LG Doubleplay (photos)

The LG Doubleplay is a unique midrange Android smartphone for T-Mobile customers. It has a disappointing bulky form factor, but what's even weirder is its unusual dual screen and split keyboard.

The 3.5-inch HVGA display on the Doubleplay is enough to make us forget its heft. It's really sharp and vibrant, with rich graphics and crisp text. It ships with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread along with LG's own user interface. Even though it's not vanilla Android, we don't mind it--it's simple and uncomplicated.

T-Mobile says that the rich, dark brown color of the LG Doubleplay is called "Truffle," as if to imply luxury, and we have to say it feels that way. We also like the silver edges and the oval strip of brushed metal on the back.

The biggest surprise to the Doubleplay is its unusual slide-out keyboard. It's split in two to accommodate a 2-inch subdisplay. It's used for multitasking and toggling between different actions, but we can't help but feel it's a little too weird for most people. The keyboard takes some getting used to as well.

The LG Doubleplay is undeniably bulky at around 0.63 inch thick.

Despite its average-size screen, the addition of the keyboard and subdisplay results in the LG Doubleplay weighing in at a whopping 6.7 ounces.