Ahead of Microsoft’s imminent official launch of the latest series of smartphones-in this case based on Windows Phone 7 software-handset manufacturer LG Electronics accidentally jumped the gun, issuing a press release with specifications the UK launch of its first Windows Phone 7 handset, Optimus 7. While the release was quickly pulled off the company’s official blog, a Google cache of the post contains a raft the information on the smartphone.
The Optimus 7 is said to offer a 3.8-inch WVGA LCD capacitive touchscreen display sporting 800???480 pixels; 16GB of internal memory; a 1500mAh battery and a “compact form factor”; Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity; and a 3.5mm headphone socket. In addition there’s an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor and a digital compass. The phone also features Live Tiles, designed to allow easy access to information and services from the Web and often-used applications. The operating system (OS) is divided across six Hubs-People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace and Office.
“The LG Optimus 7 represents the product of close work between LG and Microsoft to create a user-friendly handset that combined the glance and go experience of the Windows Phone 7 combined with the best features that are exclusive to LG devices,” the pulled release stated.
DLNA based multimedia-sharing allows users to access their multimedia via any DLNA compatible device, meaning users can listen to music on the Optimus 7 phone through home speakers or view pictures on a television. The handset’s Scansearch application utilizes the latest in Augmented Reality technology to connect users to various kinds of content. Users can access real-time information about shopping, dining, weather, entertainment and banking, says LG. A Voice-to-Text feature allows hands-free voice-to-text transcribing for Facebook and Twitter updates, emails or memos.
The Optimus 7 is designed to allow users to access Microsoft services on the go including Xbox Live and Zune. Users will be able to create high-quality digital content on the go via 720p HD video resolution that offers recording and playback and can be shared online, on social media channels, or offline, on a TV using the Play To feature. Users can also create a more cinematic feel using the available16:9 aspect ratio capture. The 5MP camera offers technological enhancements to help users capture better images, including intelligent shot, which optimizes all settings, and a panoramic mode, which allows for stitching together a full 360-degree landscape scene.
Microsoft is reportedly spending $400 million to market Windows Phone 7 during the smartphone operating system’s initial rollout, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Jonathan Goldberg. “This is make-or-break for them. They need to do whatever it takes to stay in the game,” he told the technology blog TechCrunch in an Aug. 26 interview. “They don’t have to take share from Android or Apple, so long as they can attract enough consumers switching from feature phones.”