The LG KT770 is a sliding Symbian phone, an unusual addition to LG's range which usually avoids smartphones like this.The very low-key launch of the KT770 is frustrating - we have some specifications, one photo and not much more to go on. One of their previous Symbian phones, the KT610 was let down by a lack of commitment from LG, and we are concerned that this interesting phone might meet the same fate.

This is an "N95 class" device with a 2.8" 240 x 400 pixel display, GPS, WiFi, 3.5G support and a 5 megapixel digital camera, all wrapped up in an elegant looking slider format.

The 400 pixel wide display is useful for web browsing or navigating when the KT770 is turned on its side. Most Nokias can only manage 320 pixels, so the KT770 has the advantage here.

The 5 megapixel camera has facial recognition, smile shot and a panoramic function, it looks like it has a flash too and we are guessing that it has autofocus. The KT770 can geotag photos using the pre-installed locr application.he GPS can be used with Ovi Maps, or there is a free 15 day trial of Navigon. Presumably, you can also use the KT770 with Google Maps.

Other included software includes a Facebook application, a Fring client for VOIP and instant messaging and a version of QuickOffice so that users can work with Office documents. There's a multimedia player, but no mention of an FM radio.This is a dual-band UMTS device with HSDPA, plus quad-band GSM. Maximum download speed is 7.2Mbps, and there are two different versions of the handset with different RF band support. Internal memory is either 1GB or 2GB, expandable to 16GB using a microSD card. Battery life is unknown, but we think that the include 950 mAh battery will probably offer only a couple of hours talktime on 3G.

This is a pretty cool looking phone and a competent rival to the Nokia N96 and Samsung i8510. We can only hope that LG give this phone the attention it deserves.