Last year LG Electronics surprised the world by coming out with a touchscreen mobile phone that pre-empted Apple’s long-awaited iPhone launch by nearly six months. It was called the Prada, and as the name hinted, the device was more chic handbag accessory for the girl or boy about town than digital device for the dork. Nothing like a serious contender for the longed-for title “iPhone Killer”, the Prada was sleek and charming in its way, but footling and frustrating too.
Welcome now the LG KU990 Viewty. Yes, you read me right: Viewty. Someone probably got paid for that name. In real money. Shudder. Anyway, name aside, this is a more serious mobile, packed with features that are (for the most part) elegantly incorporated into a slim and stylish piano-black oblong. The phone is 3G (actually 3.5G, using the HSDPA or High Speed Downlink Packet Access protocol) and therefore capable of close-to broadband speeds on the go; a very fine browser takes advantage of this unfussily and pleasantly. Like its bratty little sister, the Viewty has a touch screen; unlike the Prada, it also has a proper camera and photo software to go with it. I should guess that the sector of the market LG is aiming for is the one currently bestridden by the Nokia N95. Unlike the N95, however, the Viewty doesn’t offer Wi-Fi or GPS (for satnav functionality) which some may find a deal-breaker. There is a slot for a MicroSD card of up to 2Gb; an excellent 5MP camera with xenon flash; surprisingly impressive photo and video software (including a nifty 120 frames-a-second option that allows half-speed playback for really excellent quality slow-mo – what’s called overcranking in the biz); and even an option that allows direct uploading to YouTube, a feature you will soon see as standard everywhere, or so this observer believes, and he is never wrong. A damnably stupid rocker on the lens ring serves as volume and multi-function switch, but it’s silly, inconvenient and more or less a waste of time and plastic.
That said, you might argue this device scores over the iPhone when it comes to formats. It allows MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA and WMV for sound as well as the usual picture and video formats, plus – and this is rare – DivX, the preferred codec of rippers and toasters everywhere. Smart as it is, the Viewty falls down when it comes to text entry. You tap at a touch-screen version of a phone keypad or use a badly implemented and fiddly handwriting recognition system. This is what stops the device leaking into the realm of the smart phones. To qualify as such, you really need to be able to text, email and type at some length and at some speed. You’ll never rise above the lvl of txt lk ths w Viewty.
One neat feature: the screen can vibrate when touched, offering a kind of fingertip feedback that, once you’re used to it, improves the whole relationship. In the end, I suspect this phone will attract more females than males, but what’s wrong with that?
I came expecting to scoff, but sent it back (reluctantly) to the PR company that let me play with it rather impressed. This is no iPhone killer any more than the Prada was, but if you want a neat, cute, fun phone that leans in favour of photos and general media larkiness, you could do a lot worse.
Faint praise? Well, the Viewty has a gosh factor, but in such a big marketplace you need to turn goshes into wows.
© Stephen Fry 2007
There’s no reason why iPhone couldn’t support WMA etc directly, except that Apple rather spitefully block Microsoft codecs in their portable device firmware.
Is it dreadful to admit that labels are selling points? I’m sticking with my Blackberry…:S.
WMA is dreadfully inferior. I for one am happy that the worlds biggest MP3-player engine is cutting it out of the equation.
As for the Viewty, it seems a close call, but you realise that with the additional buttons on the front they have not been able to create completely workable interfaces with their touchscreen.
Also, Ives remarked that the iPhone design even went to how it rested flat on the table, with the speaker available making hands free natural and the unit remaining perfectly balanced and sleek. The Viewty looks clumsy when rested, again down to the 8 out of 10 yards the LG design team are only willing to go.
By the time LG genuinely catches up the iPhone will be on v2.5.
About why Apple “spitefully” block .wma from use on iPod etc. It’s not that they block it but more Microsoft don’t license it to the Mac for a reasonable amount. Plus why license a competitors DRM for use on a device designed to work with your software and music store?
WMA license fee is not much of an issue: other (less profitable) device manufacturers don’t have a problem with it – even most car CD players handle it. It also gives you better sound quality than MP3 at the same file size. I presume Apple has paid for their MP3 rights. There’s no requirement for them to handle DRM’d WMA, but then most WMA files are not DRM’d.
Apple must be paying something to do WMA conversions with iTunes, although that’s pretty horrible because iTunes touches all the tags in your files in the process, and installs wasteful iPod stubs on your PC that load even if you’ve never connected an iPod, and which can be as awkward to remove as some spyware. I have most of my CDs ripped in Lossless WMA, and so Apple’s policies mean that neither iTunes nor iPod can touch it. So there’s no “gosh to wow” transition factor for me.
Arguing that a device is designed to work for your software and music store is a pretty quick way to march towards a monopoly, which is what Apple is becoming in this sphere. Apple also uses its firmware to block Harmony on iPods.
Just one small thing to add to the review.
“Smart as it is, the Viewty falls down when it comes to text entry. You tap at a touch-screen version of a phone keypad or use a badly implemented and fiddly handwriting recognition system.”
There is also a qwerty keyboard entry system that you can use which is displayed in landscape which seems fairly easy to use, at least from my 5 minutes on a demo phone.
What I wanna know is.. is there Flash Lite support?
Ok, that’s a geeky thing to ask.. it sounds like a great phone.
I really hope LG manages to surpass the touch function that was unveiled on their ‘Chocolate’ otherwise known as KG800 phone. I waited in anticipation for that phone, and lo and behold I am on my 3rd one because both previous touch pads died, leaving me with no other way to access anything on the phone. Of course I won’t be waiting for the 3rd phone to die, as I’ve already bought my iPhone.
LG – you make cracking DVD players, microwaves and TVs, which gave me a false sense of security when it came to this underdeveloped excuse of a phone (with the most rubbish camera I’ve ever suffered on a mobile and the SLOWEST start-up of any phone I’ve ever seen).
The Viewty – well if I could get over that ridiculous marketing twerp name, I still wouldn’t bother with it when compared to the iPhone. The Viewty is a nice phone, resting on the idea of a great camera (sorry, not possible in a mobile phone so stop harping on about the megapixel myth!) but it didn’t give me the WOW factor, and didn’t feel as well-made as the iPhone. I was bored of it after 5 minutes or so. A nice phone, undoubtedly, but an iPhone killer? No really, pull the other one…
[...] Fry’s blog a few days ago and found some of his writing interesting (e.g. this Nov. 3rd “Dork Talk” [...]
leaves the question of who can do divx? only Viewty? My palm has been playing divx while i laze in a hammock for.. at least 4 years.
I’ve been banging on about mutual exclusions in personality for ages; now that someone famous has said it (i.e. you!) people will start believing it
The geekiest plug-in I currently have for my computer is my house! It’s all controlled through a (private) web site, and hand-held remote control. How about it?
ObDisclosure: I am the developer of the MinervaHome.net software
Hello! I know I said I was not coming back (don’t really like the feeling I’m talking to myself haha!) but I simply had to!
Do you know, my daughter had found your wonderful documentaries regarding bi polar (manic depression) and watch all 12 episodes.
She then coaxed me to come and see these too, which I did.
Now my daughter had been very badly bullied while in primary school (the schooling prior to high school) and then again at high school…she gained an awful lot of weight suddenly, and had also begun to suffer from Fear of vomit is also known as emetophobia, which later on was to lead to a stomach disorder.
She became very severely depressed and could not rid herself of her anxieties.
So even though she had graduated (2007) and entered the work force, these black moods would trip her up. The funny thing is, that she is destined to enter the world of show business, having discovered a natural reservoir of talent, and it struck me, after seeing your documentary on depression etc, that she had a real interest in your point of view and personal experiences.
I found myself absolutely amazed at how you had coped with the depressive moods, and am deeply and most sincerely thankful, that you sir, are a very compassionate, and kind hearted person.
You did your documentary in such a way as to bring the idea of ‘mental illness’ forward, into the present as it were, and to do it in such a way as to bring some understanding into it too.
Your interviews with those who had suffered from it too, were absolutely eye opening, and a rare insight is given your audience.
I can’t thank you enough for doing this, you have given my girl a perspective on such things as highs and lows, of black moods and so on, and in relation to the world that you are part of, the world of show business.
She has come away with the recognition that while she does get upset about things when confronted with those who would invalidate her, etc, she is in full control of her thoughts, and has an awareness of that too, which led her to realise that even though she might get black moods, she is able to be cause over them.
I was immensely impressed that you had shared your world with your public, and find that you are very worthy of the most validating comments we can muster!
Thank you SO much for this Stephen, and I truly hope too, that you are doing very well with dealing with that dark patch that sometimes comes along to ruin what is surely a very successful life!
Add to this now, the incredible actions you have taken to ease the burden for all those who suffer from this rather tragic ill.
Hats off to you, fine sir ~ I salute you; and wish you well!
Regards, and my very best wishes to you.
((-_-)) xx