LG will launch not one but three Android phones before the year is out, the company said at the CommunicAsia technology show this week. The company had already said it planned to have at least one but now says that the multiple handsets could arrive as soon as late summer or early fall. They won't necessarily be high-end devices, however, and as a consequence may not have a version of the cube-like S-Class 3D interface used on the Arena, GD900 and other devices.

More of these devices are also due later this year, LG says.

The accelerated rollout reflects an increasing ambition on the part of LG to gain sway in smartphones, where it's easily eclipsed by fellow Korean company Samsung as well as major players like Nokia, Apple, HTC and RIM. LG recently struck a deal with Microsoft for more Windows Mobile designs but, unlike others, has neither a large number of these devices nor multiple operating systems to boost its total smartphone software base.