LG KU250: "3G For All"

Available now
3rd July 2007

This unassuming looking device is the LG KU250, chosen by the GSM Association to spearhead their "3G For All" programme. Designed to be around 30% cheaper than a typical 3G phone, the idea is that the KU250 will help to open up new markets for 3G networks worldwide.

There's nothing particularly special about the KU250's specification. It features a 1.7" 176x220 pixel display, 1.3 megapixel camera, a video calling camera, microSD expandable memory, an MP3 player and Bluetooth. The LG KU250 also has an email client and web browser and PC synchronisation capabilities. Impressively, the LG KU250 weighs just 75 grams, making it one of the lightest 3G handsets on the market.

Although the KU250's specification isn't a patch on a high-end 3G device such as the Nokia N95, it's certainly good enough for most people. And priced at around €100 / $130 / £70 before tax and subsidy, it's clear that the LG KU250 offers good value for money.

One niggling question is this - just who is the LG KU250 aimed at? It's around three times the price of the Motorola FONE F3 which is aimed at emerging markets worldwide, so it isn't exactly the first step on the mobile phone ladder. In truth, most 3G networks are n countries where that KU250 will cost around a week's wages - it's quite popular in the Philippines for example, where it costs around the equivalent of two week's wages. Don't forget, that the $130 price buys you a phone, MP3 player, digital camera and more.

It's certainly a better - and cheaper - phone than Nokia's base 3G model, the 6151. And although the KU250 doesn't exactly wow you with its looks, it has a nice tidy design that looks very presentable.

 The LG KU250 is available now in certain markets, and the "3G For All" project has the backing of industry giants such as Vodafone, Hutchison Whampoa, Telefonica, Orange, Cingular and many others, so it should become widely available during 2007.