1 post tagged “divx”
Introduction
A personal look at LG's flagship model, the KU990 aka VIEWTY.
This shiny brick of metal and hi grade plastic has a dual personality,
a 3 inch touch screen phone and messaging device in front and a high
quality imaging and video device at the back which resembles the look
and feel of a portable point-and-shoot digital camera. Don't be fooled
by it's beautiful facade, and don't compare this to a dumb blond,
inside hides a multimedia beast. HSDPA (3.5 g), haptics feedback, a 5
megapixel camera with auto focus and digital image stabilization, a video
capability that can record up to 120 frames of high speed motion , DIVX
support and a snappy Flash interface to boot, these are just some of
its main features. Pass the drool bucket please :) LG's first attempt
on the 5 megapixel arena with the LG KG920 is a major disappointment
with it's horrendous design and lack luster interface. This device is set to change LG's reputation on the mobile phone market. A successor to the LG Prada with a sleeker interface, let's see how
the LG VIEWTY lives up to its expectation.
Design / Build quality
This device is built as an iPhone killer. But is it a worthy
contender? I would say yes but not enough to beat the king of touch
screens. The LG KU990 is lighter than the iPhone because of the
materials used and a smaller screen. Nevertheless, it still manages to
pull out a sturdy and stable device. It looks sexy in shiny black with
metal accents on the side. The back is mostly dominated by the camera
lens but sad to say no lens cover, so the camera is prone to scratch.
You have to always remember where you put your keys or you'll end
scratching the precious Scheider Kreuznach lens. One complain on the
design though is that it doesn't support hot swapping of memory cards.
You have to open the battery cover and pull out your micro SD card to
swap. There are incidences and reports that the touch screen has been
unresponsive and to some point will render your unit unusable. I think
this is a case to case basis. This happened to me once and brought it
to LG service center. The technician told me that the connecting pins
of the screen is very sensitive and has been disconnected (maybe a
manufacturing flaw, im not sure). I never dropped my unit or placed it
under heavy physical stress, it just happened suddenly. But since my
unit is under warranty for a year, i didn't pay a dime. It now works
very well.
Calling / Messaging
Calling is standard, nothing to write home about. Messaging is impressive, you have several options for input including QWERTY, hand-writing recognition and keypad. The screen automatically rotates when using the full QWERTY input method. One major step is the integration of haptics (slight vibration) when you press a button on the screen providing better tactile feedback than the iPhone. You can navigate the interface using a stylus or your fingers. This is one of a few devices that integrates a full Flash interface. Though the OS is very responsive, its still a long way compared to the multi-touch experience on the iPhone. Scrolling on VIEWTY is unfortunately very difficult even with the stylus. Finger swiping works but still very tasking especially with sweaty hands like me. :) Good thing the camera manual focus jog dial also works as a navigation tool to scroll. It supports viewing of standard office documents but no editor since this is not primarily a business phone. This device supports several email protocols and also MMS. It has a unified interface for composing sms and mms.
Connectivity / Browsing / Multimedia
VIEWTY supports HSDPA of up to 3.6 mbps, talk about broadband on your phone. Bluetooth is standard with support for stereo sound output or A2DP. It lacks wifi though which is a necessity nowadays. The opera browser is good and comes with nice features but not as good with the Safari on the iPhone. I think the major strength of this device is it's imaging and video capabilities. Though 5 megapixel is becoming a standard nowadays, this device continues to push the envelope with image stabilization, auto and manual focus and a powerful flash. This can shoot videos at VGA resolution of up to 120 fps and play it back as a slow motion movie (the first of it's class on a mobile phone). A very nice feature indeed, where you can play with high speed motion capturing water splatters, flying birds, and high speed cars in full detail. You can't find this feature on other 5 megapixel snappers like the Sony Ericsson K850i, Nokia N95 and the Samsung G800. Also, a great feature is that it comes integrated with Youtube, so you can upload your videos instantly to the community. A standard Google pack also comes pre-installed with Google Mail and Google Maps. Another note-worthy advantage is its support of DivX playback, meaning you can view high quality but highly compressed videos in DivX format. The built-in video and music editing software is also a joy to use, not to mention the myriad of effects you can do with photos including screen graffiti :)
Technophile's verdict
A sexy slab of hitech wonder outside and a multimedia beast inside, LG's KU990 is gadget to consider if you're looking for a light weight but loaded camera phone. Navigating is a bit challenging but with the jog dial and a little bit of getting used to, you'll get the hang of it in no time. Capturing moments in slow-mo is priceless.
