LG
6190

The LG 6190 was the first commercial phone with a Fastap text keypad. It was launched exclusively in Canada by wireless carrier Telus Mobility and 65,000 units were manufactured. This was the defining feature of the device and was designed to make it faster and easier to enter text via the keyboard. The design saw each standard numeric button on the phone flanked on its four corners with one of 26 black letter keys which were lit by a blue backlight. These were laid out in alphabetical order rather than in a qwerty format. The partnership to develop this unique design was first announced at the CTIA tradeshow in March 2004. Fastap was a technology developed by Digit Wireless. The LG 6190 phone was awarded the CDMA Development Group's Industry Achievement Award in September 2005. A Telus Mobility client survey found that those who bought the Fastap phone sent 120 per cent more text messages than those with other types of phones. The 6190 featured a 0.3 megapixel camera. At its highest resolution of 640 x 480 it could store about 60 pictures. At the time, many phone makers placed a small mirror by the camera to help users take selfie pictures. On the 6190 a thumbnail of the viewfinder was displayed on the external monochrome screen, however the detail was so poor it was of little use. The 6190 was a 1X Dual Band Tri-mode - 1.9 GHz/800 MHz CDMA/800 MHz AMPS device. Other features included voice dialling, speakerphone, and 32-chord polyphonic ringtones.