The menu system doesn’t take much getting used to at all, but it's not all plain sailing. Users may initially have a job working out when the scroll bar at the side of the screen can and can’t be used, for example. For some menu options and applications you need to use the jog wheel on the back of the phone to scroll through menus rather than moving your finger on the screen. Unless you’re an instruction book junkie, you won't necessarily know which to use and when.
Although there’s an element of this trial and error exploration with any new phone, some functions where the scrolling isn’t integrated fully – like text message writing – can be frustrating. And the positioning of the finger-controlled jog wheel on the back of the phone makes it less ergonomically agreeable than a side-mounted thumb-wheel alternative.
A good platform for video playback
Speaking of messaging, LG has delivered several text input options, including handwriting recognition, a virtual Qwerty keyboard and a regular phone texting numberpad. Handwriting recognition ranks among those love-it-or-hate-it features, but with practice it seemed successful with our (admittedly poor) scrawl.
The Qwerty keyboard worked pleasingly too after we’d got into the swing of it. The letters are pretty small but enlarge when you tap them, kind of iPhone-fashion, so you can see that you’ve connected with the correct key. In addition to text and MMS messaging, the Viewty does email. Attachments can be viewed on the superb, fast-operating Picsel-sourced document viewer.
The KU990 has a very capable music player inside that offers decent quality playback and a good looking and straightforward user interface. Shame about the lack of a standard headphone socket, but stereo Bluetooth is ready to use if you have a pair of wireless headphones. You can listen to music through the speaker, but it’s as limited as mobile speakers usually are. The handset has an FM radio too.
COMMENTS
Just my 5 cents worth
A phone is still a phone but it is of cos much better than many with numerous built in features of a camera.
It would be a pain for those who need to access wifi daily
I try to convince myself it looks good but I'm only happy when I dont look direct at the front only at the side. It looks cheap sigh...
UI is simple and easy to access but scroll thru the touch screen with your fingers take some experiment and patience. I finally found how to use it, press on it with some pressure, dont let go and at the same time slowly slide it will do the trick. Alternatively, just use the not so user friendly jog dial behind around the lens if u still cannot get it.
The Calendar is basic and quite a few features are missing like for example there is no options for you to key in when you want the alarm to sound for an appointment entry, the only choice you have are all listed for you to choose.
Sucessful syncing to the pc is not consistant, sometimes it fails to connect and worst, it doesnt gel with outlook.
Let me explain, most contacts do have multiple phone numbers like office, mobile or home. But when it is sync, it doesnt register all the different numbers into one contact but you will see the same name many times cos it splits up the different phone numbers of one single contact.
It also doesnt captures Email address during syncing.
Called LG support apparently they need to investigate and come back to me.
BTW, cant sync it on Vista OS yet only WinXP.
Image quality is nothing fantastic so dont expect alot from it. I'm more confident using my P990i camera even though it is a 2mp phone. At least I dont have to worry about blur image if there are some slight shake.
it's amazing...
120fps video recording... it's amazing!
does it use sony's image senser?
Phone with no Stylus ??
Hey... I'm stateside, where we are always last to get the newest gadgets (except the whyPhone).. I've had my AT& T Tilt for 2 weeks noe. (its's a reBranded HTC Kaiser II) ... Touchscreen and I only use the stylus when I forget I don't need it. Having been a Palm VX, M, and E2 owner I'm a habitual sylist...
Greg
Shame no voice dialling
With current legislation, any hi-end phone in my view needs voice dialling, so you can use it with a bluetooth headset in the car. My N73 does this, and I use it every day.
I suppose my next phone will have to be an N95....
Was thinking about it
Was thinking about getting one of these instead of a W960 (when it eventually comes out). However, the no WiFi is a bit of a let down, the no place for a stylus seems kinda stupid, but the biggest concern will be applications. Lots of applications for Nokia, Symbian, PPC, but a propriatery OS (yeah I know, java, but it's still limiting and slow), nah, maybe not....pity, looks nice and 120FPS video sounds like fun 2 play with.
