Even at first glance, it was easy to tell that LG Electronics’ AKA is not just a dumbed-down version of one of LG’s high-end models.
With its glossy case and animated eyes, the AKA is aimed at younger consumers who want to stand out.
To open the phone, you have to tap on the exposed part of the screen twice, after which a set of eyes appear. It feels a bit odd, and even creepy at first, but before long I become attached to the googly, playful eyes.
The phone comes with four covors ― white, yellow, blue and pink ― each with its own persona.
The yellow cover, called Eggy, is prone to falling in love. Soul is the blue case, and has a tendency to become emotional, while the pink cover, Yoyo, loves to eat.
I had the chance to check out Wooky ― the white cover ― which, according to the manual, is an “ill-tempered prankster.”
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LG’s AKA |
For instance, try covering its eyes, and he will go ballistic, with his eyes lighting up with fire. Cover Wooky’s eyes again, and he will giggle like a little boy.
The characteristics of Wooky, Eggy, Soul and Yoyo have their own ringtones, alert sounds, and background images.
To try out a new persona, simply change the cover.
What’s inside?
Hardware-wise, the AKA has 1.5 GB of RAM and a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor that run most applications smoothly.
Since my Wooky was running on LG Uplus, I tried out apps specifically tailored for network subscribers.
The live TV streaming service U+HDTV and music streaming app Mnet were easy-to-use services brimming with a slew of video and music content.
For a 9,000 won monthly fee, you get to enjoy all the K-pop shows, including the “K-Pop Star” singing contest on demand or live-streaming, currently being aired on Korea’s three major TV channels and other cables networks. The U+HDTV also contains a myriad of flicks, including classic movies or blockbusters like Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
There were no notable glitches when I was watching videos and listening to music, but in the middle of role-playing game “Dragon Guard,” the app lagged a bit and stopped several times when multiple tasks were being processed. This may, however, have happened because the server was overloaded.
The display ― a 5-inch, 1280 x 720 high-definition screen ― delivered crisp and vivid images. And despite the relatively low resolution of the rear-facing camera, the overall picture quality was surprisingly satisfactory. The one miss was that it does not support the optical image stabilization functions featured in the high-end LG smartphones such as the G3.
At the end of the trial run, I still thought the AKA was the weirdest-looking phone ever, but also came to see Wooky as a buddy and a pal.
One thing is for sure ― this fun gadget is a one-of-a-kind phone that will be perfect under the Christmas tree.
The AKA is priced at 528,000 won, not counting carrier discounts.
By Kim Young-won (
wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
