Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21904 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: LG Electronics
• Model: KU990
• Released on: 2007-11-12

Manufacturer's Description
The Complete Camera Phone
5 Megapixel Viewty is a professional level camera phone capable of taking both high quality pictures and superior home videos. The contemporary touch screen and innovative design result in a superb looking handset that continues to enhance consumer usability.

High-Specification Camera
• Capture and reproduce images in high-resolution with a 5 megapixel camera certified by Schneider-Kreuznach
• Enjoy various focusing techniques using Manual or Auto Focus
• ISO 800 and SmartLight means that you can capture the best moments even in low light
• Benefit from taking steady pictures with Image Stabiliser and Direct Key
• Catch every detail with High-Speed Video Recording (120 FPS Video Recording)


High-Quality Display
• Discover enhanced viewing with 3 Inch Full Touch Screen and Mobile XDTM
• Enjoy a new level of mobile video experience with DVD-like quality
• Share and enhance your video creation with Muvee™ and Direct Upload to YouTube.com*
• Mobile technology making full Internet browsing possible with Google Package* and Messenger Service*


Easy Control
• Freedom of expression with Handwriting Recognition and Editing
• Effortless control with Jog Wheel and 3-Step Module Key

Box Contents
Box Contents
o Main battery
o Main charger
o User guide
o Stereo headphones
o USB cable
o CD (including LG PC Suite and DivX Converter)
o Hand strap and stylus pen

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!
I've had this phone a little short of three months and I love it!
It's fantastic for nights out and a real space saver! The camera is fantastic! Great flash, quick photos and outstanding quality!! Pictures in dark nightclubs are no problem !!

I find the entire phone a breeze to use. I have had zero problems with it; I find it has a good battery life, especially given the power the camera must demand! A full charge before a night out and it lasts well until the next day!

Texting on the phone is done with ease! I'd recommend setting the calibration to your own specific needs! It makes it so much easier to control (and it stops your heavy handed friends reading your messages!)
I don't use a cover for my phone and have found that it hold up pretty well! I have zero scratches or marks on the touch screen, a few on the back and not a mark on the lens. I feel no real need for a lens cover! I've never had to clean it and I've never been worried that anything would damage it!

Stellar piece of equipment!

For such a relatively small phone the list of features which actually work is truly astonishing.
Growing up in an age when computers started to enter families' homes, I am constantly amazed at new technology. I can't get my head around how far we have come in such a relatively short space of time. Anyone who remembers the "BBC 32k" will know what I mean. This LG Viewty is the perfect example of how so much technology can now be squeezed into such a small package.

In short, this phone is fantastic. First it wows you with its sleek looks and once you turn it on you soon realise it is more than just a pretty face. The screen is so bright it can be seen clearly even in bright sunlight and the touch screen is so easy to use. I have used touch screens before and sometimes you have to push the screen so hard you wonder what the point is. This LG however has an amazing touch screen. There is also "haptic feedback" which in English just means that the phone vibrates whenever you "press" a button. This doesn't sound very exciting but it makes things like texting so easy as you know that your input has been registered. I was dubious as to how easy texts would be to write on a touch screen but I can honestly say I find it easier on the Viewty than any other phone I have had in the past. You can change the screen to a "qwerty" keyboard, or even handwriting recognition but using a standard layout is by far the easiest.

The phones biggest selling point though is the 5 mega pixel camera. Whilst it is not yet good enough to replace a dedicated digital camera, it is quite astonishing how good the pictures are. It has a flash, which is not the not the most powerful, but when it's coupled with clever lighting software built into the phone, pictures in dark conditions are very impressive. There is a programme called "smart light" which you can you use after the photo is taken to enhance it further still. The list of features is endless and can be easily researched but I can honestly say this is a phone that actually does what the adverts promise and is not just full of a load of useless gimmicks.

Browsing the web is also easy. Because of the large screen, pages can be read in relative comfort. To move across the page you simply move your finger across the screen. This is not always perfect but once you get used to it you wonder how you ever used a "normal" phone to browse.

All good news so far and I am sure you expecting a "but". Well, after having the phone a few weeks now I have only come across one major drawback and that is there is nowhere to house the stylus. Instead it is attached to the side of the phone to just dangle and frankly look ridiculous. Quite how this was missed in development is unbelievable. Thankfully, it is not really needed. All the on screen buttons are so big and easy to use you really would have to have giant fingers to need the stylus. The only other little niggle is that it is advertised as having "divx" playback and should therefore play "avi" files. I have tried numerous times but it will not play "avi" files. I was disappointed as the screen is large enough to be able to watch a film whilst travelling. However it will play "3gp" and "mp4" files at full screen resolution. All you need is program call "media coder", which can be downloaded for free, and, with a bit of practice, "avi" files can easily be encoded to play on the Viewty when set to a resolution of 352x240 pixels. The screen is actually 400x240 but there doesn't appear to be a simple setting for this but 352x240 is big enough.

A common complaint is the "toggle" wheel around the viewfinder. Yes, this is a stupid place to put it but, you rarely need to use it. Most menus can be scrolled by touching the side bar or by simply moving your finger across the screen. When using the camera the zoom buttons are easily pressed on screen so again, you don't really need it.

Overall this phone is amazing. If you are put off by the touch screen, don't be. It is very intuitive and you will get used to it in no time. If you are put off by the brand, again, don't be. LG have spent a fortune to compete with Nokia and Sony Ericcson and this phone will definitely be making the bosses look over their shoulders at the competition.

The Perfect Phone?
I have read many reviews on this phone, and having just bought one, I would like to clear up matters. Many reviews comment on the Battery life. I bought this phone to replace my Nokia 8800 and the battery, in comparison, is fantastic, but considering the brutal battery life on the Nokia, that's not hard. However, my wife just bought the SE K800i and hasn't stopped moaning about the battery life. Fully charged, I will get three days out of it with medium use. There is a power save setting which really does conserve the power. Considering this is a touchscreen phone, that's amazing.

Secondly, the toggle. It is not difficult to use. Anybody that finds it hard to use single handed must be using their foot. The only issue with it is that it is so close to the lens and you can't help greesing it. Which brings me to the only design flaw on the phone, No Lens Cover. Why Lg didn't consider this is astonishing. This is a 5 Megapixel camera phone and not only do they not have any protection for the lens but they put the toggel, (which also controls the zoom), surrounding the lens! Madness!

That said, this is the best phone I have ever owned. The video quality is fantastic, Handycam quality in fact.

The menu and navigation of the phone is so logical and user friendly that you won't really need to look at the manual, and being a man, I don't want to.

To sum up, this phone looks amazing and is amazing but I want it to be bespoke, so please don't buy one.