The photogenic grandaughter of LG Prada named the LG Viewty, will be coming to a carrier in the near future and it's looking pretty good as well as deserving recognition for handwriting recogntion better than a Palm. I was able to try the phone at CES today with a resistve touchscreen. Even though I wasn't using a stylus, just the end of pen, I was able to write faster than on a iPhone. The screen size is slightly smaller than an iPhone at 240 x 400 pixels that measures 3 inches.
It's called the Viewty because it has a 5 megapixel camera with a stabilizer which can shoot 120fps video . It also features direct uploading to YouTube and full Internet browsing. It sold 310,000 in its first 5 weeks in Europe. There is no word yet when and if it will be available in the States.
Here's some information from a company news release:
"The LG Viewty is a camera phone with unparalleled digital camera functions that maximize benefits for consumers. This handset provides quality exceeding that of conventional digital camera phones," said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "With some of our earlier handsets, LG emphasized great style. Now we are focused on functionality and features to go along with our good looks. LG is always trying to identify unspoken customer needs and create new mobile trends."
Using LG Viewty's manual focus function, which no other camera phone provides, users can take more control over their pictures. In addition, the built-in image stabilizer with direct key helps consumers record clearer images. Users can personalize their unique pictures by "handwriting" on them digitally using the full LCD touch screen and attached stylus; they can also use the stylus and screen for working with the LG Viewty`s user-friendly, built-in digital editing software. And, when they're done, picture and video can be easily uploaded to the internet.
Borrowing from the high-end digital camera industry, ISO 800 and SmartLight™ technology help consumers create bright pictures, even indoors and at night. Users are able to enjoy a wider and much more vivid display than with most phones on the market through the LG Viewty's large full-color touch screen and Mobile XD™ engine. The handset can even recognize handwritten text input via the stylus.
The phone also records video at up to 120 frames per second, the highest frame speed ever for a handset camera. This allows users to seamlessly watch DVD-like content, even in slow motion. It also features a quick search-enabled jog wheel, which helps users quickly raise or lower volume during calls as well as easily zoom in or out when taking photos or video.
The sleek black surface is a full LCD touch screen on the front, with a 5.0-megapixel camera and jog wheel on the back. And the intuitive user interface makes it easy to use right out of the box, with many controls similar to digital cameras.
The LG Viewty's highly advanced features even include the ability for users to create and edit their own video files right on the phone and then upload them directly to YouTube.com. The phone also is Google-friendly, with a fully-equipped package from the ubiquitous web portal for mobile internet users. Additionally, users can still enjoy terrific voice quality and high speed HSDPA connectivity at 3.6Mbps.