LG unveils its first Android phone
Thursday March 11, 2010
Raising its stake in the heated battle over the local smartphone market, LG Electronics, the world’s third-largest mobile handset maker, yesterday unrolled a smartphone based on Google’s Android operating system.
Korean customers have access to only one other Android-based smartphone, the Motoroi from U.S.-based Motorola. That makes LG’s latest handset the first locally made Android-based smartphone. The company has named it, “Andro-1.”
What sets the phone apart, LG says, is the user interface.
“The keyboard will make it convenient for people to handle the device,” said Shin Hyeon-jun, a marketing manager at LG’s mobile phone operation, adding that it will be particularly good for those who haven’t used a smartphone before.
Unlike the Motoroi, which is keyboardless, the Andro-1 comes with a keyboard like a Blackberry. It provides easy access to Google’s search engine, e-mail and calendar services, the company said.
Affordability is another key selling point for LG. Served through the country’s second-largest mobile operator, KT, the Andro-1 will be sold for 600,000 won ($529), but the prices will be lower with a subscription. The Motoroi’s base price is 898,700 won.
One downside is the operating system. The Andro-1 uses Android OS 1.5, while the Motoroi comes with version 2.0. That might limit the types of applications that will run on the Andro-1.
Jung Do-hyun, chief financial officer at LG, said in January that the company will put forth concerted efforts in the smartphone business this year, and that it has confidence in the design of its upcoming devices.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics, LG’s larger rival and the world’s No. 2 maker of mobile phones, also plans to introduce its first Android-based smartphone within this month.
News Source: http://joongangdaily.joins.com
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