LG Fathom

“You’ve heard of the saying “timing is everything”, and in the case of the LG Fathom VS750, timing is against it. Windows Mobile smartphones are no longer the only game in town, as we now have Android and webOS. Furthermore, Windows Phone 7 devices are on the horizon, so die-hard WinMo fans are waiting to see what that will bring. At this point, we can only see someone buying the LG Fathom VS750 if they absolutely must have a Windows Mobile device right now that has a QWERTY keyboard and also includes global roaming capabilities.”

“All in all, we have to say that LG is on the mark with its first Verizon smartphone (even if it's a rather boring mark). Of course, with the entire world (or at least a certain specialist segment that we cater to) counting down to Windows Phone 7, and with amazing things coming from the Android community every day, the whole WinMo thing feels a bit like a throwback. And at $150 (with $100 rebate and two year contract) we think the companies are hitting a little high. Still, this is a solid outing and a solid device -- let's hope that it's the first of many for the pair.”

“Worst of all, the touchscreen problems I found on the LG Fathom are a dealbreaker. Windows Mobile 6.5.3 is designed to be more touch friendly, but on the Fathom, the touchable features, like the new on screen buttons and the swiping system menus, were rendered nearly useless by a screen that wouldn't react properly without a stylus in hand, and even then was unreliable. The touchscreen is such a fundamental part of the Fathom experience that I can't imagine dealing with the frustration of using this phone as my primary device, so I could never recommend it.”