Ever since the Prada came out, the US market was longing for a similar handset. They were further tormented when LG released the Viewty, the 5 MegaPixel sibling of the Prada in the European and Asian market. Finally in April 2008, AT&T and LG decided to launch the Vu which many claim is the successor to the Vietwy. However, its shot to fame is not the camera, but it’s the first phone to support AT&T’s Live TV, supposed to launch in May 2008.
At first glance, the phone looks to be a beefed up version of the LG Prada. It sports the same sleek piano-black finish, silvered sides and minimalist styling. The difference is that it’s larger and features rounded edges. The front center of the phone sports a generously sized 3-inch diagonal touch-screen. The display is capable of supporting 2, 62,000 colors and 240 x 400 pixels which translates into same stunning graphic detail. As with the iPhone, you will have to navigate using the finger as there is no stylus provided. The navigation is pretty intuitive; you tap to select something and swipe to scroll through pages.
A classy combo of style and features make the LG Vu a showstopper in its own right. The phone is expected to be priced at around $299.99 which is pretty reasonable considering its features. LG Vu is basically the US version of LG Prada with a 3G/HSPA and Media FLO TV features thrown in. The TV service is separate from the phone and costs you $15 a month. The Vu features a haptic touchscreen which is touted to be extremely user-friendly and simple. The comparison with the iPhone is inevitable; although the Vu is extremely good looking with a sleek touchscreen, it lacks the seamless web browsing experience and support for email data type which the iPhone provides.
The Vu comes with a side loadable music capability which renders it a reasonably good music player, the camera quality is pretty ok and the web access is speedy even when the phone is used as a modem. Business crowd will be disappointed by its inability to sync calendars when connected with PC. The XM radio was tried on by only a single reviewer who was unsuccessful in getting it to work. The LG Vu is for anyone who is into Live TV; it has some really slick features like picture in picture for easy browsing through shows. If you are the kind who sits in trains and buses wondering how much of the show you would have missed then the Vu is for you, The phone launches on May 5th however if web browsing and 3G are what you are looking for then stay away from the Vu. The camera lacks flash, which is a bit of a let down .The touchscreen can take a little time to get used to. The phone is light, thanks to the plastic casing; however it’s a double-edged sword since the casing attracts fingerprints like anything.
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