» Price: Price unavailable » Available: Launching in the third quarter this year/span>
Wow factor: Wear it on your wrist
THIS one is aimed at the geeks, but most other consumers would find this touch watch phone cool too.
The likes of Dick Tracy and James Bond have had such fangled gizmos in movies and comics but this LG device is quite the real thing.
With three buttons on the side - Answer, Reject and Back, the touchscreen device allows for simple navigation across its coloured menu. When a call comes through, the phone either rings or vibrates.
Alas, LG declined to allow a test of the voice capabilities, citing that the device was still in testing phase But it did show off the camera's cunning.
When worn on the wrist, users need to hold it away from the body, to align the camera to match the face for video calls. This way, users can see their face onscreen, as well as see the caller in a video call.
The video image was relatively clear, without any dark shadows, and there was no lag in the image as I moved my face or my wrist.
The LG representative said that taking calls in a quiet place is not a problem: Just speak at your normal decibel, and the audio will be picked up by the phone's receivers.
In crowded rooms and during calls where you need privacy, a connected Bluetooth receiver will be necessary.
Texting is also a bummer: The screen allows for only one line of text to be displayed.
Replying to messages could also be clumsy - users will probably have to deal with one finger tapping on the screen while scrolling all the way to read what they composed.
Reading messages received would be easier though - the text scrolls horizontally across the watch face.
Clearly targeted at the business consumer, who wants style sass with the latest smarts, LG should time its release with the year-end holiday gift-giving period.
This story was first published in The Straits Times, Digital Life.
