With the company revealing several simple gizmos for the Indian market, we got the Olive msgr V-G8000 right under our kitty all ready for a review. To help you decide if it’s for ‘leave it’ or ‘grab it’, we’re about to go on a comprehensive review of the V-G8000. ‘Big things come in small packages’, heard of this byword saying right? But ever heard its anti-pole, ‘small things may also come in big packages’! Well, we are talking about Olive brand that marked its presence independently in India around September 2009. In today’s world where snazzy and sleek mobile phones pop up day in, day out, Olive still seems to have stuck to its conventional side.
Simplicity takes it all, aligning pretty much with it, the new mobile phone came to us packed in a neat black box, easing up in a raven-black body. At a first fleeting look, the V-G8000 pulled wool over our eyes with its Blackberry look-alike chassis, though certainly not in terms of glossiness. To help the common man get started, Olive dropped a travel adapter for charging, a quick start manual and headphones. On turning the phone on, it gave us a straight out of the image look.
The size and screen of the device appeared quite basic to us, leaving a touch of exquisite style behind. Designed to be simple in looks as well as functions, it doesn’t feature any hi-fi functions that we get to witness in every other mobile phone unfurling these days. The Olive msgr V-G8000 looks pretty decent, so if pocket is your concern and style your sine qua non then you can definitely hoodwink one with its good looks (not original though). At 102 grams, the gizmo is sleek and lightweight with a full QWERTY keypad and a 2.2-inch TFT screen. Below the display rests a circular navigation button alongside Call answer and Call end buttons. The front side also shows off minuscule circular buttons, Menu and shortcuts to Messaging, Phonebook and Radio.
The Olive Msgr hugs a glossy black front finish while the backside features a matte black surface, ensuring sober looks as well as a firm grip. Apart from this, the backside has speakers while the lower edge is integrated with a dual purpose mini USB port that serves for charging and also connects the headset. With its D-pad (circular navigation button), we could access texting, date and time settings, volume and contacts. If you want to take a shortcut to Radio then the Back button comes to help when on the homescreen.
The Olive msgr V-G8000 handset has been sketched out for basic usage, so the features incorporated are really mediocre. So users looking forward to memory expandable capability, dual SIM, music player or likewise will get to see their hopes getting dashed. As someone put it right ‘looks cannot survive everything alone’, the Olive Msgr cannot escape with its ‘acceptable’ looks when every other mobile phone seems to come with a slew of powerful and advanced features. So there we get oodles of disappointment! Besides that, the Menu reveals Phonebook, Messages, Calls, Settings, FM Radio, Organizer, Games, Alarm and STK.
Well, the phone primarily aims at better messaging so the QWERTY packed in is quite comfortable. The backlit keypad shows off considerably smaller keys but as ‘practice makes a man perfect’ you’ll find them quite smooth. One thing that appeared off-wall to us was whenever we typed a key the screen would blink back. The screen viewing is quite comfortable as well, while shortcuts add to the ease-of-use. As far as the display is concerned, we didn’t find any qualms about it – the font was large enough for the screen size.
As we moved on, we found the network reception satisfactory. The caller faced a few difficulties hearing while on the go. Disappointingly, we also had to keep the volume at maximum for better audibility while traveling. But to be true, we didn’t anticipate any noise-canceling integrated technology in such a low-priced phone. The hands-free mode worked well but again the voice wasn’t really clear. Not to forget, the device paves the way with a good battery life.
Not much to surprise, the phone comes without a camera. Though manufacturers from the mobile industry are striving to push the usual 3.2 megapixel camera much further, the V-G8000 has dropped the feature itself. Some other non-inclusive attributes are GPRS, Bluetooth and support for music, videos and other applications. Gladly, realizing the basic fact that music is a ‘must-have’, the handset stands better with integrated FM whose reception turned out to be quite impressive. Well, among its simple spec sheet features is the Organizer function which includes Calculator and Calendar while users can kick their morning with the three alarms that can be set.
Coming to phone’s alarm tones, we found them gravely ‘far out’ and ear-splitting, perfect to spring up the lazy bones who refuse to get up from their cozy beds. However, the good point turns into a bad one with its call and SMS ringtones. Again disappointingly, it fails to come with an option to add new tones leaving one to get in terms with the 16 polyphonic ringtones. The STK function enabled options like Cricket, News, What’s new, Masala Chat and more, while the Settings option allowed us to tweak the display with Idle display and Backlight options alongside other usual features like Sounds, Network settings and Factory Default. The phonebook entries limit to 100 and SMS storage to 250. To keep some level of entertainment, the phone toppled games, Docker and Minesweeper.
Well, in our opinion, the device could have been much better with certain add-ons and improvements. If we look at it just as a basic phone then it’s certainly worth considering for low-end users who want to keep things simple with a decent looking mobile phone. Though limited in terms of functionalities, the handset comes into view as a good option for budget-conscious users trying to get their hands on a QWERTY at a nominal price.
Pros:
For pocket-conscious users, Olive’s this offering springs in with an affordable price point.
Though light on pocket, the device packs in a comfortable QWERTY experience, making it a good option for avid finger tappers.
The display and font size deliver a good user experience.
Users who find it hard to open their eyes in the morning may appreciate its quirky and loud alarm tones.
The integrated FM and battery life is good.
Cons:
The offering lacks clear audibility, making it quite inconvenient to listen to a call while hitting the road.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t even feature an option to add new tones leaving one to get in terms with the 16 polyphonic ringtones.
The device’s features are made too simple to get a straight ‘yes’ from users, a few basic additions would have been appreciated.
To sum it up, the phone shows a ‘green’ light for users who want simple basic features in a stylishly looking phone. Users looking forward to just talk and tap fingers while listening to tunes may opt for the Olive msgr V-G8000. From us, it has managed to gain a rating of 7 on 10 as a basic entry-level phone with an affordable price tag.
It can now be snapped up for a pocket-friendly price of Rs. 1,999.