LG GC900 Viewty Smart

LG's latest cam phone is an extremely sleek and suave looking device with a feature-packed 8Mp camera, multi-touch screen, Wi-Fi, A-GPS and motion sensor. Despite the name, this isn't a smart phone, and isn't intended to be all things to everyone – it's focus (sorry) is very clearly on photography. LG Viewty Smart LG's …

[Richard Harris]

All well and good

Not one mention of what it's like to use as a PHONE. It could have poor reception, a tinny speaker and the microphone might only be in the right place if you have a head the size of a walnut.

[Eric Hood]

Calls

I notice in these phone reviews the lack of call quality and reception & signal strength, how about telling us how they work as a phone?

For me how it works as a phone is paramount, I will buy something in spite of its extra features not because of them.

[Tony Smith]

@Richard Harris

Had the phone suffered from poor reception, a tinny speaker and the microphone might only be in the right place if you have a head the size of a walnut we'd have mentioned it. It didn't, so we didn't.

[Anonymous Coward]

Another beautiful paperweight ?

With this model does the alarm goes off after you received a text or like the old viewty receiving an SMS at 6.50 will block the alarm set to go off at 7.00 until the text reception has been acknowledged?

Will LG they grace the users with firmware updates or will it be the usual policy "release once and forget" ?

[Rosco]

Why read the review?

I think it's pretty obvious that people who buy phones in spite of extra features are not going to be interested in a phone like this. So why did you even bother reading the review?

[Phil Arundell]

8MP But still Crap

This phone clearly makes a big deal about its photo capabilities, but the fact is it is still crap if the sample shots are anything to go by. Loads and loads of noise (particularly in the blue sky), and poor metering. There's no point in putting features such as wrinkle removal on something that you can't use as a real camera.

When will manufacturers learn that 8 million pixels on a tiny sensor behind a bit of cheap plastic = crappy pictures?

Cameras on phones continue to be little more than a toy and because of that there is no point in upping the megapixel count because all you end up with is crappy pictures that take up more space...

[Al Napp]

Lens Cover

No obvious sign of a lens cover - is this the case?

An object of desire, but only if I can safely carry it around in my pocket without damaging the half decent camera.

[Brian 6]

@Phil Arundell

When will people like yourself get your heads out your ass ? The Viewty has a great camera compared to other camera phones, and that is what it was compared to. Comparing it to an SLR is just silly. And noise is caused by a lack of light and/or too much gain on the sensor, NOT pixel density.

[handle]

@Brian 6

1) Phil Arundell never compared a phone camera to an SLR. Just a bog-standard compact digital camera would be ashamed to take pictures like the ones in the sample shots.

2) Noise IS caused by pixel density: the smaller the pixels, the less light-collecting area you have per unit area of sensor surface, which is equivalent to less light falling on the sensor.

Be careful when you accuse others of looking "silly" - it might come back to slap you in the face.

[Brian 6]

@handle

So where is this mythical camera with the massive sensor and only 3 mega pixels ? Should have zero noise at any ISO setting cos the pixel density would be so low...... but it don't exist, cos density was never the prob. Remember the Fugi F30 ? it used Super CCD sensor with octagonal pixels. This INCREASED pixel density and also LOWERED noise.

Get your facts stright.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Brian 6

I had the old Viewty with a 5MP camera and a SE K800 with a 3.2MP camera.

The pictures taken with the Viewty were always absolute crap compared to the supposedly inferior SE camera.

[Eric Hood]

Why read the review?

@Rosco

Why read the review?

I am currently looking for a new handset, call quality & reception are of more importance than other features. So I read all the reviews to find a phone that has the call quality I want, I am using a Nokia N80 and it is above average in this area but I am looking for something better.

So if you know a better way to find this info other than reading reviews please share it.