LG Optimus Slider for Spontaneous Video

When my old mobile phone stoppled working I was ready for a replacement. I looked with deep envy at what folks could do with their Smartphones.

I did want the ability to shoot video for just in case situations. I also needed a unlimited data plan for connecting to the Internet. I could have purchased an Apple iPhone 4S or even a 3G.

What was not affordable was the unlimited data plan. $80 a month for two years? Doing the numbers over and over could not budge the frugal warden of reason in my head.

I was between a rock and a hard place. I wanted to try an Android experience, needed a phone with web capabilities. I just couldn't find a tablet that I liked and the Apple iOS is still not in my budget.

The Optimus Slider is the solution at the moment. It is $199 no contract and, because I had the prior service, my data plain is $25 a month. 300 minutes voice and unlimited text and data.

It runs Android 2.3.1 and has a 3.2 megapixel camera. I looked at the specs of one of my videos that I recorded:

• Standard definition 640x480 MP4
• Mono AAC Audio at 16,000 kHz
• 12.99 frames per second, so probably a max of 15 frames per second.

For spontaneous video that is going to be uploaded  to the web it  is fine. I have been testing out Vimeo, which has a loading limit of 500MB per week for free users.  This has worked out great. I haven't tapped my limit with recording on the phone.

Battery life? Depends on what you have activated on the phone. I implore you to turn off the Wi-Fi and GPS functions. Those are the biggest battery drains. Once you do that your batter life will improve.

It makes a huge between "WTF" and "that is much better".

So the LG Optimus Slider was the most affordable, non-constricting financial choice I could make.
I'm good with it.