We’ve reviewed the OlivePwrr V-G200 dual-SIM handset so that we can give you a handful of reasons as to why you should know this phone. We’ve seen a lot of phones out in the market that don’t really seem to strike a balance between their features and price tag. When Olive Convergence came out with their dual-SIM phone, we thought we had misheard the cost attached to it because of the generous number of attributes that were labeled to it. The relatively low price tag hints that Olive has targeted this offering towards the low-end mobile phone niche.
Just look at it! The device appears to be a regular handset with a camera and standard keypad. So don’t raise an eyebrow when we say that there were several features that managed to take us by surprise. The aforesaid includes a TFT display allowing for touch functionality, a digital camera, expandable memory of up to 4GB, Bluetooth with A2DP stereo streaming support and a digital music as well as video player. What’s more, there is a webcam and Bluetooth as remote control too. Wait until you hear the price tag. The phone is bundled in with a USB cable, USB-enabled headset, travel charger and user guide. Paying heed to the popular saying that goes ‘When all else fails, read the instruction manual,’ we ignored the user guide and went on to explore the device.
First off, the exterior is drenched in a glossy black shade with a red colored edge that goes all the way into the battery housing compartment. The back panel flaunts curvy lines that appear much like a palm print. Even the camera is accented in red and has ‘digital camera’ labeled to it in case anyone starts looking for a place to fit in those camera rolls. The front panel has a regular keypad, a call reject and clear button to its right, two call buttons to its left for SIM1 and SIM2 as well as a steel central navigation button. There’s a tiny virtual QWERTY keypad that pops up when summoned for typing in text or number as well. Shortcuts can be assigned to the up, down, left and right buttons of the last-mentioned. The chassis integrates a USB port and speakers on either side of the lens. There’s the Olive Convergence logo in silver black below the display and a colored logo on the back panel below the lens and the handset’s 115mm × 51mm × 16mm dimensions fit cozily into the palm.
The 2.2” TFT touch interface is surprisingly responsive and leaves no room for complaints about lag time. How many hours have we spent agonizing over the poor touchscreen capabilities of displays found on higher priced phones? The menu leads to regular functions such as Contacts, Messages, Settings, Logs, Media, Apps, Services, Tools and Bluetooth. No need to worry over getting muddled over SIM1 and SIM2 contacts since the log file stores information on both numbers separately. There are four dual SIM settings to choose from, Dual SIM open, SIM1 open, SIM2 open and Flight Mode. Each SIM card’s user profiles can be customized differently with Outdoor, Indoor, General, Meeting and Headset. The messaging function accommodates SMS, MMS, two Chat Rooms and a Broadcast Messages option that may be turned on or off according to the whims and fancies of the owner. If that wasn’t enough, incoming calls and SMS are secured by a firewall setting too.
This handset’s back panel opens up to reveal two slots placed besides each other for the corresponding SIM cards and an onboard memory card slot. Switching between calls is easy as ever and the two network signals are displayed to the left of the screen. Using two different network carriers did not pose a problem in the least bit. The screen also sports a widget panel on its right that permits users to drag and drop widgets on the main screen. The panel can be hidden out of sight in the main screen with just a swipe of a finger. We explored the camera next. It has a good quality lens and three shutter sounds to choose from in case the user prefers to leave the camera sounds on. Exposure values may be tweaked with the EV function and the self-timer can be delayed by up to 15 seconds. It is capable of snapping photos in succession and comes with editing tools that let us adjust pictures by up to 640 x 480p in Normal, High or Low image qualities.
It doesn’t stop at that, this snapper also offers auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, cloud, incandescence integrated into White Balance. Effect settings comprise of normal, grayscale, sepia among many others. When being used as a camcorder, White Balance, EV, Night mode and the Banding can be played around with. Add to that an Image Viewer with a print option, several effect settings and much more. The phone features FM radio and a sound recorder apart from a melody compose tool. The unsatisfactory audio quality makes us indifferent to these attributes. There are no games on this one or to put it clearly, there is just one game. The Apps section houses a jigsaw puzzle that is rather unimaginatively christened Puzzle. We weren’t planning to forget mentioning the proficient File Manager, hard-to-set-up GPRS and satisfactory internet browsing experience. Overall, the OlivePwrr V-G200 is a worth a little more than the price tagged to it by the manufacturers in our opinion. But who’s complaining?
Pros: Switching between SIM1 and SIM2 while handling calls is an extremely user friendly task. The touch interface exceeded our expectations when it came to responsiveness. The device’s extended battery life despite heavy usage ought to put a lot of handsets that are out in the market to shame.
Cons: The chassis is plain old boring in spite of the striking black and red color combination. That’s something Olive could look into closely. Using the miniature virtual QWERTY keypad for typing out letters with a finger is a laughable idea. It requires a stylus in the very least and a pair of extra high-power spectacles. We made good use of the standard keypad instead. Where are the other games besides Puzzle? We like freebie games that come pre-loaded with phones. Hear, hear! The audio quality and radio reception could do with some tweaking. And will somebody please issue a universal fine on polyphonic ringtones?
It’s hard to figure out how a low-priced handset could score pretty big on all-round functionality, but the OlivePwrr V-G200 does just that. Easy connectivity and communication are the key attributes of this Olive offering that is priced at Rs.3,499. It’s an 8 out of 10 rating for this efficient dual-SIM device.