Look, it's a watch phone. A watch that's a phone! We couldn't help coming over a bit James Bond when we slipped on the LG Watch Phone. It's a secret agent toy straight from Q's lab – just crying out for a laser button for bringing down an evil genius or two. It also has an MI5 price tag of £500. If you think that's expensive, LG were originally planning to charge twice that price. Is it worth the money? Let's find out.

Style and handling on the LG Watch Phone GD910

We're happy to report that Bond would want to wear this with his tuxedo – it's really rather stylish. It's certainly a chunky watch, but we've seen bigger. It doesn't feel heavy and look too big – we suspect that it's quite fashionable – and a nice, expensive-looking leather strap completes the stylish package.

The design itself is certainly minimalist, with just three buttons on the right – call, call end and cancel/back. They're necessarily small, so to press them you need to hold both sides of the phone. Watch. Phone. Everything else is controlled using the 1.43-inch touch-screen display. Because of its diminutive size, we were worried about losing control of the screen, but were relieved to find it's pretty accurate and very responsive. It's obviously not a phone for furious texting but the results are pleasing nevertheless.

 

LG Watch Phone GD910, five home screens

The GD910 has five displays, one of which is a clock face. Unfortunately the screen dims when you're not actively using the phone, presumably to save power. So while you can just about make out the time in daylight, at other times you need to nudge the phone awake by pressing one of the hard keys. You move between displays easily by scrolling up and down.

You can, if you wish, get a vibrating alert as well as a ringtone or message alert. It's rather alarming when your wrist suddenly buzzes, but you'll never miss a call. Not recommended for the easily startled.

Unsurprising, the LG Watch Phone is not feature packed, but it does have the basics including an organiser, a calendar, a calculator and a converter. There's also a competent MP3 player, which you can enjoy through a Bluetooth headset. There's only an 80MB memory, though, so you have to choose your music wisely.

There's no internet browser on the GD910, but you do have access to Orange Plus, a service that basically provides you with information on request. Topics include news, sports and a daily horoscope, and the information is sent as a text message.

 

Video calling on the  LG Watch Phone GD910

Even though there's no internet, the Watch Phone does feature HSDPA data speeds, and this is why: On the face of the  phone, just above the screen, there's a camera for taking photos as well as making video calls. Don't get too excited – it's not a super spy camera, just a basic VGA. And with no way of previewing your photo, you have to just point your wrist at your subject and hope for the best. More often than not this doesn't work at all.

Nor is video calling as exciting as Bond movies would have you believe. It's never become popular in the UK, and the GD910 is unlikely to change that state of affairs. Although the screen easily accommodates pictures of both you and the person you're speaking to, but the VGA quality isn't doesn't make for a good picture. Besides, not many people would want to be out in public holding a conversation with their watch.

 

User friendliness for LG Watch Phone GD910

It's the “talking to your watch” scenario that's the main issue with the LG Watch Phone. Sure, it's fun while you're at home on your own or with friends, but out in the big wide world you'd likely feel rather ridiculous. Not to mention being exposed to public ridicule. And without the Bluetooth headset, all passers by will be able to hear your conversation.

Thanks goodness, then for that Bluetooth connectivity – you can have conversations in relative privacy, listen to your music comfortably and unobtrusively and avoid looking like a fool. There's no bundled headset, so you'll need to provide your own, but we tried a range of headsets with the GD910 and they all paired up easily.

 

The verdict on LG Watch Phone GD910

Well, the it's certainly different. Our inner child thinks thinks the LG Watch Phone GD910 is the best invention ever, and our outer grown-up is pretty excited too. Of course, being adults, we do have a sense of decorum, and being seen talking at our wrist in the street is not a prospect that sits well. But we're always behind technological innovation, and the Bluetooth headset makes you respectable, at least. Besides, if you really want a this piece of kit, you can overlook its flaws for a chance to play in MI5's toybox.