ONCE again, a tiny, slim phone falls into my grubby little hands. The KG320 is extremely flat save for a slight bump which is the camera cover.  

This makes the phone easy to store even in the smallest handbag and you will still have space for anything else you might want to carry around like your wallet or PDA.  

Normally, slim phones are my cup of tea but this phone was just a bit of a hassle to use. The alphanumeric keys and function keys are really flat unlike other phones where the keys are slightly raised. 

Extra effort is needed to press these keys and it can be a real nightmare for weird people like me who do not use T9 input. Even if you use T9 it is still a chore to type SMS messages but it keeps the suffering period shorter. 

LG KG320

And it is difficult to key in numbers because you cannot just hold down the button to make numbers appear like in most phones.  

So, if you're the type that loves to use short forms such "l8" for late or "2day" for today, then you'll have to keep tapping until a number appears.  

Also, it is bad enough that the keys are hard to press but the phone is also not very responsive.  

Friendly UI 

The user interface on this phone is really easy to use. There are two options for getting from one function to another. You can select the function using the navigational key or press the number that corresponds to a function. 

Using the navigational key means you need to press the middle key to execute the function but by pressing the numbers, a menu list within that function will immediately appear.  

It is great to have different methods to do one task is it not? 

LG built the phone to have the same look and feel of a compact camera. So, just slide the lens cover and snap away. When taking landscape shots, just turn the phone sideways and press the button on the top.  

For portraits, just aim and press the middle button.  

Although it is a low-resolution camera, it takes good pictures and is great for casual photography. 

The video camera, on the other hand, is a tad user-unfriendly. There's a slight glitch when zooming in and out and this results in jerky videos.  

Neat and light 

Now that I've finally gotten the awful aspects of the interface out of my system, I'll tell you how this phone can be a gem. 

It is a light, small and slips nicely into any handbag. It wouldn't be nice to ruin that glamorous evening gown with a bulky bag would it? 

The phone also has a generous 128MB internal memory but because it does not have an expansion slot, you have to live with just that.  

However, other phones without an expansion slot usually only have about 80MB of internal storage, so maybe 128MB is not that bad after all. I also like the minimalist, uncluttered design of the phone. The alphanumeric buttons are arranged neatly and there are only two buttons on the side. 

However, I feel the price of this phone is a little exorbitant because it doesn't match the functions it has. Sure, phones with Bluetooth connectivity are usually sold for more than RM1,000 but only if it had a lot of other features as well.  

Overall, the LG KG320 is a stylish phone that is good to be seen with.  

Pros: Small; generous internal memory, minimalist design. 

Cons: Not responsive; tedious to text; overpriced.