Wednesday, August 06, 2008

A Vu to an iPhone Kill

Every cell phone company is gunning for the Apple iPhone 3G. I guess that tells you who's on top. If an iPhone is truly what you crave, you'll probably be dissatisfied with everything else. But if what you want is something a lot like an iPhone with a little something extra, you should take a look at the LG Vu smartphone.

OK. I'll let one cat out of the bag. One little something extra is live TV. The LG Vu CU920 supports AT&Ts MEdia FLO live TV service. No, this isn't YouTube or IP TV. It's a private over the air broadcasting system that delivers subscription digital TV channels to cellphones specially equipped with the extra circuitry and antenna to receive them.

AT&T Mobile TV is currently offering two add-on service plans. The Mobile TV Basic offers 8 channels including FOX Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC, NBC News, Comedy Central, MTV Nickelodeon & ESPN.

Mobile TV Plus offers all the basic channels plus two more, Sony Pictures and CNN Mobile. Plus you get unlimited mobile Web browsing with MEdia Net and other data usage.

You should know that AT&T Mobile TV coverage is available in many major cities, but not nearly as widespread as cellular coverage. Be sure to check the city list and coverage map (found on the order pages) if you are planning to subscribe to this service.

Live TV is just one of the features that make the LG Vu "view" phone a multimedia powerhouse. The case is a gorgeous black with a huge 3" touchscreen to give you that "big picture" experience. You navigate by using your fingers rather than a stylus. There's a QWERTY keyboard included, but don't try prying the phone apart to get at it. This is a virtual keyboard that appears on-screen when you want to type. You'll have full HTML Web access, along with email and messaging.

There's also a 2.0 Megapixel digital camera that can be used to capture high resolution photos or used as a camcorder for video capture. Here's another extra. With this camera you can talk and send video at the same time. Show your family and friends what you seeing in real time from wherever you happen to be. They'll also need a compatible phone and you both need to be subscribed to the video share service.

What are the hottest cell phone deals available right now, including free cell phones? Use the Cell Phone Plan Finder to check out the top phones and associated wireless service plans.



Follow Telexplainer on Twitter