The LG Optimus One and Optimus Chic feature touch screens, WiFi capability and run Google's Android OS.
Electronics manufacturer LG announced the upcoming release of two
Google Android-powered smartphones, the Optimus One and Optimus Chic,
which will run the latest version of Android, Froyo 2.2. The Optimus
One boasts a 3.2-inch (320 by 480) HVGA capacitive touchscreen display,
170MB internal storage and a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus. The
Chic comes with a 3.2-inch HVGA (320 by 480) HVGA capacitive
touchscreen display, 150MB internal memory and a 5-megapixel camera
with autofocus.
The One is expected to arrive in "most of Europe in October" and then
later in other EMEA and Asia-Pacific countries, according to a digital
press conference the company held. LG said the Chic would be making its
way to Europe in November and then other Asia-Pacific markets. Both
come with a 600MHz CPU processors, MicroSC, Bluetooth and WiFi
connectivity, and a custom application called the LG App Advisor, which
helps users determine what apps they might like to download from
Android Marketplace based on what they've downloaded in the past. The
Optimus One has a 1500mAh battery, while the Chic has a 1250mAh
battery, according to the company.
Along with Nokia and Samsung, LG led the worldwide handset market
through another growing quarter, Strategy Analytics said in a July 30
report. Handset shipments reached 308 million units, up 13 percent from
273 million units a year earlier. Driving this forward motion, said the
firm, were high-end 3G touch phones in developed markets and lower-end
2G handsets in emerging ones.
LG shipped 30.6 million units during the quarter, for approximately 10
percent market share. IDC points to the launches of the Android-running
Ally and Optimus Q phones as big contributors to sales, but adds that
from a financial perspective, "LG's revenue and profits declined
sharply from a year ago, reflecting ASP declines from an aging
portfolio and expenses incurred from R&D and marketing."
The company announced a few New Year's resolutions on Jan. 13, one of
which was to sell 140 million units in 2010, representing a 20 percent
year-over-year increase from 2009. LG additionally said that it is
rolling out a multipart plan that will enable it to become one of the
top two mobile device manufacturers in the world by 2012. A key part of
this will be the introduction of 20 smartphones based on a variety of
handset operating systems, including Android, Microsoft's Windows
Mobile and Linux.
LG said that in 2009, it opened approximately 100 mobile retail stores
in developing countries and that it now plans to push into Korean and
North American markets, where it wants to be known for innovative
smartphones. In the first half of the year, LG will release smartphones
for first-time buyers, followed by more "cutting edge" designs,
presumably to better compete against the likes of Apple, Motorola,
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion and Palm, in the second half.
"We are facing another revolutionary change in the mobile industry
thanks to the rapid growth of smartphones and demand for more content
and better services," said Skott Ahn, president and CEO of LG
Electronics, in a statement. "We will continue to make breakthroughs in
2010 as we strive to maintain our trendsetter status and become one of
the global top two by 2012."
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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