LG rolls first Win Mobile 6.5 phone, more
updated 12:25 pm EST, Mon February 16, 2009
LG GM730 Arena and GD900
LG's turn at MWC phone launches centers on three full touchscreen devices, including the first-ever phone planned around Windows Mobile 6.5. The GM730 (shown) has the company's new S-Class 3D interface, which adds an iPhone-like home screen with a "cube" that lets users flick between apps, media, phone and widget functions; underneath, it now has the updated Internet Explorer's full web browsing with Flash and Silverlight support.
The GM730 should also sport a 3-inch 240x400 touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, GPS and Wi-Fi in a bar format about 0.47 inches thick. Despite the Windows Mobile 6.5 integration, however, LG intends to release the smartphone ahead of time and will have it shipping in the first half of the year, initially running Windows Mobile 6.1 with the web browser upgrade installed. The 6.5 update will come with the software's release in the second half of the year.
LG has also confirmed the final specs of the KM900 Arena, its new flagship phone. It uses S-Class 3D outside of Windows Mobile and gains higher-end hardware, with a 5-megapixel camera, a 480x800 touchscreen at the same size as the GM730, and 8GB of built-in storage on top of the microSDHC slot. The Arena supports 3G via HSPA as well as GPS and Wi-Fi, and should be available first in March with other areas getting the device later. Support for 850MHz frequencies on GSM now means the phone will likely be available in North America.
A previously unmentioned third entry known as the GD900 targets fashion; the slider design hides a unique, transparent keypad with lighting to keep it useful in the dark. Little else is known, though the phone should support HSPA and has been designed with a matching Bluetooth headset in mind. It ships sometime in the second half of the year.
KM900 Arena
GD900
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2007
Lawsuit waiting?
So they announce that WM 6.5 will be available by the 2nd half of the year for this phone. Like that date won't slip into 2010 or beyond. With an average life of a phone at less than 2 years, your phone will be half used up by the time they get around to updating it to be useful.