LG intros compact Pop touch phone with solar power
updated 09:45 am EDT, Wed September 30, 2009
LG launches GD510 as the Pop
LG chose Wednesday to launch a new starter touchscreen phone as a spiritual successor to the Cookie. The GD510, also known as the Pop, is more upscale but also much more compact with an aluminum shell that's only just slightly wider than the 3-inch 240x400 touchscreen. It still uses the S-Class interface but has just a single button on the front that changes role depending on the context: it can bring up a menu but will also cancel a task or end a call.
Also new is an optional back cover with a solar panel that can recharge the Pop slowly in daylight.
To keep the costs of the phone down, LG drops 3G in favor of EDGE (2G) but still gives the phone a 3-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack. LG hasn't said what the price would be but does expect to launch the Pop first in Europe during mid-October, with other unspecified areas receiving it later.
