A big cultural aspect of being in Vietnam is showing off your mobile phone (I’m used to calling it “mobile” and not “cell” as in the US now, even pronouncing it “mo-bye-il” instead of “mo-ble”), and finding good occasions to do so, like placing it on the table when you’re having coffee with someone.
It’s a little like showing off your car in the US. Of course, the same traps that you find with car owners in the US exist here as well. The not-that-wealthy are the ones who often have the most expensive phones, while the truly wealthy just don’t really care. That’s similar to how in the US, it’s not uncommon to see someone who owns a car that’s half the value of his home.
Incidentally, showing off your phone is also a good way to lose it. I have a number of friends who’ve lost phones after taking them out and forgetting them somewhere.
With the LG Viewty (KU990), however, I get the feeling that you may come to the cafe and impress whomever you’re meeting, but by the time you’re done talking, the phone will be so worthless it won’t be even worth stealing.
Some background: LG phones in Vietnam have been quite notorious for their rapid depreciation in price. While more recent models are known for nice aesthetics and solid features, the actual phone (you know, for calling) quality is questionable, at least from the standpoint of reputation.
As an owner of a LG Viewty, I can understand the LG stereotype. I bought my Viewty new from the US last December. I got it for an outstanding price, it ended up being around $150 USD from a good deal of combined luck, patience, and smarts (I didn’t say it was my smarts, did I?).
At the time I got it, The Gioi Di Dong (can be translated to “Cellular World”), one of the premier big mobile phone sellers in Vietnam, was selling the phone for 7.2 million VND, or about $420 USD. Sounds like I did quite well for myself didn’t I?
Today, 5 months later, you can get it from a number of dealers for less than $175 USD. That’s nearly a 60% drop in price in five months!
And it’s not even a bad phone!
- Touch screen
- Good resolution screen
- 5 MP Camera
- Pretty decent looking
You might suggest that maybe there’s a new model coming out that’s affecting the price. That is true, the LG Viewty II is coming out soon, but not that soon to Vietnam- I would doubt anytime this year in fact. I am just astounded by this, but let me actually tell you more about the camera. Like I said, it’s really not a bad phone….
….It just isn’t a great one.
Review:
From a technical specs viewpoint, the Viewty is nice. Again, the 5MP Carl Zeiss-lens digital camera, external SD memory card support, very nice resolution screen, and touch screen. It’s not particularly thick or heavy (good things), and the phone is attractive at first sight. There’s even a qwerty touch keyboard you can use for SMS.
But:
- The touch screen is a little slower than you like. Navigating menus isn’t annoying I’d say, but you always know there’s a lag. In the end, it’s the touch is more about the cool factor than it is a great replacement for the key pad. No multi-touch as in the iPhone. The interface does crash as well. Not a lot, but perhaps once every 6 to 8 weeks.
- The qwerty touch keyboard only can be used for SMS. That may sound fine but remember when you need to edit or add new address books, add notes, or so anything with text. I have no idea why they did it this way, but it reduces the usability of the phone by at least half. The keyboard itself is pretty ok, but I get a good amount of typos if I’m not focused. I’m not sure if I can really blame the keyboard, or if it’s just me; I’ve never tried the touch keyboard on the iPhone so I can’t compare it.
- The PC software that comes with the phone is outdated, it definitely isn’t customized for the phone or for the modern PC and phone. Thankfully, however, you can find a new version of it (LG PC Suite 3) through http://www.mygreatphone.com/forum/software-discussion/13205-lg-pc-suite-3-a-4.html. I just found it yesterday myself, and it looks like this new version has added SMS backup, but you can’t even download the software through official means, so imagine how many people actually have the software.
- Limited SMS storage on phone. Not sure why phones don’t let your store as much as you have memory. I think some phones store on the SMS, which begs the question of why can’t you save it directly on the phone instead?
- Wish there was a better filter/search (or “a” way) SMS messages
- I wouldn’t say the phone is hard to use, but it’s slow enough and “dumb” enough in that it doesn’t encourage you to really explore all the parts of the phone and its features. Add to that my comment on the computer software that it comes with, and you’ll probably just be like me, using the phone mainly for calling and picture taking. I’m not a PC newbie by any means, but even I don’t want to put in the work to get media files working, cutting my own ringtones, etc.
- A lot of apps and features built-in, but see my comment above- just don’t have the urge to play around with the phone in detail because I don’t expect it to be easy
- Media files and music players aren’t just drag and drop into the phone, and then play on the phone. Expect trial and error, and tech support reading.
- Built-in 3G support, but not Wi-Fi. Built-in browsers and web apps. The problem for Vietnam is we don’t have 3G.
- The camera is considered one of the best 5MP camera phones available. I’ve read comments (on places like http://www.mygreatphone.com/forum/lg-ku990/) that people who don’t like the camera just don’t know how to use it properly. Perhaps that is true, but I never found any real “how to” guides on how take pictures properly with it. My overall impression of it is that it’s not bad. It’s still not as good as my 3MP Olympus Pocket Camera from 7 years ago, but it’s like a higher resolution version of the Sony Ericsson W800i camera (which were quite nice when they were released).
- Battery life is, ok? It can last maximum 2+ days on standby. The real problem for me is that I don’t think the battery indicator is accurate- it either shows full or it’s about to turn off on you.
- Call quality seems ok. I think I have more issues with MobiPhone than I do with the Viewty. I wish the phone were louder though. The strange thing is I have this issue with every phone I use, even if everyone else says the phone is quite loud. Am I deaf?
- The video camera has a 60 FPS recording option. It sounds fabulous, but I still haven’t tried it yet.
- This phone definitely belongs in a case. I would not expect it to last in your pocket battling it out with keys, but if you can find the right case (I like mine), it can add to the phone’s appeal. Incidentally, I got the case included for free with the phone, so it’s not like I live lavishly and indulge every fashionistic (not a real word) whim.
Overall, I do like the camera. I wouldn’t if I had paid $420 USD for it, but for $200, it’s a very good value, especially if you use like to use the camera.
Hows the volume for the ringtones and such? I bought the LG Shine several months ago and hate the damn thing. Looks really nice yet doesn’t provide for basic functions I need it for!!! BOO!!! I told myself I would never buy another LG.
I’m actually not sure. I mainly use my phone on vibrate/silent. From what I’ve heard it’s ok, but that’s more in a silent room. I’ve never been a fan of just putting it at the max so everyone in the neighborhood or at the office can hear
Haha, nice comparison to americans and their cars.
The sound is very good on it, I was outside and i heared it when it was upstairs in my bedroom.
Wow, that’s great to hear Libby! I don’t think it’s quite that loud for me, but I’m glad you’re good with yours