It will probably come as a surprise to most people that I didn’t buy an iPhone. If you were a market researcher and interviewed me a few months ago you would have put a tick in all the boxes that indicated that I would definitely buy one. However, when my mobile phone plan expired I actually bought a phone that by some had been designated an “iPhone killer”.
I can confirm that the LG KU990 (Viewty) is by no means an iPhone killer. As a stand alone piece of technology the Viewty is impressive. A 3 inch display with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels, a built-in 5 megapixel camera, touch screen interface, 3G, web browser and email, expandable memory, MP3 player, video recording and a neat design make it quite compelling. However the interface is miles behind Apple’s, the touch system is clunky by comparison and is not multitouch and the media playback features are weak.
It is my opinion that cameras on phones are nothing more than a gimmick. Sure if you are a 15 year old wanting to text photos to your friends or upload them to your MySpace page you might like it, but they aren’t for serious photographs. Although the 5 megapixels of the Viewty may sound good they are coupled with limited software, a poor lens and a horribly delayed shutter. The interface works well and is quite responsive. Scrolling is difficult but not impossible although it is quite easy to click an item instead of scrolling through a list. Accessing menu items is not always logical and you can find yourself digging through a few levels to find an item that ought to be easier to access. The iPhone, of course, is a proper iPod. The Viewty is not. Web browsing is reasonably fast but it is hard to resize pages – either too large to view anything more than a small segment or too small to view anything other than a thumbnail. Email is not formated and so is best for text only mail.
While the iPhone seems limited by its 2 megapixel camera and lack of expandible memory its interface, power and ability to easily download a myriad of applications more than make up for it. The iPhone is by far the best mobile phone on the market. Bar none. It is also the best implementation of mobile email and internet browing.
So really there is no comparison. Still the Viewty is a good phone. I like mine, and that brings me back to why I bought one.
In the end the decision was purely financial. I could have got the iPhone for about $65 per month. The Viewty costs me $20. Based on the amount of calls I make the included $50 credit is more than enough. I don’t need the included credit that comes with Optus’s $65 iPhone plan. Sure the iPhone is great for browsing the Internet, but how often do I need the Internet away from home or work? Not enough to make an iPhone worth it.
Perhaps I am spoiled by having an iPod touch and already having access to the great applications and mobile OS X, but I couldn’t justify the expense.
Is the Viewty as good as an iPhone? No. Is is a third as good? It is probably more than that and so, at a third the price, it is a bargain.
