LG KF700

Expected March 2008 onwards
13th February 2008

Touchscreen phones are all the rage, since the introduction of the iPhone. The LG KF700 is LG's attempt to beat the iPhone at its own game.

Featuring a large 3" 240 x 480 pixel touchscreen, the LG KF700 does bear a certain similarity to the iPhone, but this handset also comes with a standard numeric keypad and a jog wheel control, giving three different ways to control the phone. The screen can be used in either portrait (tall) or landscape (wide) orientations.

It's an HSDPA capable 3.5G device with up to 7.2 Mbps download speed, but the LG KF700 does not support WiFi. As you might expect, the KF700 has Bluetooth and microSD expandable memory. On the back is a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash. There is a secondary camera for video calling.

LG say that the KF700's interface has been designed for ease of use. The large touchscreen gives haptic feedback when something is pressed, and LG have tried to make it easy to get to the handset's more advanced functions. However, the feedback from people who have actually tried the device is not so positive, and overall the KF700 seems to lack the flair and polish of the iPhone.

While many other manufacturers have chosen to release handsets with GPS, WiFi and smartphone functions, the LG KF700 has none of these features. It seems pretty clear that there are a lot of devices on the market with more to offer, either in terms of features or looks.

Still, if you're looking for something with a large screen for web browsing, don't want WiFi and are looking for a reasonably decent camera, then the KF700 might be the sort of thing you might want. LG say that it should be available from March onwards in Europe, with other regions in the months following.