 handset comes embedded with a trackpad for navigation. Other specs include mini USB connector type, stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, USB 2.0 support, and apps like Opera Mini, Snaptu and Nimbuzz. The unique selling point, which MVL appears to please users with, are its push mail capabilities. The MVL Connect message icon welcomes you on the top of its box for refreshing our memory about the functionality. On the top-left side, the camera shutter button rests for right-handed usage, while the middle right has a mini USB slot for charging, connecting headphones and transferring data. The gloomy part for media buffs is that it doesn’t own a 3.5mm audio jack. On the bottom left we could insert a microSD card for better storage. A 3.2MP camera and loud speakers occupy the matt back of the handset which offers a great grip while attending calls or messaging.
Coming to the G81’s input interface, as soon as we put it on, a city blue background homescreen welcomed us. Clear signal reception is displayed on the top right for two SIM cards, the service providers’ names are showcased on the top left, and six shortcuts for MVL Connect, Opera Mini, Nimbuzz, Snaptu, messages and calendar are exhibited on the bottom of the screen. The silver keypad equips two soft keys, the left for the main menu and the right for your phonebook, and call accept and end keys which are placed on extreme left and right. Another call accept key for the second SIM number and MVL push mail direct button are placed a bit below all these keys.
Continuing, in the center, a touch trackpad takes a seat for complete navigation of its interface. Rest of the QWERTY keys are settled on the lower half of the device. While typing a message, the keypad poses to be a bit uncomfortable at the start since the keys are individually placed and minuscule in size. The arrangement of characters is also a little unusual and quite frankly a bit annoying. ‘$’ and ‘@’ characters have a dedicated buttons, which is odd since they are not regularly used. When we wanted to dial special numbers, we found out that the ‘#’ and ‘*’ weren’t placed around the 7 and 9, which is generally not the case. While typing a message, the frequently used commas and full stops required us to first press the ‘Fn’ button.
The menu consists of neatly designed fifteen icons which offer a complete experience on the handset. The interface is simple to use and negates the complicated tidbits. The phonebook, messaging and organizer were standard, while the call logs had separate lists for both SIMs which made it appear much neater. The gallery had separate space for memory cards and internal memory which is commonly seen nowadays. Pre-loaded games on the device include Balloon which is completely motion controlled and seems to be built for children. Under the games tab comes the Java applications like Opera Mini, Snaptu, Nimbuzz and MVL connect which are also arranged in the main menu separately for easier access.
Folks at our end with entertainment tinkles checked out the multimedia tab which had ten options. For starters, a 3.2MP camera took some pretty decent day shots and has multiple effects and resolution options. Video recording, on the other side, was rather lousy and the audio quality turned out to be piteous. However, the sound quality while using its voice recorder was admirable. The image viewer and photo editor can be used with ease yet its audio play can daze first time users, until they get a knack of it. With the standard FM radio and slide show facilities, the G81 handset also subsumed schedule FM record with systematic settings. Well, we decided to try it out and the result was clear when set to .amr format, so if you do not want to miss your favorite RJ show, these options are made for you.
Let’s face it, just calling, texting or video recording functions don’t decide the criteria of mobile phones these days. The abilities to carry social networking tasks and to stay connected through the Internet can be efficiently used. If paired with a reliable GPRS plan, the Java applications offer a good service for enhancing connectivity options. Since it includes all shortcuts right on the homescreen, we could easily analyze each and every app. These apps, the high point of the phone, were simple and updated us when something new occurred. Also, push mail facilities require users to set up an account and begin the usage for further convenience. After weighing pros and cons of the MVL Mobiles G81, we decided to rate it a good 7.5 on 10. Carrying a price tag of around Rs. 4,500, it seems to be a good choice of device to snap up.