LG’s arsenal of smartphones from last year includes the Fathom which runs on Windows Mobile 6.5.3. Released for Verizon Wireless, it is one of the handsets that have dual-mode GSM/CDMA chipsets. When it came out it was available for $149.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

The device measures 4.5 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches and tips the scales at 5.4 ounces, which makes it feel very solid when you hold it in your hands. The front of the Fathom is dominated by the 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen display that has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA). Since we are dealing with a resistive unit, it is less responsive and smooth as a capacitive display, but even so it should provide a pretty smooth user experience. The screen looks excellent and manages to display colorful and vibrant graphics, while the text is crisp and very legible.

Underneath this display are the Talk, Main Menu and End keys, while on the left side reside the 3.5 mm headset jack, charger jack and the volume rocker. On the right side we find the camera shutter, task manager key and the microSD card slot. On top of the LG Fathom sits the power/lock key while on the back is the camera and the slot for a removable stylus.

Sliding the display to the right will reveal the full QWERTY keyboard that has four rows, which means that you will get a dedicated number row, plus the regular Symbol and Function keys. The spacebar in the middle is pretty large, just like the dedicated Messaging shortcut key. All of the keys feel quite roomy and each of them is raised above the surface.

The 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera offers five resolutions for taking still photos, three video resolutions and three quality settings. Other useful features include night mode, macro mode, ISO control, continuous shot, panorama stitching, brightness, five scene mode presets, white balance, color effects, shutter sounds and a self timer. The quality of the photos is on the average side, even though the images are quite sharp but they have a slight pink tinge and they appear to be rather dull.

The LG Fathom is powered by a Snapdragon processor running at 1.0 GHz which manages to provide a very smooth experience. You will be able to multitask with almost no issues whatsoever, except for the occasional delay. As for the battery, it has a 1,500 mAh lithium-ion unit that is rated to last for up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 20 days in standby. The digital SAR rating of this smartphone is 0.77 W/kg, according to the radiation tests conducted by the FCC.