LG KC910 Preview

Expected October 2008
4th September 2008
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Over the past couple of years, LG have come up with some very innovative and stylish handsets. One of the most impressive has been the LG KU990 Viewty which is quite possibly the best video capture phone on the market.

Time moves on, and now LG have announced the successor to the Viewty - for the moment just known as the LG KC910. When it comes to market, the KC910 will have a different "pet name" to mark it out as a flagship device.. and this is a good thing, because a handset this stuffed full of features needs to have a memorable handle.

One immediately obvious thing about the LG KC910 is the large 3" touchscreen on the front, which is otherwise pretty minimalist. So far, perhaps it looks a bit like an iPhone clone.. but turn it around and the large Schnieder Kreuznach lens on top of the 8 megapixel camera comes into view, along with the Xenon flash. LG haven't specified the exact dimensions, except that the KC910 is a fraction under 14mm thick. There's certainly a simple elegance to the design.

As you have probably guessed, the digital imaging capabilities of the KC910 look particularly good. Not only does the 8 megapixel camera have automatic and manual focus, but it has image stabilisation and a range of face detection features. The Xenon flash is much brighter than the standard LED flash found in most phones. On top of that, the KC910 uses its built-in GPS to geotag photographs automatically.

It isn't just about stills photos - the LG KC910 can record video at up to 120 frames per second, and it can play back DivX and Xvid movies plus a variety of other media types. For optimum multimedia playback, the KC910 is the first handset to incorporate a "Dolby Mobile" audio enhancement system.  Of course, the large 400 x 240 pixel display will be pretty good for media playback too. A close examination of the press photographs reveals that an FM tuner appears to be included.

LG aren't clear about the scope of the KG910's GPS capabilities except for saying that it has "A-GPS enabled navigation" and it comes with a "jogging buddy". Because this isn't a smartphone, adding another application at a later date isn't really an option. However, LG say that the user interface is fully customisable with a number of applets and shortcuts. Certainly the screenshots look good.

Underneath it all, the LG KC910 is an HSDPA capable 3.5G device with data speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, and another useful additional feature is the inclusion of WiFi. This is a major improvement over the old KU990.

LG say that the KC910 will be available during October, and at a later date they will give more technical details of the handset and reveal the name it will be marketed under. One thing is for certain - the battle for the high-end market is certainly heating up, and the KC910 will be fighting against the Nokia N96 and Samsung i8510 Innov8 to name just two.

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