
News of likely June release of the new LG Viewty Smart has reached LG's official German blog. The device is one of a number of recently released camera phones that seeks to overcome the lackluster performance of cameras that have typically been integrated into cell phones.
Until recently, the device was rumored to be called the LG Viewty II, but that seems to have been
updated to the Viewty Smart. We're not too pleased with that choice because, though it's only a name, it seems to imply that the device is a smartphone, which it isn't.
Still, the LG Viewty Smart has a pretty interesting feature set. Of course, the 8.0-megapixel camera is the biggest news. While we understand that the quantity of pixels really isn't what defines the quality of a digital camera, it could be a step in the right direction. It also features a xenon flash, manual and auto focus, image stabilization, facial recognition and ISO 1600 support.
Physically the device follows the design trend of phones which emphasize the camera. Picture taking is done in the panorama mode which places a dedicated shutter button in the upper right corner where you'd expect to find it on a camera. There's also a hand toggle next to the display screen which allows for instantly switching from still camera to video recorder mode. Video can be captured in both slow motion and full speed and up to 720 x 480 pixel resolution. The overall design is sleek measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing under 3.2 ounces.
Other notable features of the LG Viewty Smart include:
- 3-inch diagonal touchscreen
- Integrated A-GPS receiver allowing for geotagging all those photographs
- Wi-Fi and 7.2Mbps HSDPA data connectivity (lightning fast if you're in Europe)
- DivX and Xvid playback
- Memory expandable to 32GB
Release of the device is expected to be by European wireless provider Orange, and the accompanying image seems to confirm that presumption. There's not yet any information available which hints at North American availability of the phone.
For more information, refer to the
touchscreen phone review site. For
more tech news, stick with the blogs:
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