The Olive brand had marked its presence independently in India around September 2009. For those unfamiliar, the Olive Convergence global wireless device business commenced in India around 2006 as a joint venture with Haier Group of China. Featured in the company’s portfolio are a wide range of products like GSM, WCDMA, CDMA and EV-DO handsets and smartphones, Convergence and connected mobile computing devices and enhanced data modems for wireless broadband.
A few days back we had Olive’s OlivePwrr handset V-G200 right under our wings waiting to be scanned. The dual-SIM phone seemed to have a lot to offer as we reviewed it feature by feature. Comprehensively, the attributes sported by the phone include a 2.2†TFT display supporting touch functionality, expandable memory of up to 4GB, a digital camera, Bluetooth with A2DP stereo streaming support and digital video and music player. A webcam and Bluetooth as remote control were also encompassed in this rather low-cost handset. Wow! We couldn’t wait to detail this one out.
The bundle revealed the regular supplements namely a user manual guide, travel charger, USB cable and a USB-enabled headphone. Adorning a shade of glossy black, the phone popped up in a neat fabrication. Almost instantly we spotted a red edge that also extended into the battery location. Even the camera lens showed off a red finishing. With an Olive Convergence logo in silver black below the display, a front speaker is placed right above the display. There’s a sprucely designed standard keypad just below the logo. Infused with a central navigation pad made from steel, the phone includes two call answer buttons on the right of the pad for SIM1 and SIM2 respectively while clear and call reject buttons are visible on the left.
Each of the left, right, up and down buttons of the pad can be designated with shortcuts. As we flipped the phone over, its back panel showed circular stripes that we thought were a neat inclusion to the simple fabrication. Taking off the back panel brought out a bright red chassis which included two slots placed close to each other for the corresponding SIM cards. Housing an onboard memory slot, the left panel of the phone included a USB port. We also noticed an alluring camera lens on the back panel that had the words digital camera inked. Speakers are incorporated on either sides of the square-shaped lens while just below it was the Olive Convergence logo again, though this time in color. The phone sits neatly in the palm and is approximately 115×51×16 mm in dimensions.
When we switched on the phone, we were welcomed by a very simple homescreen that included two network signals on the extreme left for SIM1 and SIM2. A widget panel on the extreme right edge of the screen allows widgets to be dragged and dropped on to the main screen when they need to be opened. A powerful swipe was what got us to actually do so though while the panel can also be hidden in the main screen. The touch interface was quite responsive and not something we can claim to see in a lot of expensive handsets also.
The menu took us to the conventional functions of Messages, Contacts, Logs, Settings, Media, Apps, Services, Tools and Bluetooth. While the Messaging tool supports SMS, MMS and Chat that includes two Chat Rooms, there’s also a Broadcast Messages option that can be turned on or off. A number of enthusing options also let us toy around with our contact settings. Interestingly, the phone features a log file that comprises of the SIM1 and SIM2 separately so as to keep mixups at bay. We could select from four options for the Dual SIM settings mainly the Dual SIM open, SIM1 open, SIM2 open and Flight Mode. Profiles can be personalized differently for both SIM cards with General, Meeting, Outdoor, Indoor and Headset user profiles included. We could even choose the input method we desired counting calibration of the touchscreen for pen enabling optimized stylus support. Both SMS and incoming calls are additionally secured thanks to a firewall setting.
The Camera was the first feature we explored in the Media function. Equipped with a decent lens, one among three shutter sounds can be chosen. For those who may find the beeps rather annoying, there’s also an option of putting it off. While the EV function let us adjust the exposure values, the self-timer can be delayed up to 15 secs. Using a single click, you can even snap pictures in succession akin a digital camera with the Cont. shot feature. The editing options bundled with the Camera allowed us to tweak images up to a maximum 640 x 480 pixels and in Normal, High or Low image qualities. Attributes such as auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, cloud, incandescence were incorporated in White Balance. A number of effect settings could also be fiddled around with like normal, grayscale, sepia and many more. Setting a frame to image before capturing it actually brought alive the photographer in us.
The phone is also wrapped in with a video recording function. The abilities displayed by the function took us by surprise and appeared to be much enhanced than that found in most other competitive entry-level phones. With a camcorder setting that lets us alter White Balance, EV, Night mode and the Banding, videos could be recorded in normal, high and low quality options. While the effect settings were similar to the camera settings, the onboard Image Viewer boasts of a print option. You can zoom in/out of favorite pictures or even rotate them. In addition to viewing images, you can also choose the browsing style. Yes watch pictures by list and matrix form or have them sorted by name, type, time and size.
Audio enthusiasts we’re certain would be more than pleased with the wide audio features. On this front, the phone packs in a sound recorder and FM radio. The audio reception of the latter was rather poor and might we say we were quite disappointed. You can even explore your skills as a music composer with the innovative melody compose feature. It let us choose among the piano, guitar, violin, saxophone, steel drums, flute, harmonica, trumpet, music box and xylophone to proffer tunes. Managing our files too was not a hassle thanks to the File Manager in the Media function. A rather thoughtful inclusion, it revealed just three plain choices. While one should allow opening of a particular file, you can even create a new folder and format. Finally gaming buffs would be not so happy to hear of just a single inclusion in the Apps section. Yes, just one game dubbed Puzzle kept us engaged in solving a jigsaw puzzle of some teddy looking creature in the jungle in the easy mode.
Lastly, we brass tack the dual-SIM capability of the phone. Offering seamless handling of two phone calls, we could also move between calls from one SIM card to the other minus any bickering. What we liked was the fact that it seemed to work so well despite us using SIM cards from different network carriers. With no network interference, call quality was up to the mark. With complicated GPRS settings, Internet browsing too was just about satisfactory. Considering the low-price tag of the phone, the interface was befitting and appeared lag-free. It shows a QWERTY touch keypad when keying in text or numbers. Other features include calendar, world clock, calculator, Bluetooth and a currency converter.
Overall, the performance of the phone was virtually spotless for an entry-level touch-enabled phone. Loaded with a plethora of innovative functions, the phone should suit those who wouldn’t want to spend too much on a mobile phone. Its Rs. 3,499 price tag only seems to make it even more appealing. As far as ratifying it, we’d give the phone an 8.5 out of 10.
