The KT610: LG's QWERTY flip

Zatni Arbi , Contributor , Jakarta | Mon, 11/17/2008 10:55 AM | Sci-Tech

You must have seen the "Handy Smart" by LG. At least, you must have seen it in advertisements.

Yes, this all-black clamshell smartphone has been around for some time and its photos are everywhere: LG has been quite aggressive in promoting this nice model, which, as far as I can discern, has three "firsts".

The KT610 from LG is a 3G and HSDPA cell phone with a large internal QWERTY keypad that makes texting more comfortable. The absence of Wi-Fi, however, means users must rely on the cellular infrastructure for data communication. (JP/Zatni Arbi)

I believe the KT610 is the first smartphone from the Korean electronics giant to use Symbian S60 operating system. So, if you have become comfortable with the menus and the user interface of Nokia products -- which a lot of people have reportedly found the easiest to use -- you will surely feel at home when using the KT610. Given Nokia's dominance in the cell phone market, this was a smart decision.

Second, the KT610 was also the first flip smartphone from LG with a full QWERTY keypad. The two hinges are on the left side; when opened there is a full QWERTY keypad complete with the familiar menu button found on any Nokia product. More on this later.

Third, because it looks like Nokia's immensely popular Communicator series -- including the E90 -- people have called it the first Communicator wannabe. In fact, LG touts it as a communicator that is smaller than the Communicator. Nice try. Actually, several handset makers have come up with a clamshell QWERTY handset. Among the newest models is the Asus M930.

There are a couple of differences between LG's KT610 and the far more expensive Nokia E90, of course. The LG KT610 has a 2.4-inch primary screen, which is a much smaller screen than the one on the E90. No complaints about the quality of the QVGA, 262,000-color screen, though.

This smartphone is a 3G device (there is a front-facing camera for video calls), and it supports HSDPA with speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps. A feature that is sorely missing, however, is Wi-Fi. I still do not understand why LG did not include this feature and made us rely solely on the mobile network for data access.

The good thing is this extends the battery life, especially if you -- like me -- always forget to switch off Wi-Fi when not needed.

The external screen is very limited, unfortunately. While it is capable of displaying important information such as battery level, the operator's name and the selected profile, it does not provide the entire view that the camera can capture. Using the internal screen as a viewfinder is a possibility, but it takes a lot of getting used to; otherwise you will be taking pictures with the camera facing your belly.

But not everything is less than impressive about LG KT610. As is the case with the majority of products from LG Mobile that I have reviewed, this smartphone also shows excellent workmanship.

It feels very sturdy, although luxury is not its forte. I like the keypads -- both external and internal. The external keypad may look retro, but it's large and very convenient to use. The internal keypad is also large.

Too bad, though, the fine character imprints on the individual buttons, which you can use only by pressing the Chr key, may be too small for people with limited vision, like myself.

The navigation pad is great, and there is a dedicated camera button both inside and outside.

What else has LG thrown into the bag? With EDGE, GPRS, UMTS and HSDPA capabilities, it is Web- and Google-ready. It also has built-in GPS and a MicroSD slot.

Forget about music playing, as there are no dedicated playback and volume control buttons.

LG Mobile Indonesia told me that this Handy Smart was quite popular. I can see why -- it costs less than one third of the price of a Nokia E90.

It certainly cannot compete with the E90 in winning the hearts of discerning users, but in a market where showing off is important, it can be one of "the" handsets to have.

Grandma and Grandpa would be happy using it, as texting is made very easy. If only it had a feature that would read aloud the messages and every character being typed, I would not hesitate recommending it as a Christmas gift for them.

Source : www.thejakartapost.com