The LG GT350 improves upon the earlier LG KS360, a messaging phone that has sold over five million units worldwide since its launch in August 2008. Both phones have slide-out full QWERTY keypads designed specifically for the textually-minded.

More powerful than its predecessor, the LG GT350 includes upgrades to its messaging and social networking experience. Opening its slider reveals a large, comfortable four-line QWERTY keypad, versus a three-line keyboard on the earlier model, which makes typing messages almost as easy as on a computer. What’s more, the 3-inch WQVA screen on GT350 is now fully touch enabled, an upgrade from the partial touchscreen on the original KS360.

Social networking is a strong suit for the LG GT350. Its entire interface is optimized for social networks, providing full integration with sites like Facebook, Twitter. It aggregates information from multiple social networks onto one screen, making it easy to instantly check status updates, keep track of friends and respond to messages. For direct access to social networking sites, the LG GT350 has a dedicated shortcut key on the keypad. In addition to social networking, the keypad also includes dedicated buttons for accessing push e-mail, the web browser and instant messaging.