LG shows Android's low-end smartphone promis

"My test of an LG Optimus One smartphone began inauspiciously with a combination of consternation and revulsion at its keyboard. But after two months using it as my primary phone, I wound up with a much more favorable impression of it and the prospects for Android on lower-end phones.

"The Optimus One's dismal keyboard is a touch-screen version of the numeric keypad so poorly adapted to typing letters. It reflects LG's effort to cater to new arrivals in the world of smartphones. As I see it, the sooner they fumble through the settings to switch to a more useful Qwerty keyboard, the sooner they can start getting a taste of a real smartphone.

"For the full smartphone meal, alas, a higher-end model is really the way to go. But for the basics of Android--e-mail, Web surfing, a few games, driving navigation, texting--it's fine."

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