LG picked Friday to launch another full touchscreen phone to its rapidly growing mix. The GT505 has the 3-inch touchscreen and 5-megapixel camera that define most of LG's 2009 phones but centers on social networking with updates 'pushed' to the phone in real time, much as smartphones handle e-mail. LG also promises a better start on GPS than for most non-smartphones with both native support and a trial version of turn-by-turn app WisePilot.

As with other more recent LG phones, Internet access comes through either HSPA-based 3G or Wi-Fi while storage comes through microSDHC. The GT505 is due to ship first to Orange UK in June and should be available elsewhere as well, though support for US-native 3G hasn't been detailed.