Just before Christmas LG sent me a LG Viewty to review, which I thoroughly loved. So much in fact, that I decided to keep it in the family and my girlfriend is currently giving it a good home.
A few months ago LG asked me to review the LG KF600 and sent me a handset to put through its paces. I was really looking forward to testing out another LG handset, particularly after having such a good experience with the Viewty. Unfortunately, after using the KF600 for a few days, I had to conclude that the KF600 in fact a step backwards from the fantastic Viewty, rather than a step forward.
The LG KF600 has a decent specification:
- Network: GSM Tri-band (900/1800/1900), EDGE class 10
- Form factor: Slider
- Size (mm): 101.2 x 50.7 x 14.4
- Display: Dual display
- Screen size: 2 in/ 1.5 in
- FM radio/MP3 player/Bluetooth/EDR and BT V2.0
- Internal memory: 40MB
- Memory slot: Micro-SD socket (up to 2GB)
- Camera: 3 megapixel/Auto focus/Night shot mode/Digital zoom (4x)
- Capture resolution: 320×240 (QVGA), 640×480 (VGA), 1280×960 (SXGA),1600×1200 (UXGA), 2048×1536
LG across their various product areas have been focusing very heavily on design, and even unboxing the LG KF600 was an experience. The device came in a ‘iPod’ cube which folded out very neatly to showcase the KF600 in action. Inside were the usual accessories but also one very neat touch; a cleaning cloth. I wish more manufacturers did this as keeping handset screens clean can be very difficult.
The KF600 takes over from the Viewty in terms of touch screens. Rather than just the one touchscreen with fixed options on the Viewty, the KF600 has ‘several’. It achieves this by displaying contextual menu options depending on what function the phone is currently doing. The video below will explain how the KF600 does this a lot better than I can. Watch how the lower ‘screen’ changes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVv7JGJuZ3Q[/video]
I actually found the revolving menu structure quite hard to use. I think I would prefer a fixed set of options rather than almost having to memorise the key operations for each different function on the camera. I also found it a bit strange that LG have added a traditional keypad (which had a very dead feel to it) to the phone to make it easier to use, but then added the complicated touchscreen as well.
What disappointed me the most about the LG KF600 though were the camera and the screen. The camera and screen on the LG Viewty are fantastic. However the camera on the KF600 is only 3MP and combined with the tiny 2″ screen, in my view this just isn’t good enough for a multimedia handset.
I think the biggest problem the KF600 faces though is not its spec, it’s the fact that it looks ordinary. The Viewty is a sexy handset and very easy to use. My girlfriend got to grips with it within minutes, even though she describes herself in her own words as not mobile savvy. When I handed her the KF600 to see what her views were, she was expecting a lot more after her Viewty and was stunned to learn that the KF600 was LG’s latest handset, and not the other way around. In fact she asked me if the KF600 was a ‘prototype’.
She definitely won’t be giving up her Viewty.
