Panasonic GD90 with a "Pearl" colour casing.

Being one of the less known brands on the GSM mobile market, Panasonic has begun to make some new ground with their latest model, the GD90. With an overall weight of just 88 grams and a slim handset design, the dual band GD90 has a standby time of 95 hours, a talk time of 200 minutes, and is sized to fit comfortably in the hand, pocket or handbag.

With the phone being priced under the $500 mark, it is definitely one that is worth getting!


Impressions - The Phone in the Hand

On picking up the phone, the first surprise is the actual weight of the phone itself - followed by the special texture of the phone's finishing. The finishing of the phone's exterior is different from any other phone that I have come across previously - which provided a unique "feel" towards further appreciation of what the phone has to offer. The keys are also quite tactile.

There are two choices of colours for the GD90 - navy blue and pearl. I was using the latter for this review - but have used the former on occasion. Personally, the pearl colour would be the only choice for me - as the navy blue delivers a totally different (negative) feel for me.

Why Pearl? One problem is with the "material" used for the finishing is that it takes fingerprints easily. Where the colour is darker, the prints become more evident. In the case of the pearl, prints are not visible unless you really put the phone right in front of you. For the navy blue, the phone would have natural graffiti all over by the time that the phone has been handled numerous times.

The size of the phone can be considered "perfect" - considering its overall weight and design. Whilst waiting for incoming calls or text messages, the GD90 can be placed virtually anywhere that deems "fit" - whether it be the pocket of a tight pair of jeans, shirt, or inside a handbag.


On turning on the phone, the 5-line LCD lights up in a fluorescent green colour that is different from the normal "green" most find on mobile phones. On the GD90, the lights for the keypad and the LCD are separated – with the LCD using a backlight similar to the "Indiglo" or Casio "G-Shock" watches. This gives the user a clearer view of whats being displayed. A choice of two backlight colours is available - green or amber.

At the same time, one of the "minuses" of this phone is the difficulty in reading the LCD when the backlight is not active. Even after setting the contrast of the LCD to its maximum, it is virtually impossible to read the display on an angle whilst being placed on a table with sufficient lighting.

Having dimensions of 118 x 42 x 16.5mm (L x W x D) and a considerably ergonomic design, the phone comfortably fits the curvatures of the face providing painless, lengthy, conversations to the hands and ears.



Using the Phone's Menu System

The word "menu" was displayed on the lower right hand side of the LCD. Being a Nokia fanatic, I went for the button right below that (referred to as the "key" from this point onwards) - which immediately bought up a list of the top-level functions available. This key is similar to Nokia's "Navi-Key" that can be found on their 3210, 5110 and 3110 models.

For convenience, the keyguard option was highlighted immediately whilst bringing up the menu. Therefore, by pressing the "key" two more times (once more to select keyguard, and once again to confirm keyguard), it conveniently locked the keypad. Unlocking it requires the user to press the "key" again twice.

Going through the menu system is somewhat a breeze. By using the navigation key to move up and down (located right under the LCD), each menu item is easily accessed (and clearly defined) where each function only requires a press of the "key". On some occasions, where functions may have a number of possible selections, the navigation key is used to access those selections by moving it left or right. This concept is somewhat unusual at first – but is grasped over a short, but extensive usage, period.