LG Electronics’ first Windows Phone 7 smartphone, the LG
Quantum, is now available through AT&T. That marks the fourth device
running Microsoft’s new smartphone platform, which is hopes will carve
market-share away from both Google Android and the Apple iPhone.
The
LG Quantum features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and 3.5-inch touch-screen.
Under the hood, the smartphone includes a
1GHz processor and 16GB built-in memory, 5.0-megapixel camera with flash, and a
720p HD video recorder. The Quantum retails
for $199 with a two-year contract.
In a bid to attract users who might otherwise gravitate
towards a rival device in the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem, LG is offering 10 new
apps every 60 days, through the Application
Store preinstalled on its devices. The 10 apps will hail from a variety of
categories, including social connectivity and gaming, and supposedly have a $30
retail value.
“When we pledged early this year to support Microsoft’s
smartphone strategy, we knew we were making a decision that had the potential
to create ripples in the ecosystem,” Chang Ma, vice president of LG’s mobile
communications strategy team, wrote in a Nov. 4 statement. “Microsoft’s
commitment to the developer community is well known and respected in the
industry, and we look forward to seeing this partnership with Microsoft lead to
greater things.”
Windows Phone 7 made its debut in the U.S. market Nov. 8. In
addition to the LG Quantum, the first devices out of the proverbial gate include
the HTC Surround ($199) and Samsung Focus ($199), both offered on AT&T, and
the HTC HD7 ($199) on T-Mobile. Despite
one early report indicating that some 40,000 Windows Phone 7 smartphones sold
during the first day of release, neither Microsoft nor its carrier partners
have confirmed any hard figures.
Microsoft
realizes that third-party developers are a vital component of whether Windows
Phone 7 will succeed or fail. Over the summer, as it prepared to launch the
platform, the company reportedly offered cash and other resources to developers
in hopes of enticing them to build applications for the platform.
Microsoft’s overall smartphone strategy rests on three
self-described pillars: smart design, integrated experiences, and an optimized
ecosystem. “The problem is that smartphones are just app launches; they’re a
grid of icons,” Andy Lees, now president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communication
Business, told an audience during this summer’s Worldwide Partner Conference in
Washington, D.C. “We figured there’s got to be a better way than going app by
app by app, so two years ago we fundamentally reset our strategy.”
Windows Phone 7 offers six subject-specific “Hubs,”
including “Office” and “Games,” which aggregate applications and Web content.
No matter what the device running the operating system, Microsoft hopes that
the user interface and apps will attract those consumers who might otherwise
gravitate towards a smartphone—and allow the company to reclaim market-share
that steadily declined during the days of its Windows Mobile franchise.
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