We hoped, when Apple’s touchscreen iPhone appeared last year, that it was
only a matter of time before other manufacturers followed suit.
Sure enough, LG is hot on Apple's heels with the touchscreen Viewty phone.
The appallingly named Viewty (its proper name is
KU990),
combines phone, camera and portable music player, but takes it one step further
as it also comes with the ability to edit photos.
On any other standard-sized phone it would be hard to see the point of this,
but the Viewty’s 3in screen is big enough to see exactly what you're doing.
The software, which is extremely easy to use, is especially handy for
cropping people who've accidentally made their way into pictures from the
phone's 5-megapixel camera. We particularly liked the Muvee application, which
makes slideshows of photos taken, in different styles, and sets them to music
stored on the phone.
However, we were disappointed to find that we could not adjust the colour or
brightness of phone images, which tended to come out very bright, lending the
people in them a ghost-like pallor. Despite this, we were impressed with the
camera’s
face-detection
technology, which does exactly what it promises, and focuses the camera on
people's faces. The only other complaint about the camera is that there is no
protective lens cover, which could be a real problem for those people who like
to throw their phones in their pockets next to a set of keys.
LG has also made concessions to those who like to share video footage with
the rest of the world, allowing users to upload their recorded movies directly
from the phone onto Youtube. Design-wise the Viewty really is a beauty, with its
sleek black housing, and despite its many features it is also very light. The t
ouchscreen is extremely bright and clear, and very sensitive, making it easy to
navigate the phone's menus.
The keyboard that appears on the touchscreen is hard to use for text
messaging: in some cases we had to press a letter four or five times before it
was recognised. The Viewty’s saving grace, though, is that it recognises
handwriting, so we were able to write directly onto the screen, a technique that
worked well once we were used to it. It's also easy to access and view websites
using the built-in web browser, and it can be used to read and send email.
As with most modern phones call quality was extremely good, with clear voices
at the other end of the line. The Viewty also comes with a
USB
cable for synchronising contacts with the computer, and for charging the battery
(there's also a mains charger), stereo headphones, a hand strap and a stylus.
Overall, while it's not as versatile as the
iPhone, this is a very
impressive, stylish phone that's easy to use.
Vista compatible: Yes
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