LG Viewty Snap Review

LG sent us one of their new phones recently and asked us to tell them what they thought. They made no demands and offered no money, which is exactly how we like it. So here is our unbiased, worts and all review of the LG Viewty Snap or as its named on the box, the LG GM360.

LG Viewty Snap Key Features

• WiFi Technology
• S Class Touch User Interface
• 3 Inch TFT 256k Colour Touch Screen (240 x 400 Pixels)
• Social Network Integration
• MMS, SMS
• 5 Megapixel Camera with Auto Focus & Video Recording Capabilities
• Video Player (MPEG4, H264, H263 & WMV)
• FM Radio RDS
• Bluetooth

Review

First impressions were good. Nice box. We like nice boxes as it means they care. As this was the first time we’d seen the phone, we were interested to see the key features, highlighted on the aforementioned pretty box, were a 5 megapixel camera – pretty much standard these days, otherthan the fact that the LG Viewty Snap has an Auto Focus Camera. So, impressed already.

First thing we wanted to do was charge the phone. Why on earth are we telling you this? Well, either we were being thick or it wasn’t intuitive. We were pulling and sliding the back of the LG for ways to access the power connector, and then realised it was on the side! Anyway, charging was quick and allowed us to get to using the LG pretty quick.

The LG GM360 Viewty Snap is also known as the LG Bali. Right, why so many names LG? Is it the Viewty Snap, the GM360 or the Bali – whatever, the LG Viewty Snap is a stylish touch screen phone complete with an assortment of user friendly entertainment & communication features. It feels good in the hand, solid and of good quality, which is perhaps no surprise as it follows on from the familiar LG Viewty range.

The LG GM360 supports a S Class touch user interface & comes with a built in camera, music player, video player, Internet access & supports WiFi technology. So whilst this doesn’t make it the most unique phone on the market, it does mean its one of the top end premium phones.

Appearance & Size

The GM360 is solidly designed and comes in either a black or silver. It has a large three inch touch screen which dominates the front view of the casing, exactly as you want from a touch screen phone. You will find two call keys and a home key placed conveniently below the touch screen on the front section of the phone. On the back of the casing is the camera lens which is built neatly into the casing. Its touch screen displays a colour display with a screen resolution of 240 pixels by 400 pixels. The overall shape & size of the casing provides a well proportioned mobile phone which is ideal for both carry purposes & when the phone is in use.

The LG GM360 Viewty Snap weighs ninety five grams with the battery installed and measures 1.2cm deep by 10.9cm tall by 5.29cm wide, which is a lovely size to fit in the palm of your hand. The casing has smooth edges although the overall shape of the casing is distinctly rectangular in form giving the Viewty Snap a solid looking appearance.

Media &amp: Entertainment

Although mobile phones are primarily designed for communication needs, most users these days want more, especially with regard to entertainment. The Viewty Snap comes with a wide variety to entertain the user on the move. There is a video playing feature which allows the user to play videos in many formats including MPEG4, H264, H263 & WMV, plus the user can share their videos with others using the connectivity options available or via the messaging services. The user can play & listen to their favourite music by accessing the built in music player or by using the radio feature on the Viewty Snap. Its music playing feature supports easy to control music selection functions, & the user can listen to their music in MP3, eAAC+ & WMA formats.

The rear facing camera lens is a 5 megapixel camera complete with a variety of user friendly capturing features which include a zoom function, automatic focus feature & a built in flash. The user can capture still photos using the camera lens plus record moving video footage.

Communication

The LG GM360 Viewty Snap has an integrated phone book which can hold up to one thousand contacts & this phone book allows the user to access their contacts details instantly plus the user can make calls & send messages from their contacts details. There is a photo caller identification feature which allows the user to add a picture or photo to their frequently used contacts, so therefore the assigned picture or photo will be displays when the contacts is called or calls on the handset. The user can share their photos & video via the MMS messaging service, which is an easy message to create plus it can contain media such as a video, sound, music or photo complete with text.

The Viewty Snap comes with a push emails service allowing the user to receive emails directly to their mobile phone. A SMS messaging service supports predictive text for high speed text entry & the user can share messages containing text with symbols to other SMS compatible contacts. The LG GM360 Viewty Snap comes with a vibration alert which causes the handset to gently vibrate when a new message or call comes in.

Technology & Internet

There is a WAP Internet browser which is accessed via the phones main menu which allows the user to access the World Wide Web on their mobile phone. The user can enjoy communicating with others via the social network sites plus the LG Viewty Snap supports social network integration for easy access to popular sites such as Facebook. The LG GM360 Viewty Snap supports WiFi connectivity allowing the user to connect their phone to a nearby hotspot or wireless LAN to access the Internet without using cables. This phone works over quad band GSM networks & will automatically switch between network bands.

There is a built in document viewer allowing the user to view documents in popular Microsoft® formats as well as PDF format files. The user can expand their phones memory capabilities by inserting a MicroSD™ memory card if required, & the Viewty Snap can hold up to sixteen gigabytes of external memory. Connecting to other devices is a simple task as this phone supports Bluetooth® wireless technology & has a micro USB connection port, so therefore the user can choose the best possible connectivity method to suit the requirements. Its EDGE & GPRS technology provides high speed transfer rates when the user is transferring files between devices.

LG Viewty Snap Specifications

Brand:	LG
Model:	GM360
Colour:	Black, Silver
Phone Network:	EDGE, GPRS, GSM
Service:	850, 900, 1800, 1900
Bluetooth :	v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared:	No
Wi-Fi (WLAN):	No
USB:	Yes, Micro USB v2.0
Fax / Data:	Yes
Main Display:	Colour TFT touchscreen
Color Display:	256,000 colours
Resolution:	240 x 400 pixels
External Display:	No
Internal Memory:	No
External Memory:	16GB
Memory Slots:	1
Storage Types:	MicroSD, MicroSDHC
Battery:	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1000 mAh
Standby Time:	N/A
Talk Time:	N/A
Vibrate Alert:	Yes
Photo ID:	Yes
Ringtones:	MP3
Camera:	Yes
Megapixels:	5 megapixels
Maximum Photo Resolution:	2592 x 1944 pixels
Digital Zoom:	Yes
Optical Zoom:	No
Auto Focus:	Yes
Flash:	Yes
Recording Video:	Yes
Second (front) Camera:	No
SMS:	Yes
MMS:	Yes
E-mail:	Yes
Internet Browsing:	Yes
FM Radio:	Yes
Java:	Yes
Audio Player:	eAAC, MP3, WMA
Video Player:	H263, H264, MP4, WMV
Add Ringtones Function:	Yes
Organiser:	Organiser, Voice memo, Document viewer
Video Call:	No
Other Features:	S-Class Touch UI, Social networking integration, Downloadable games, Accelerometer auto rotate
Weight:	3.4 oz
Dimensions (H x W x D):	4.3 x 2.1 x 0.5 inch

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