The LG VIEWTY

The LG Viewty KU990 might sound like it's a digital photo frame but it's actually LG's latest camera phone that features an impressive 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and xenon flash.

Not only can this handset brag about its camera, but it should also be very proud of its lovely large touchscreen, which lets you view images easily. On top of this, it has the ability to upload videos directly to YouTube and to shoot video at 120 frames per second, which allows you to slow it down and watch it in slow-motion

DESIGN
Many camera phones take good pictures but don't look that great themselves -- fortunately the LG KU990 Viewty is not an ugly camera phone. In fact, it's one of the best-looking camera phones I've seen so far.In line with LG's latest and greatest handsets, the KU990 has an understated design that feels functional but also exudes a certain amount of class. It feels light but not plasticky and looks more like a high-end handset than the cheap LG phones we've seen in the past.Similar to the LG prada and Apple's iPhone, the KU990 features a large touchscreen with three mechanical keys at the bottom, the end and send call keys, and the cancel key. While the touchscreen is prone to fingerprints and scratches, it is very attractive.Positioned at the top-left section of the back of the handset is the KU990's star feature, a 5-megapixel camera, which disappointingly isn't protected by a lens cover. Next to the camera is xenon flash and autofocus light, similar to on the sony erricsson k810i.

Around the side of the camera is an interesting rocker disc that you can push up and down to scroll through menu options, adjust the volume during calls and zoom in and out in camera mode, among other things. It's an interesting concept but not always easy to press , a standard rocker key would have been better.

On the right side of the KU990 are two dedicated camera keys and a switch to change modes. The mode switch is a little tough to change at times but the shutter key is well-sized and very easy to press, which isn't always the case on camera phones.

FEATURES
Compared to the majority of other touchscreens, the KU990's screen is very responsive and can be set to vibrate when you touch it, which provides more tactile feedback than when you simply tap a flat display.

For taking normal pictures, the 5-megapixel camera is very capable and of a similar quality to the Nokia N95's camera. You can adjust the size of images, picture quality, ISO and white balance, among other things.

The digital stabilisation feature reduces blur but don't expect the same level of quality as optical stabilisation. Equally, although the KU990 has a xenon flash, it's not as bright as a standalone camera's flash, but it is better than an LED photo light.

Viewing photos is surprisingly cool given that the KU990 comes with a photo viewer that can display pictures as if they were thrown on a table, letting you flick through them with your finger, or you can just use the standard mode that lines them all up.

Once you click on a picture you want to see, you can zoom in and move around it by brushing your finger across the screen as if you were physically pushing a real picture about. You can also edit photos using the KU990's photo-editing app, which by the way is a super cool app

Other features include an attractive calendar, a fun 3D shoot 'em up game, speaker phone mode and a music player that supports MP3, AAC, WMA, WMV and AMR formats. The music player works well and lets you sort through artists and album art, similar to on most standalone MP3 players.

CONCLUSION
The LG KU990 Viewty is an impressive phone, particularly when you consider that LG hasn't made that many high-end camera phones. It's doesn't beat the Canon Digital IXUS 70 but it is comparable with a three-year old average standalone camera.

If you want to take relatively high-quality photos and videos then the KU990 is definitely worth checking out. Alongside the good camera, easy-to-use touchscreen interface and HSDPA (3.5G), we think LG has made one of its best phones yet.

If you're not convinced by LG's offering, it's worth taking a look at the Nokia N95, which comes with GPS and Wi-Fi, the Samsung g600, which is very slim or the sony erricsson k850i, all of which come with 5-megapixel cameras, too.

This beauty won't come cheap,it's already in India but the pricing isn't very clear...but the verdict remains:this is an awesome phone( actually it's much more than just a phone)...waiting for the price to be confirmed.

cheers!!!