LG Fathom

Dominating the Fathom's front is a 3.2-inch resistive touch screen with a WVGA 800x480-pixel resolution. We are disappointed that LG didn't opt to use a capacitive display on the Fathom, as the resistive screen just isn't as smooth and responsive as we would like. However, you can go through an alignment wizard that helps improve the accuracy of your taps, and a resistive display does allow for a stylus.

The display looks really good. It displays vibrant and colorful graphics, and text is crisp and legible as well. You can adjust the backlight, and there's a built-in accelerometer so that the screen orientation changes as you rotate the phone. You also have the option to turn the accelerometer off.

As it's a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone, you get the simplified Home screen and honeycomb style main menu, and you can also tap the system information bar at the top to tab through open applications. Unlike the LG Expo, you won't get a custom LG S-class interface here; just the standard Windows Mobile 6.5 interface for the most part.

The one unique interface feature is the gesture shortcut area on the standby lock screen. You can just "draw" a particular letter, and the Fathom will launch the appropriate application automatically. For example, if you draw the letter i, Internet Explorer will open, and if you draw the letter n, the Notes application will open. This works as a quick shortcut, but we did wish we had more control over which gestures mapped to which applications.

Underneath the display are the Talk, Main Menu, and End keys. The 3.5mm headset jack, volume rocker, and charger jack are on the left spine, and the microSD card slot, task manager key, and camera key are on the right. On the top of the phone is the Power/Lock key. On the back is the camera lens along with a slot for a removable stylus. 

Design                                                                                                                                                      

With a full touch-screen display and a sliding QWERTY keyboard, the LG Fathom has a design similar to its Android cousin, the LG Ally. The phone measures 4.5 inches long by 2.2 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick; it's all black and a bit blockier than the Ally, with a more bricklike aesthetic. It weighs 5.4 ounces, which contributes to its solid feel in the hand. The stone texture on the front bezel is a nice touch.