LG GD910 Watch Phone review
By Vlad Savov 
posted October 16th 2009 12:24PM
posted October 16th 2009 12:24PM
What we're looking at here, in the crudest possible terms, is a style item with ringtones. That need not necessarily spell disaster, as good execution and a keen sense for that ephemeral style thing could still make it a success, but we must also set aside our preconceptions of what a modern phone is and does in order to assess the watchphone on its own merits. Our mission here will be to determine whether it succeeds at what it sets out to do or trips over its faux leather-strapped self.
Hardware
At first blush, it would be easy to dismiss the GD910 as being too big for a watch and too small to be a phone, but our time with it has revealed both conclusions to be inaccurate. While undeniably bulkier than your average watch, the watchphone's styling is akin to some of those chunky leather bracelet that hipsters seem keen on wearing and popularizing, so we'll just give it a pass there and move on. Its stay on our tender wrist was certainly no great bother, although we'll admit it was no great pleasure either. A more flexible metal strap might've been preferable.
On the phone front, if you focus in on the word phone and exclude the cornucopia of additional functions and gimmicks that manufacturers have added to modern mobiles, you'll find that this bad boy does that job pretty well too. After all, it was only this century that the Ericsson T39 and its 101 x 54 monochromatic display were considered fresh and new, so we shouldn't think of the LG's 128 x 160 resolution as being particularly limiting. Where the device shines is with the clarity and vibrancy of its display, which gave us no cause for gripes, and the responsiveness of its capacitive touchscreen, which was flawless throughout.
Construction is also reassuring, with that adjustable faux leather strap and the water resistant stainless steel case both appearing likely to last a while. You can see the entire set of physical buttons above, all pretty much self-explanatory, with the touchscreen picking up the majority of navigation duties. The trio of side-mounted keys were easily identifiable from one another, and we were thankfully spared from having to look to see what we were pressing.
You do get a speakerphone with the device, whose quality we'd place somewhere in the middle of the pack -- it's neither outstanding nor dire. It's good enough to use on a regular basis to carry out calls, and we had no problems talking with our arm in a relaxed position, as opposed to some awkward wrist-to-the-face pose. You'll still want to use a Bluetooth headset for the majority of your calls though, unless you like the idea of having everyone in your vicinity listen in on your conversations.
User Interface
The most basic expectation of any phone – which is perhaps even more applicable in this case, given the dearth of additional features – is that the user should find its interface intuitive and straightforward to use. In this department, LG hits more often than it misses, as navigation is both fluid and logical and responsiveness is also excellent. We did find, however, that the relatively small screen made accurate texting quite the challenge to pull off – trying to hit 9 and ending up pressing the delete button was an unfortunately common event for this thick-fingered reviewer. We'd put that down to simply trying to cram too many keys into the small space, as dialing numbers was a delightfully crisp and easygoing affair. On the whole, we'd say the UI does very well at the basic jobs of acting as both a watch and a phone, but shows its shortcomings when the user tries to dig deeper into the menus, with configurations and adding of contacts being slightly fiddly.
Another thing to keep in mind is that for the most part, you'll be looking at the default high-contrast black and white clock, and only two presses of the side buttons will get you to the home screen and the stylized timepiece of your choice. A small foible, to be sure, but when the entirety of your offering is characterized by the title of your product, well, both the watch and the phone have to be pretty much perfect.
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It merits noting that, even with a plethora of tasteful clock and menu design presets, the watchphone lacks an essential feature that might really have made it an object of lustful desire – customizability. We understand and to an extent prefer its simplification of the menu system, but allowing users to create and import their own watch interfaces would have given the GD910 at least a shot at creating a fan ecosystem and would have injected some added novelty down the road. Then again, perhaps LG is right in believing – as we presume – that the people this device is targeted at just want it to work straight out of the box and have little desire for tweaking options.
In terms of added functionality, you get a calendar and a memo pad, both of which are well implemented, and also a media player. Alas, with 80MB of integrated memory and no expansion options, this is as bare a multimedia feast as you're likely to find on a modern device. When you factor in the understandable lack of a headphone jack, what you're looking at is strictly a last resort for media consumption.
Je ne sais quoi
And now, to the most important aspect of the watchphone – does it feel like the sort of luxurious crossover device that can justify its extravagant price? The short and dissatisfying answer is "kinda." The long answer is that while a lot of things have been executed brilliantly and allow us a glimpse at the world of luxury, there's just not enough to make us experience the sense of operating a transcendental device. First class materials and construction are offset by questionable ergonomics and the inescapable need for a Bluetooth headset, while the generally pleasing UI falls short of perfect, which – at this uncompromising price point – it ought to have been.
Conclusion
We really like the LG watchphone. In a world unbound by the economic realities we face today, we might even recommend it with only a few minor reservations. But when you consider that the hotly anticipated HTC HD2, accompanied by its armada of apps and utilities, is going to cost less without contract in the UK, the watchphone simply cannot be justified as a reasoned purchase. Furthermore, Engadget Spanish has already handled a direct competitor from Samsung, which is heading to the Iberian peninsula this December at a more affordable €450 ($672) -- which further undermines the rationality, whatever traces there are of it, in LG's pricing.
The LG GD910 is a well executed device, whose engineers should be rightly proud. LG's accountants, on the other hand, ought to step outside and smell the recession before trying to pitch us a device at a price point as ludicrous as £500. Ultimately, the watchphone is a fun diversion and also conducts itself well when needed to sub in for your day-to-day phone, but until its price undergoes a major haircut it'll remain difficult, bordering on impossible, to recommend.
Nothing stays on me longer then my watch. I wear it from the moment I leave the house to the moment I go to bed. I just hope in 10-20 years there isn't a surge in wrist cancer. :)
Man, that's one ugly watch.
I think that the novelty of the idea is fine and all, but personally, it seems a little outdated. To me, the target market here would be a business person who doesnt need/want all the extras smartphones have to offer, or are just technologically challenged. The watch and a simple bluetooth would keep there pockets and hands free to do whatever makes their simple little selves happy, plus give them the added boost that they are keeping up with the rest of society with a "cutting edge" device. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the majority of these challenged individuals have resigned themselves to the demands of society and learned what little they could about smartphones and are now doing there best to frustratingly manage "the beast" on a daily basis.
I love watches, and am sad that cell phones are killing them off, but still, I like a big-screened smartphone, and a smaller watch.
I actually prefer it simply as a watch rather than any sort of phone. Just drop the obnoxiously large border.
1) Copy iphones keyboard where it shows a magnified view of what you're touching.
2) MicroSD slot
3) More options, apps, etc
No thanks. I'll stick to my $49 iphone3g
You do that. We'll continue neither caring about your phone, nor how much it cost.
I bought a watchphone last year off eBay for $150. It was as ugly as sin, thicker than the LG, and used a resistive touchscreen (stylus!). Other than that it was similar featurewise. The speaker was tinny and call quality was average at best - space is extremely limited. I could use it in the car while my hands were on the wheel, which was nice. While it had novelty value, that faded away quickly when I realized how impractical it was. I used T-Mobile service with it and it was routinely having difficulty picking up a signal compared to regular phones. Then a few drops of beverage were spilled on it, shorting out the speaker. Now it sits in a drawer.
Aaaugh, I want video calls already. To the rest of the US carriers, stop telling the manufacturers to butcher their phones and leave the front-facing camera in there! If not for video calls, at least let me look at myself when I do a video blog, instead of guessing whether or not my big head is cut off at the top of the screen.
If you leave the technology there, I'm sure people will find a way to implement it, even if it's not official.
Nokia E71 (not AT&T X) and Qik FTW!
Definitely a gadget to "Watch" out!
Why on earth would anyone want to wear a cell phone on your wrist??
Here is what I want: a watch with Bluetooth that pairs with my phone in my pocket and does caller ID and the first few lines of a txt message. If my phone rang and it was someone I wanted to talk to I could either use a Bluetooth headset or get my phone out of my pocket.
Presumably that would cut down on the size since it wouldn't need the cellular radio and beefier processor and memory. If they could fit that into a watch that is normal sized I would get it.
I have a bluetooth wrist thingy from China that vibrates and shows caller ID when I get a call.
You can find them at any of the import sites...
http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/bluetooth-bracelet-with-vibration-and-lcd-display/
Here: http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/28/sony-ericssons-mbw-100-bluetooth-watch-reviewed/
Let us recall the first cell phones. The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was a freaking log to carry around. I remember seeing my uncle with his Motorola DynaTAC 8000X for the first time. At the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Now we laugh at it. It seems some technophiles have become perhaps a wee bit jaded. Watchphones will get smaller,smarter,faster, and better in ways I'm sure we can't imagine. The first improvement, as Magallanes has stated, would be waterproofing. The first time you get stuck outside in the rain with no cover, that puppy is toast. Maybe someday, we will all have our smart devices implanted in our brains for phone,internet, ect.,ect. Then we will all laugh at the era when we communicated using devices carried outside of our bodies.
GO GO GADGET WATCHPHONE!
It says it's water resistant in the review...
Oh Man Great Phone .. Great review ... like i am really fond of collecting this kind of stuff ... i am gonna purchase this watch cum phone soon and it looks really cool ....i really like it alot Man ....
The videos in this review are the worst I have ever seen on engadget. It's more like Mr.Blurry cam
Lack of memory expansion is the biggest deal killer for me (that and the fact that I don't normally wear a watch and don't really like have things on my wrist).
Where can i find the song "Flying High" by the Real Group. Google didnt help me
Use iTunes instead!
Water resistant and water proof are very different things indeed. The use of the terms "water resistant" and "water proof" are very tightly regulated. However, "water resistant" electronics can still get ruined even when they are used within the devices specification, since the margins that "water resistant" specify usually are not entirely accurate.
Ok, I looked through all the comments and read the review, but I'm still un sure how u charge this thing. And if it a diffrent process other then having a plug then it should be part of the review!! I saw the pics in the gallery but that doesn't explain anything.
I wouldn't mind paying €800 for a phone watch, it doesn't have to look fancy. But it should come with a retractable lid carrying a speaker so I can hold my hand to my ear to listen instead of having to carry a BT headset. The whole purpose of having a phone watch is not to loose or forget your phone. If a headset is needed to make and receive calls there is no added value for me.
Well, it starts from 1 zł (around £0,20) in Polish Orange...
Is it worth that??
I love how it's so god dam shinny that the camera actually focuses of it's OWN reflection. Has any one tried to use it outdoors yet?
When will someone come out with a decent looking Watch Phone minus the phone? I want a watch that basically runs widgets and that's it. I already have an iPhone, I don't need to wear it on my wrist. I'm not allowed to use a phone in school anyway.
I don't care, I'd buy this phone as fast as I could just to crack it open and see what else could be done with it. Just the idea of a real watchphone is just too cool for me to pass up.
For those of us who have been using the Chinese-made
V2 for a couple of years, nothing about the LG is a big
surprise, although certainly the construction looks nice.
The problem with watch phones, I have found, is that
although you would want to use the Bluetooth with it,
you're still fiddling with your arm when you answer calls,
which attracts all kinds of interesting attention and questions
(not that this is always a bad thing).
In the end, I stopped using my V2 because the reception
and incoming call performance was just not up to where
it needs to be. I understand both the LG and Samsung
don't have this problem.
Summing it up, if you're a gadget addict and are going
to get a watch phone, well -- you're going to get a
watch phone!
Could you please make a CALL with the PHONE in the next review? Thanks ;-)
Seriously, maybe show yourself making calls in different environments, without the bluetooth headset.
u listen to sh1tty music - good god - check if u have balls
Try watching it again - the review suggests the music came with it.
t-mobile is beta testing this phone right now.
OMG!!! This phone reminded me of when I had a Siemens SL55 through AT&T. For a phone it was pretty friggin small and a slider. I quickly took a wristband and some velcro and turned it into a ghetto watch phone. Most people actually liked it as far as the general idea.
1. Miniaturize the iPhone.
2. Call it the iWatch.
3. ????
4. Profit!
watch phones are so old..it's just that this is on a 3G network..we had watchphones back in 2005 if I remember correctly.