Yesterday I popped into my local store and got myself an LG Viewty KU990, largely seen as the successor to the Prada device, which also a Flash UI. The phone is marketed as a camera phone with support for up to ISO800, how it also support H.264 video at 120fps! Roll on the slow motion clips…
LG have clearly seen the benefit in using Flash for their UI layer and the effort shows. The big difference between this device and others using Flash is that it sports a touch screen as the primary interface. It’s very hard at this time to be 100% accurate about which features have been done using native code. My guess is that the whole UI is in Flash with possibly Java or the native OS hooked in to support the text entry engines and video overlay capabilities.
Another important feature on the device is the ability to run your own content! I’ve discovered the ‘My Stuff’ folder that lists Flash content, so to answer Nick’s question yes you can run your own content. I’m currently trying to find out but I’m pretty sure its Flash Lite 2.1.
The camera results are awesome, you can see in the photos below (click to enlarge) of my back garden. Unfortunately there were no squirrels out there today so they are a little dull 
Here is a link to a great video showing the features of the phone, note the different input methods of landscape/portrait keyboard and handwriting recognition. I have to admit that I’ve found the handwriting recognition to be pretty inaccurate so far, which isn’t unexpected as most are. Typing on the keyboard in either mode works perfectly.
The salesperson told me that these devices are selling extremely well based on heavy marketing by operators that expected the iphone to be extremely successful here in the UK. This has resulted in some shops running out of stock and their supply chain having to route around more units to cope with the demand.
If I had to list one problem that’s got to be the lack of support for my new shiny macbook. I can’t even seem to send files to Leopard which is a pain, although using windows didn’t like it either
For anyone interested … here are some youtube videos the device:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=LG+Viewty+KU990+
and a decent review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAjQUVwdmag
… first time I saw the device … I thought it WAS a camera (until I saw the reverse side of it).
Does it support the playback of swf files? Or is it just UI?
Hey Nick, the answer is definitely yes. Unlike the Prada, LG have enabled the ability to run Flash content. How exactly you build the content for the touch screen I’m not sure, I’ll try to find out.
ah nice! Thats a key move. Would be good to checkout performance, player version etc. I remeber checking out the LG shine a few months back and you could use swfs for wallpaper but it was so locked down that it was impossible to get a swf onto the phone. Bluetooth, http, etc all failed if it was a swf file!
Hi Mark,
I’m very interested to know if this device supports Flash as a browser plugin and / or supported download format. I nearly bought one myself yesterday, but the salesman shot himself in the foot by heavily trying to sell me an extended warranty I didn’t want.
If you get one sec, could you take a quick look at m.playyoo.com and see if you can access the games ? (click on “play”). Unless WURFL knows about the LG, you might also have to politely insist that it DOES support Flash Lite
Thanks
David
Hi David,
I did have to make that ’suggestion’ and the answer is that the content on playyoo is above 70kb.
The LG device supports up to three pieces of FL2.0 content running within a browser at 70kb. This is very likely derived from some testing of the limitations of their port and the amount of RAM available.
Thanks Mark - 70kb ? Wow. That’s pretty small. Even something like the SE W810 does better than that. We have some content under 70kb, but not much.
Pity. Hopefully they’ll do better on the next iteration
Hwy there people. I hope you can help me.
Everytime I use the Viewty to visit a website to watch videos,
I get the message I need the Flash player. Reading your anwsers I hope
I understand correctly by trying to install flash lite 2.1. on it.
Or do I need to look for this ‘flash-plugin’?? PLease help me, cause it would make me enjoy this phone even more =).
Thanks.
Hi Bas,
Video sites tend to use Flash 8 for the desktop, it is currently only possible to view those site with Flash Lite 3.
Flash Lite 3 is available for the latest devices such as Nokia N95 8Gb, Chumby and Sony Mylo 2.
hey ive had the veiwty for 5 months and i think its amazing however everytime i go to youtube it says that i have no flashplayer or have an older version can you give me a website to download it on to my phone thanks
Hi
Does it support flash lite as a wallpaper or as a screen saver
Hello,
Same issue with Flash Player, I (and maybe some others) would really appreciate to have some help from some viewty gurus…
How can we update “easily” the version of the Flash Player on the viewty.
Many thanks in advance….
Hi,
The Viewty is not an open platform, there is no way to update the player.
This is common on mobile platforms, the only truly open operating systems in the market are Symbian used by Nokia S60, Sony Ericsson and some Motorola devices, and of course Windows Mobile.
Brew and iPhone are not considered open because you cannot readily create and distribute your software without the support of another company. In some cases this is quite fair because the operator or manufacturer wants to reduce the amount of support calls. In some other cases its simply due to business decisions.
Android promises to be fully open, the whole software stack is open source. Even then it is somewhat unclear what operators or manufacturers will do to the platform to make it ’safe’ for users. It’s also unclear if as a developer you can get your application onto an Android phone all by yourself.
just got this phone today… loving the touchscreen and interested in exploring the flash support - that’s such a cool thing…..
my only downside about it at the moment is it’s connection - one minute I can connect it to the PC the next I can’t - even if I have done nothing to the phone or usb wire in between, that’s a very arrrrg thing. other than that - lovin it
new lg user, always used nokia. my last phone was the n73. love this phone and its features. no real problems. just a couple of annoying things. same flash problems. any news if a version of FL3 is goin to be compatible with the viewty and how do you download it. 2. i can’seem to alter my home page and when viewing images on a site larger than the screen i can’see if there is a way of making the image fit on the screen. CAN YOU HELP THIS NOVICE OUT PLEASE. p.s. this post was input using the web on the phone so love this bit. i would reccommend this bit phone to anyone.
Heya,am i right in saying that the phone can only accomodate swf files under 70kb? do they have to be specific for the viewty. in which case, does anybody know any sites where i can get such swf files? or infact any WORKING third party applications for the viewty
i did use it last time, it looks very nice but is not useful like the windows based mobile phones.