Software
It may not run Jelly Bean, but the
consolation is that it is not Gingerbread. In other words, the Intuition runs
on Android 4.0.4 (the kids call it Ice Cream Sandwich) - a breath of fresh air
if it is considered to come to a decision of putting 2010 firmware on LG’s
original Optimus Vu. We have not heard whether the Intuition will be upgraded
to Jelly Bean or not, but if it does, certainly it will not come soon - LG is
ultimately not the fastest in upgrading the Gingerbread phones to ICS, so it's
hard for us to believe it would significantly improve the refresh rate. Of
course, the Intuition does not run the old ICS - in reality, because it has
LG’s UI 3.0, with a lot of work to be done for the phone to ensure that the 4:3
screen does not make the core applications seem unreliable. These applications
take advantage of the additional pixels, but the third-party applications are a
slightly different story, as they seem to be stretched out to reach all of four
screen corners (for easy comparison, think about how the phone apps look on a
tablet when they are not optimized for the larger screens). Some programs look
good in this way, but there were so many programs that we were unable to
recognize them if we did not change the aspect ratio back to the rate they have
been developed to run. If you would like to see these applications in their
natural 16:9 environment, you are able to do so by holding the home button for
several seconds and choosing the option on the menu that has just appeared. The
Rubberdium friendly applications also help the Intuition to be prominent from
the rest of the crowd (except for the Notes). Topping the list is the Notebook,
which deserves its name by providing a full 5-inch screen as a playground for
your pen. It works well as a usual notepad does, but our experience was a bit
tiring after having enjoyed the magnificent abilities of the Galaxy Note
Premium Suite, which provides handwriting recognition, answers mathematical
equations and even straightens the curved shapes and models. Unfortunately,
Notebook does not do anything like that.
The
Intuition runs on Android 4.0.4 (the kids call it Ice Cream Sandwich).
The
4:3 screen does not make the core applications seem unreliable.
The
Rubberdium friendly applications also help the Intuition to be prominent from
the rest of the crowd
On the other hand, QuickMemo has some
potential. Basically this is the Intuition’s version of screenshot capture:
press the round button on the phone side (on the left side) and then a
screenshot appears, waiting for you and your stylus to start to edit as you
like. This is probably the best feature that is related to Rubberdium on the
phone. Curiously, we also found that LG is likely to help you to change the
icon of any application on the home screen. When you hold the application for a
second then release, a small pen symbol appears on the top of the icon. Press
it again and you will be taken to a magical world of icons, where you'll find a
group of different options from the standard app icons available to every
letter of the alphabet. You can also create a separate icon by selecting an
image in the gallery or taking a new photo using the camera. As we saw on the
Optimus Vu, the Intuition also supplies full support for LG Tag +, also
includes a few things in the box to try out.
QuickMemo
has some potential.
This is the company's approach to the NFC
tags used for the automation: you are able to program these tags to start many
tasks on your phone by typing the two together rapidly. One of the gift tags
given to you when you buy the device is pre- programmed to send it into the car
mode, while the other tag is transferred into the office mode. They can be
overridden to suit your mercurial temper, and you can buy additional tags if
you want to decorate the whole house with them. (Note: any NFC tags will have
to work on the Intuition, so do not feel annoyed if your search for LG’s
version fails. Besides, do not decorate the whole house with the NFC tags).
In the past few months, it seems that the
habit of presenting several unnecessary applications on these devices branded
carrier had lessened somewhat, but it has come back in a negative way. Verizon
is currently adding a full kit of Amazon applications to all of its new Android
phones (including the Kindle, Audible, Amazon MP3 and IMDb); also you'll see
Color, NFL Mobile, Viewdini, Verizon Apps, Guided Tour, Voicemail, My Verizon,
VZ Navigator, Mobile Hotspot, Zappos, and V CAST Tones. Several games are also
added, such as Shark Dash and Real Racing 2. Only about half of these programs
are likely to be disabled or uninstalled - however, as a way of reassuring the
users, you can place the applications into the folders directly in the
application menu (i.e. TouchWiz 4).
