LG KC550 review: No thrills, all camera

A line of multimedia-oriented handsets has secured LG a strong foothold in the cameraphone kingdom. LG KC550 is probably the first to join the club with only imaging in mind. A mid-range handset with top-of-the-shelf photo and video capabilities is probably what describes best the compact slider.

The LG KC550 sure lacks the Viewty power and Secret's Black Label charisma. OK, it's unassuming, but not without a talent of its own. The 5 megapixel slider strives to be the most affordable cameraphone out there with a Wide VGA@30fps video recording topping.

Those qualities have set many shutterbugs a foot with excitement as they are finally promised uncompromising cameraphone capabilities at an afordable price tag that's fit for the masses. But please, don't go throwing your digital camera just yet - let's first see what LG have for us this time.

    
Key features:
2.4" 262K-color display of QVGA resolution 
Auto screen rotation in image gallery and video player (built-in accelerometer) 
5 megapixel autofocus camera with active lens cover and Power LED flash 
720x480pixel@30fps video recording (VGA@15fps is also an option) 
USB and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) connectivity 
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (capacities up to 4GB) 
Office document viewer 
FM radio 
TV-out port 
Six games, which make use of the accelerometer and vibration feedback 
Google Search and Mail come pre-installed 
Main disadvantages:
Video recording is a great disappointment 
Only 12MB of internal memory 
Poor sunlight legibility 
Really awkward file manager 
No UMTS support 
Only tri-band GSM support 
Glossy front panel is a fingerprint magnet 
No SSL support in the native email client 
FM radio lacks RDS and cannot run in the background