Hands-on With AT&T's LG VU Multimedia Phone (AT&T Mobile TV is No Joke) [Cellphones]
The AT&T LG VU is the latest multimedia, touchscreen phone on the floor at CTIA, offering haptic touchscreen feedback, mobile tv and an intuitive user interface. While the presentation of the hardware and software is beautiful, and the AT&T's MediaFlo-powered Mobile TV service is pretty slick, the lack of power in the web browser and sub-menu interfaces don't quite compare to comparable options (cough...iPHONE...cough).
The selling point of the VU the Mobile TV service, and its implementation of the VU was top notch. Mobile TV is a true mobile tv service and a step up from AT&T's old CV service. The homescreen of the phone has an easily accessible icon at the bottom, and the entire interface is based around the VU's touchscreen. The TV screen itself has buttons for channel/up down and another that brings up a guide similar to what you'd see in a satellite or digital cable interface. The best part is that the Guide is completely touch-friendly and you can jump from channel to channel just by touching a show on the guide.
The touchscreen itself is solid for the most part. The haptic feedback lets you know when you've pressed a button, but the screen requires a firm push to get it to respond. It was especially responsive and accurate in the frontscreen menu and its subsequent interface to get to the apps. The horizontal QWERTY keyboard looks well designed, however it felt a bit cramped. I made my fair share of typos, partially because i was getting used to the feel of the keyboard, and partially because I couldn't see what letter I was pressing (no pop-up letters).
