It looks like LG is going to cover all the bases in it smartphone strategy and has announced a new phone, the GW620, which uses the open source Android solution. This comes just a few days after they announced that it would be introducing three new Windows Mobile smartphones in the next few weeks. The spin that LG is putting on this is that it “underscore LG’s commitment to offering greater consumer choice in the expanding smartphone category.” But it probably means that LG are taking Android for a spin and want to see the consumer reaction.
The LG-GW620 has a 3-inch full touchscreen and slide out QWERTY keypad for those who use their mobile phone for just more than making phone calls. Due to the popularity of social networking, the LG-GW620 comes with social networking functions right out-of-the-box.
Android is an interesting choice of operating system for LG as in many ways it is the opposite of Microsoft’s Window Mobile which LG are also using. Originally developed by Google, it is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel. After the initial development by Google, the Open Handset Alliance was founded to continue the development. The alliance is a consortium of 48 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.
Details of the GW620 are thin on the ground at the moment, but as standard Android phones come with lots of goodies including video recording & playback, WiFi, a full web experience with an enhanced browser and hands-free calls and listening with stereo bluetooth.
The LG-GW620 will be available in the fourth quarter of this year in selected European markets which almost certainly includes the UK.
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Tags: Android, GW620, LG, mobile phone, social networking, Tech, Technology, Windows Mobile
