At today's CES event, LG announced the LG VX9400 V CAST Mobile TV phone to be offered by Verizon Wireless. The new phone will be available in Q1 2007, and will support V CAST Mobile TV. The phone is a slim and sleek, bar-style design with a large LCD screen for optimal television viewing and new, cutting edge features.

V CAST Music and Video are also accessible with the LG VX9400, as are Get It Now, Mobile Web 2.0, Bluetooth capabilities, one-touch speakerphone, and a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder. With an external memory card, users can record up to one hour of video.

"The LG VX9400 is yet another benchmark in a long line of firsts for LG Mobile Phones," said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. "V CAST Mobile TV is truly groundbreaking in mobile phone technology, and we are proud to be among the first manufacturers to support this service that will change the way we use mobile devices forever."

Oh yes, LG is at it again! Relax nothing diabolical here and the folks at LG have unveiled their latest offering, the LG SB190 in good old Korea. The new handset looks pretty neat and design wise is reminiscent of the famous Chocolate Phone! While not much is known about the handset we so know that this little beauty includes features like; DMB, GPS, an MP3 player, a 1.3Mpix camera among others. The LG SB190 will be available in Korea via SK Telecom.

LG really wants the consumers to take a "shine" to their new phone! The LG Shine Phone continues the company's new found love for everything sexy and sleek. Now the LG Shine has gone designer on us which means another new limited edition on the block!

The Limited Edition of the LG Shine has a Korean poem engraved on it and the fonts have been designed by famous Korean designer Lee Sang Bong. Specs wise its the same as the Normal Version which means; stainless steel casing, 1GB of memory, an MP3 player and a 2 megapixel camera. No word on pricing or availability.

LG seems intent on exploiting the advantages of WiMAX. With the launch of the new WiMAX KC1 PDA cell phone, LG has emerged as one of the first few companies to come out with full WiMAX support on a cell phone. The KC1 was unveiled at the ITU 2006.

Equipped with a largish 2.8" TFT LCD capable of QVGA resolution, there's 64MB RAM on the KC1, with expansion support via a microSD memory card slot. Bluetooth is present as well, along with a 2 megapixel camera.

The KC1 runs on Windows Mobile 5.0 and, not surprisingly, emulates the design standards set by the KG99 Chocolate Phone. While a release date hasn't been announced, one can only hope there are enough WiMAX hotspots to experience the KC1.

Looks like our friends at MobileMag have given us an (dare I say it) out of the box review of the LG VX9900 enV. This LG isn't a slider like the Chocolate, or clamshell like the VX9800 (aka "The V"). This is all candybar, opening up to reveal a sweet QWERTY keyboard and midget stereo speakers.

What they liked:

The QWERTY keyboard is designed for the text messager, with enough space in between so there is no screw-ups.

The camera has been upgraded from a 1.3 Megapixel to a 2.0 Megapixel unit. It even has an integrated lens cover which a user can open by rotating the chrome bezel around it. You can also shoot up to an hour's worth of 320 x 240 video, provided you have an Micro SD card. You can also make adjustments such as resolution, self-timer, flash, white balance, shutter sound, color effects, and auto focus. It appears this phone is just as advanced as any digital camera.

The music plays very clear despite the speaker size. Who says size matters?

The inside of the phone looks good, by design.

What they didn't like:

The QWERTY keyboard has no space bar, but space "keys" on the bottom left and right.

The only downside about the camera is a "say cheese" sound that comes from the shutter. Apparently, that is a default setting, but it can be turned off. Overall, the photo quality is pretty good, save for the bluish colors created by the flash.

Unfortunately, the V-cast, which is responsible for getting everything for the phone including music, ringtones, wallpapers, games, applications, and other things. As for music, it doesn't look like there is a way to organize your own music folders. You have to cram 400 songs on an SD, and it might be hard to find one when you want it.

They found the outside of the display was "squintingly small", but serves its purpose.

Summary

Except for a few picky little details, MobileMag really liked the LG enV, giving it a high rating of 84 percent. Not bad. If you wish to purchase this camera, it is available from Verizon Wireless for $150 with a 2-year contract.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. It seems like there is enough of those LG Chocolate going around to make Willy Wonka green with envy. After its amazing sales, they introduced the Pink and White LG Chocolate Phone models.

Looks like all that clever marketing has paid off as LG Electronics has won the DFA Grand Award for Product Design for the Chocolate. The DFA Grand Award is organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre, and is given to products with outstanding design excellence as well as an impact on Asian lifestyle and influence. Looks like these Chocolates are as big a success in Asia as they are in the States.

The folks at CNET have reviewed the LG VX8600 and give it an Excellent 8 out of 10 rating! The phone scores brownie points for its elegant slim design, its feature set which includes; 1.3-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot, stereo Bluetooth, built-in GPS, and support for V Cast Music and V Cast Video. However the gloss finish is an open invitation to fingerprints, touch-sensitive music player controls were found to be a little tricky and the phone's keypad is flush to the surface.

The LG VX8600 will draw heads with its glossy piano black finish, glowing red, touch-sensitive, external music keys and slim ergonomics. It includes features like ability to download V CAST Music, video clips and 3D games; Bluetooth(R) capabilities ; a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder; and a microSD(TM) expandable memory port. he handset has dedicated external music controls one can browse, preview, download and play high-quality digital music directly from their phone. One cool feature is its ability to support the new SanDisk 2GB cards and the onboard Speaker-Independent voice recognition.

In the end they conclude "The LG VX8600 is a stylish successor to the LG VX8500 Chocolate, and, dare we say, a lot nicer in terms of navigation and feel. If you're wary of the Chocolate's quirky touchpad but still want a Chocolate-like phone in a clamshell design, you could do well to give the VX8600 a try."

The much-awaited LG enV VX9900 cell phone is now out from Verizon. With EV-DO support, you can be one happy duck browsing the net on the big 262k color TFT LCD.

Several Bluetooth profiles are supported on the enV, making it a very versatile device. LG could have upped the 2-megapixel camera on this one, but seeing that its target market is business users, we are okay on this one.

Don't mistake it for a Nokia Communicator, though. This one's very different. Like we had previously mentioned, the LG enV will be available for US $149.99 along with a 2-year contract with Verizon.

Via Engadget Mobile

Sprint network made an announcement today that it will be launching LG's new entry level handset, the LG LX-150. The handset has not yet featured on the official Sprint.com store but it has been currently showing on RadioShack. The handset comes free with a new service contract with Radioshack and no rebates are required. The handset is expected to hit the direct channels soon.

The LX-150 is pretty much a basic entry level phone featuring a neat and compact clamshell design. Surprisingly it features a dedicated key for text messaging, pressing of which takes you directly to the SMS screen. It features a dual display, with the internal one having 128×160 pixel screen with 262k colors and the external is 96×94 monochrome display. Other important features included ofcourse is bluetooth and speaker phone function.

Just noticed this spanking new LG CU400 cell phone for Cingular customers in the US. This is a quad-band GSM world phone and offers the advantage of 3G thanks to the cell phone's UMTS 850/1900MHz compatibility.

The CU400 features a TFT LCD running at 176x220 pixels resolution and offers 65k color. While not exactly targeted at being a multimedia phone, it does come with players to handle many of the audio and video formats. A VGA camera with 4x digital zoom is thrown in.

Measuring 85mm x 48mm x 23mm, the phone weighs in at 93 grams, so it's easy on the pocket. LG claims a talk time of 5 hours. Bluetooth is available on the CU400, with the following supported profiles: Headset (HSP), Handsfree (HFP), Dial-up networking (DUN), Generic Object Exchange (GOEP), File Transfer (FTP), Object Push (OPP), Generic Access (GAP) and Serial Port (SPP).

Pricing is not available at this time, but hopefully it should be out soon.

LG's VX9900, also called the enV, is all set for a November 27 launch with Verizon. With a 2 megapixel camera with autocamera and flash, the enV comes complete with an MP3 and video player and other cool features.

Bluetooth 1.2 with supported profiles HSP (headset), HFP (hands-free), DUN (dial-up networking), A2DP (advanced audio distribution), SPP (serial port), AVRCP (audio/video remote control), BPP (printing) and HID (human interface device) make it a truly wireless phone. The phone comes with a microSD memory card slot for storing your media.

This CDMA phone supports high-speed EV-DO data networks, for a complete web experience on the 262k color TFT LCD running at QVGA resolution. LG claims a talk-time of 4.5 hours and a standby of more than 19 days.

Pricing details:

The LG C280 is a CDMA handset which was recently seen in Taiwan. The handset includes a 3 megapixel camera which is rarely seen on CDMA phones and also features a dedicated music player. The LG C280 sports an eye-catching flip design and measures 87.5×44×23 mm87.5 x 44 x 23 mm. No further info is available but we do know that the handset comes bundled with a charger and high-quality headphones.

The LG KU311 will make its debut soon in Taiwan and hopefully the rest of the world too! The handset continues LG new found love for sleek designs and one comes across a smart clamshell mobile with dedicated external music controls!

Information is scarce, but we do know that the KU311 is a a 3G/GSM handset and has the following features under its hood: 262K colors TFT display, 1.3megapixel camera, bluetooth, Media Player, MicroSD expansion slot and 72-chord Polyphonic Ringtones.

The highly chic LG VX8600 is now available on the Verizon Wireless and promises to be an amalgamation of both style and functionality! Boasting of a smart clamshell design, the handset will appeal to both fashionistas and the techies!

The LG VX8600 will draw heads with its glossy piano black finish, glowing red, touch-sensitive, external music keys and slim ergonomics. It includes features like ability to download V CAST Music, video clips and 3D games; Bluetooth(R) capabilities ; a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder; and a microSD(TM) expandable memory port.

The handset has dedicated external music controls one can browse, preview, download and play high-quality digital music directly from their phone. One cool feature is its ability to support the new SanDisk 2GB cards and the onboard Speaker-Independent voice recognition. The LG VX8600 is now available for $129.99 after a $50 rebate and a new two-year customer agreement. For more info visit www.verizonwireless.com

Looks like LG has something else to celebrate after the phenomenal success of the Chocolate phone. The FCC has approved the new LG KE 800 otherwise unofficially known as the Chocolate Platinum.

The KE800 is a sleek little slider phone with GPRS and EDGE compatibility. It has an internal memory of a low-memory thumb drive (256 MB), but it has a microSD expansion. Not only can this thing play audio files (MP3/AAC/WAV) but it has a built-in FM radio as well. And, unlike other cell phones, which come with a cheap camera, this one has a 2 megapixel shooter with autofocus and macro mode.

We’ll see what the price and release date will be for this one!

The LG AX245 is now available on the Alltel Network , which is also the first carrier to launch this Bluetooth headset. Ideal for those who are seeking both affordability and functionality, the AX245 has a decent spec set. It offers hands-free Bluetooth technology and one also comes across a a VGA camera with flash.

The LG AX245 also supports Alltel Axcess Web capability and and the Alltel Axcess picture messaging. One can also received software updates and programming wirelessly “over the air, and make use of features like built-in speakerphone and voice-activated dialing as well as BREW® client 3.1.4. The LG AX245 is available now for for $59.99 after a $60 mail-in rebate. Alltel

Korea will be receiving a new style of DMB Phone with the LG KB1800. This phone, a compact slider, also comes complete with an outdoor antenna. Kind of looks a little old-school, doesn’t it. I feel like I should put it up to my ear and groove to some seventies tunes.

Anyway, there LG KB1800 also comes with other features. For example, it can play MP3 and ACC, and is completely Bluetooth compatible. It also has a document viewfinder and a 1.3 Megapixel camera.

I guess that’s pretty neat, but I still get over that little antenna. I mean, it takes up one half of the picture! Ah well, expect this little guy to hit the stores of Korea soon.

LG has recently unveiled the new KU800 Phone, an advanced version of the popular Chocolate that supports 3G networking. It currently plans to be released by the operator Vodafone, but this is not set in stone yet.

The KU800 phone is a lovely slider with lots of interesting features. It supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS, and has a 2 inch QVGA. Not only does it have a 2 Megapixel camera, but a camera on both sides for telephony conversations. There is 60 MB of user available memory, and an microSD slot for up to 1GB of additional memory. It also has USB and Bluetooth capability.

It isn’t known when the LG KU800 will hit the market, nor is there any hint of price.

There's been a bit of talk about LG's upcoming VX8500 phone but the excitement has been hampered by any glossy photos to muse over. Then again we've got the photos now, but how come we're still not excited?

Verizon's VX8500 is expected to hit stands soon in 3, shall we say, "trendy" colors (white, burgundy, and lime green - photos after the bump). First glance and it appears this this is a cheap attempt at an iPod phone, with a keypad-revealing slider. Then again perhaps its too early to tell, I'm going to wait for some specs before I make further judgments, after all, beauty isn't always skin deep. Peace.

Via Engadget Mobile

LG unveiled the new KE820 cell phone targeted at European markets. A successor to the LG KG320 Chocolate phone, the KE820 is available in a candybar form-factor and is 9.9mm thin - a tad fatter than the KG820.

Equipped with a 2 megapixel camera that boasts of autofocus, the KE820 also comes with a nice 2" TFT screen capable of 256k color display. The phone supports MP3 ringtones apart from 64 polyphonic tunes.

Bluetooth A2DP (advanced audio distribution profile) is supported on the phone, so you can use a Bluetooth stereo headset to listen to audio playback - supported formats include MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WAV. On-board, LG has fit in 128MB memory, and a microSD slot is available for expansion.

No word on pricing yet.

Since I am a self confessed Chocolate lover, how could I resist the LG Chocolate Phone, otherwise known as the LG KG800. It’s been with me for a week and lets just see if it lives up to all the hype!

Pros: Sexy as hell, intuitive menu, great sound and the IT Factor
Cons: No loudspeaker, Average battery life and Lack of memory card slot

The new LG KG800 Chocolate Phone is one hell of a good-looking phone and the sleek ergonomics will surely get you a lot of attention. Which in retrospect is the main aim of the Chocolate Series so don’t expect any mind-boggling features on this one! My version of the Chocolate Phone doesn’t have a memory card, which I forgive them for as I have an iPod for music but it’s the exclusion of the Speaker Phone, which completely baffles me! Even the lowest handset in the Mobile Food Chain will have a speakerphone and I guess LG themselves bought into the Chocolate Phone hype and thought its okay to not to include a loudspeaker!

However all is not lost! The handset has a great interface and Non LG can easily adapt to it. The music quality is pretty great and so is the pair of included headphones. I love the included remote and the packaging itself makes want to give some extra brownie points. The camera is pretty average and is as good or bad as camera phones however with flash the image does improve considerably. Sound clarity is pretty good and the voice never cracks which is a big plus in my book. The Touch Buttons are ultra cool and the phone buttons are pretty comfy.

So who is it for? If you are like me who just uses the phone for making and receiving calls and some other basic usage, then the LGKG800 may just be ideal for you. I love sexy gadgets and thus to me the LG KG800 is the ultimate fashion phone. However those who prefer functionality over style should stay away from the KG800 as unfortunately on the feature set it has very little to offer.

The Chocolate Phone catapulted the LG Brand to the top league and the folks certainly got a power boost! Now continuing the Chocolate tradition, LG has yet another stylish handset in the horizon though this one is a Windows Mobile device. The LG VX9900 will be available on the Verizon network in the US and for now both Verizon and LG are tightlipped about the specs!

The mobile phone opens up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard in all its glory and has two small speakers on the side. Thanks to its PDA functionality it will appeal to the professionals on the go. Nothing else is known about the VX9900 and keep watching the space for more.

Via Engadget