LG Vu CU920 TV phone for AT&T Review
For those who always dreamt of watching TV on their hand-helds, LG has launched its TV phone for AT&T, the LG Vu. AT&T has spread its broadcasting network in 58 metros in the US using the Qualcomm MediaFLO technology. 10 channels such as CNN, FOX, ESPN, MTV, Nickelodeon and Sony Pictures will be at the disposal of LG Vu users. The Vu was launched by AT&T along with Samsung Access. So its comparison with the Access is inevitable. Since, it is a sibling of LG Prada, its comparison with the mighty iPhone is also inevitable.
While most people have compared the Vu it to an iPhone, it has definitely emerged a class apart! When LG launched its iPhone lookalike, the Prada, back in 2007 with a few months edge over the iPhone, the market was buzzing in comparison about the two. One wondered if the Prada would kill the iPhone or even about “who copied who?” Although Prada won many hearts, the iPhone’s smoothness couldn’t be duplicated by most phones till date. But Prada did very well, and so is its sibling, the LG Vu, doing.
LG Vu (pronounced view) was launched around May 2008 along with Samsung Access as AT&T’s MediaFLO TV phone. The LG Vu did face some competition from Samsung’s Access which was priced at $199 in comparison to Vu’s $300. But the Vu began to lure TV lovers across the U.S. with its larger 3” touch screen with haptic abilities and its lighter 3.16 ounces weight. Moreover, the Access couldn’t match many of its features.
The Vu has CV multimedia streaming capabilities which can stream moving images across the screen without having to download the entire file. It connects to the extensive 3G networks for premium telephony and provides high connectivity and speed data transfers with HSDPA/ EDGE technology. One can take auto focused pictures at 2 megapixels, listen to MP3 music, watch videos, shoot videos and send them as MMS and chat using the IM client. One can even transfer, share, print and backup data using Bluetooth dial-up networking.
The haptic response is quite good and there seems to be no lag. Scrolling long lists takes a quicker swipe whereas for controlled scrolling you must drag your finger across. There is no keypad but there is an on-screen number pad and QWERTY keyboard. QWERTY is available during browsing, emailing and instant messaging. The T9 mode makes input easy and the multi-press mode also can be used. The full HTML browser is great and can be drag-scrolled and tap-zoomed.
When compared to the iPhone, there are some external similarities such as the slate design, huge touch screen, fewer buttons and the sleek and stylish appearance. But there are some important video shooting and networking functions mentioned above that the iPhone does not have. At the same time the iPhone has a number of features that the Vu does not have, such as its characteristic music and video shopping from iTunes, a larger and more interactive touch screen, accelerometer function and the IMAP and POP3 support for email, Price wise, the Vu is cheaper than the iPhone by a flat $100. This makes it quite difficult to compare the two.
The MediaFLO technology used by AT&T can broadcast non-stop TV programs, which are repeated for those who have missed them. There is a $10 subscription fee for the ten channels which cover news, music, entertainment and movies and does not leave kids programs out. No data plan is required for watching TV but for CV streaming there is a minimum $15 fee. The broadcasting is just great and there are no breaks in transmission. For those in borderline areas, the telescopic antenna can be pulled up for better reception. Those who are not interested in TV but still love the LG Vu’s features can go in for the LG Vu CU915 which is actually a 920 sans TV.
The Vu is an excellent phone and is worth the $300 price tag. It is a stylish TV phone that delivers great performance. On the downside, it gets a bit smudgy with finger marks. Also, the microSD card slot is at an inconvenient location, under the battery. It’s definitely not an iPhone killer, as both are unique in their own ways. Yes, although the Samsung Access is much cheaper, the Vu is preferred when it comes to features.