For the past 3 months, I have been using the LG Viewty 3G mobile phone as part of the LG Bloggers Relation Program. Gotta say that I love this 3G mobile phone, from its slick user interface to the full touchscreen capability. And it’s not just me. A few colleagues that have played around with my LG phone actually ended up buying one for themselves or their wives!

LG Viewty 3G mobile phone

The mobile phone is mostly black, with parts of it in silver. It has an unusual rounded bottom edge too. Both men and women should find its form factor attractive. Here it is next to my gorgeous metallic LG Shine, also a 3G mobile phone.

LG Viewty and LG Shine 3G mobile phones

Not only is the mobile phone black on the outside, it has a matching black and white user interface too.

Black user interface of the LG Viewty 3G mobile phone

The white icons juxtaposed against the all-black background reminds me of the LG Prada. For those of you that do prefer having more colours on your phone, there are a couple more colourful themes other than this cool default one.

Friends fiddling with my mobile phone for the first time would automatically start looking for the numeric keypad. The thing is – there isn’t one! Other than the 3 buttons on the front and 2 by the side, you would only be pressing on the large LCD touchscreen. Apple iPhone, anyone? Come to think of it, with its black form factor and touchscreen, the Viewty does bear a certain resemblance to the iPhone!

Horizontal QWERTY keypad on the LG Viewty 3G mobile phone

For SMS addicts, besides typing messages through the numeric keypad, you also have the option of using a horizontal QWERTY keyboard (like the keyboard on your computer) for quicker typing.

Speaking of the touchscreen capability, this mobile phone does come with a stylus in the form of a dongle (there is nowhere to slot it). But I prefer not to use it. It is sensitive enough for you to use your fingers alone, or as what Steve Jobs would call the “best pointing device in the world”. You can also turn on the touch feedback, so that each time you press a key, you feel a gentle vibration.


Image gallery on the LG Viewty 3G mobile phone

Another thing that I do really like about this mobile phone is the image gallery. After taking pictures using its excellent 5-megapixel Schneider-Kreuznach camera (see photo samples here), I can view them in a nice-looking… Let’s call it the tabletop interface. It sure looks as though the photos are spread out over a table in a haphazard fashion. Touching any photo would bring it to the front. Nice!

MicroSD memory card slot on the LG Viewty 3G mobile phone

It is pretty apparent that LG has paid much attention to designing the Viewty, in terms of both form factor and user interface. I do have one major gripe though. The MicroSD memory card slot is inconveniently located within the mobile phone rather than being on the side. To access the slot, it would mean turning off the mobile phone, opening the back cover and removing the battery. Quite a big hassle for doing something so simple.

But that alone is unlikely to deter anyone. I would still continue using the Viewty. The beautiful user interface (very much improved over the LG Shine) and easy navigation are enough to keep me as a fan!

Features

  • 5-megapixel camera certified by Schneider-Kreuznach (flash, auto/manual focus, image stabilisation)
  • ISO 800 and SmartLight, for low-light conditions
  • 3-inch full LCD touchscreen
  • High-speed 120 fps video recording
  • Handwriting recognition and editing
  • Multimedia player (MP3, MP4, WMV, AAC, DivX)
  • Document viewer (DOC, XLS, PDF)
  • Connectability: HSDPA 3.6Mbps, EDGE, WAP 2.0, Bluetooth 1.2, USB, BPP
  • Vibrating feedback when screen is pressed