LG Vu Rated 4 out 5 - Review of Reviews by Wireless and Mobile News (Revised 05/01/2008)
The LG Vu is the US Version of the LG Prada phone with the added capabilities of 3G/HSPA and Media Flo TV. The TV feature is separate from the phone service and costs $15 a month for live TV and is the best reviewed feature of the LG Vu. Its haptical touchscreen is simple and works well.
Of course, reviewers compared to LG Vu the iPhone. Most liked the touchscreen and wrote that it was easy to use. Although reviewers found the phone sexy with a stunningly beautiful screen, and light to the touch, it doesn't match the full web experience of the iPhone and lacks support to all email data types. The side-loadable music feature makes it a decent music player, it takes good photos and web data access is speedy, even while using the phone as a PC modem. It doesn't sync calendars and contacts with PCs making it a poor choice for the digitally connected types. Only one reviewer tried the XM radio and he couldn't get it to work.
If live TV is your thing then the LG Vu is for you, it even has picture in picture for browsing TV shows. Ff you're sitting on trains and bus stops dreaming of TV the LG Vu is your hands-down choice. However, if the web and 3G are you hearts desire, you may want to wait for the 3G iPhone. The keyboard has gotten mixed responses and warrants a try before you buy.
The LG Vu from AT&T is being sold for $49 after a rebate with a contract. Add the Wireless and Mobile News $50 off online only coupon-link and the LG Vu is virtually free. Wirefly has some great deals with the LG Vu CU920 Red Wine and LG Vu CU920 Black
for free with a new account and contract.
Nicole Lee at CNET rated the LG Vu 8.3 out of 10 she called it "a super sexy touch-screen phone " and noted that the touchscreen takes a little getting used-to. The plastic case keeps it like but attracts fingerprints. The graphics on the screen are "amazing looking," dialing and texting are pleasant on the landscape QWERTY keyboard. It doesn't support all types of email accounts (Gmail & Pop3). The location of the MicroSD is inconvenient. It's best feature is Mobile TV, at $15 a month or $30 a month with unlimited web browsing which is full HTML and pleasant. HSPA produced excellent results while streaming video was a bit choppy. All in all it is "one of the hottest phones this year."
Sacha Segan at PCMag wrote, "it's the closest thing to an iPhone competitor I've seen yet. " Although it's beautifiul and fun to use it doesn't connect well to PC digital lifestyles. Operating the touchscreen and keyboard is simple and straightforward. The voice calling isn't great. The LG Vu 's major strength is mobile TV. The music player worked well, but XM radio didn't. Full HTML web surfing is rich with a faster speeds than the iPhone but slowed on heavy duty pages. The LG Vu can also be used as a PC modem but does not easily sync PC contacts and email. Segan prefers the iPhone for its PC-like functionality.
Laptop Magazine gave the LG Vu their Best Multimedia Phone of CTIA
award, because, "it takes entertainment on the go to the next level." Tom Haselton rated the phone 3.5 out of 5 because it doesn't touch the web and music capabilities of the iPhone. Although the LG Vu lacks Wi-Fi it is fun and easy to use. The UI is fresh but the touchscreen keyboard "fails" because it is a different layout for different media. He dislikes that not all email is supported. The LG Vu is ideal for viewing AT&T Mobile TV. Music can be side loaded to the MicroSD but it doesn't use a standard earphone jack. Web browsing was not easy. The camera delivered good results. The phone had excellent call quality and decent battery life. It runs Java programs decently, though not speedily.
Phone Dog liked the LG Vu's nice
light feel and unbreakable TV antenna. He notes that the
landscape-wide touchscreen QWERTY keyboard is angled like a real
keyboard and easy to use. Slash Gear called the LG Vu one of the best
looking phones and says "the phone looks pimp as hell
The AT&T 3G network offers download speeds between 600 and 1,400 Kilobits per second (Kbps) and is available in over 265 markets, increasing to nearly 350 by the end of 2008, including all of the top 100 U.S. cities.