LG makes its first Android phone official
updated 08:00 am EDT, Mon September 14, 2009
LG GW620 launches
LG today released its first smartphone based on Android rather than Windows Mobile. The GW620 teased earlier is a high-end model with a 3-inch touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Most details aren't mentioned, but the company has already hinted the phone will have a 5-megapixel camera, 3G and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and it will come with all of Google's preloaded apps for chat, maps, YouTube and other services.
The handset ships first to Europe, where it should be available during the fall. LG hasn't said whether the phone can support native calling or 3G data in North America in its existing form.
Notably, LG in its release has gone to great lengths to reassure Microsoft that it isn't dropping the American company's platform, pointing out both its three Windows Mobile phones coming this month and that 13 Windows Mobile devices are launching within the next 16 months. LG has been one of Microsoft's closest partners in recent months and is more dependent on Windows Mobile than companies like HTC or Samsung, which have either used other operating systems in the past or have already committed most of its lineup to Android.
