The role of the Korean LiMo Ecosystem Association, which is supported by the Korean Government, is to “fully catalyze and empower innovation upon the LiMo Platform within the Korean mobile industry.”

As part of the new Korean initiative, LiMo foundation and SK Telecom will soon launch the Samsung SCH-M510 – Korea’s first LiMo phone.

Samsung SCH-M510 (not to be mistaken for the old Samsung SPH-M510) features a 3.5 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, accelerometer, Wi-Fi, support for various audio and video media types, Bluetooth and a 5MP camera with autofocus.

Unfortunately, there’s no image of the SCH-M510 available yet, but the specs suggest that the phone may be the Korean version of Vodafone’s Samsung H1.

Via Press release and Press release

• SK Telecom joins other tech companies to speed up Linux platform development for mobile phones
• Samsung Jet goes to Korea as W850 / W8500 / W8550
• LiMo-based Samsung Riedel i8305 coming to Vodafone?
• Vodafone announces 360 services, Samsung H1 and M1 LiMo phones
• Samsung Giorgio Armani W820 / W8200 shows up in Korea

Like the older, original LG Shine, the new Shine II comes to make a “fashionably smart statement with its glossy exterior and versatile utility.”

The phone’s features include a 2.2 inch display, AT&T Navigator, “music player with customizable equalizer, music recognition and ringtone creator”, Java 2.0 support and a 2MP camera with flash.

AT&T will start selling the LG Shine II on November 22. The phone’s price will be of $119.99 with a 2-yr contract agreement and after a mail-in rebate – kind of expensive if you think about the iPhone 3G, which costs $99.99 on contract.

Via Press release

• LG Shine 2 and Vu 2 rumored for AT&T. LG Secret cancelled?
• LG Shine 2 for AT&T – live picture leaked
• 3.5G HSDPA LG Shine upgrade – LG KU970 Shine in the works
• LG Shine 2 and LG Georgia for AT&T pictured
• RIM officially announces the BlackBerry Curve 8900, T-Mobile Germany gets it first

Other 20 countries will follow shortly, including countries in the Middle East (weird enough, Europe is not mentioned at all).

The GW550 is a 12mm thin handset that features GSM and HSDPA connectivity, a 2.4 inch QVGA display, full QWERTY keypad, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, push email, 3.2MP camera and MicroSD card support.

LG didn’t announce the price of GW550 – it will probably depend on the country you buy it from anyway.

Via Press release (in Korean)

• RIM, Nextel to launch the BlackBerry Curve 8350i in Latin America
• INQ Chat 3G and Mini 3G – Twitter phones with iTunes syncing
• Samsung i617T released in Australia: Telstra’s own BlackJack II
• Pantech Reveal now available at AT&T, $80 on contract
• Email friendly Nokia E75 starts shipping

Now LG would like to do it again. The company announced Thursday that there would no doubt be more styles of the innovative watchphone coming out in 2010. While no other details were unsurprisingly announced, it was interesting to note that LG mentioned additional styles in the plural instead of singular.

So what does CES 2010 have in store for the mobile community? Perhaps not just one watchphone, but several.

LG also offered further confirmation on Thursday that there are several new Android touchscreen devices in the works and will be out in 2010, including a little brother to the GW620 (aka Etna). This particular handset is rumored to contain Snapdragon as well as be a touchscreen-only device.

via AndroidCommunity

• Samsung S9110 is a touchscreen watchphone priced at €450
• HTC to release Snapdragon based handsets in Q2 2009
• Orange UK launching the LG GD910 watchphone for £500 on August 27
• Samsung i900 5 mpx WM 6.1 smartphone confirmed (sort of). Available in September 2008
• More HTC Leo Images and Video Emerge; New Details Thrown In

According to Telecoms Korea and a Shinhan Investment report, Samsung should ship about 57 million touhcscreen phones by the end of 2009, and it plans to almost double this number in 2010 to reach the aforementioned 100 million mark.

65% of Samsung’s touchscreen phones sold in 2010 should have capacitive displays, notes the report.

LG also intends to ship more touchscreen handsets next year, but only 20% of them will have capacitive screens.

Both Samsung and LG have touchscreen phones that were sold at record paces this year: the Samsung Star, pictured above (10 million units until now), and the LG Cookie (more than 5 million units). Interestingly, both the Star and the Cookie have resistive touchscreen displays, not capacitive.

• 2 million LG Cookie phones sold, 10 million units planed
• Samsung to increase phone sales by 20% in 2010 (to 270 million units)
• LG is the world’s third largest handset producer, with 100 million phones shipped in 2008
• Samsung sold 10 million Star S5230 phones
• 5 million Star S5230 phones already sold by Samsung

According to Korea Times, SK will launch Android 2.0 phones next year. Apparently, both Samsung and LG have confirmed the fact that they will introduce Android handsets through SK in the first half of 2010.

SK Telecom might market the rumored Android 2.0 phones as iPhone rivals. KT has already announced that it would launch the iPhone in South Korea, so SK needs to offer alternatives to its customers.

Although SK can, theoretically, sell Apple’s handset as well, it looks like it won’t do it too soon.

“We are maintaining a wait-and-see approach for the iPhone. But we don’t intend to be aggressive and push for an early release,” declared an SK Telecom official.

Motorola (which recently launched the Droid / Milestone) is also readying an Android phone for Korea – now let’s wait and see which company releases its Google OS-based handset there first.

• Motorola to make Korea’s first Android phone
• SK Telecom to make its own handsets?
• Apple allowed to sell the iPhone in South Korea
• LG Wine 3G phone to come in September
• Nokia sees poor handset sales in Korea

Customers can get the GD510 Pop on PAYG for £99.95 (about €112 or $166) – it’s not yet featured on Carphone’s website in the PAYG section, but it will probably be soon.

The new phone is also offered on contract, through T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and O2. The handset is free with a 2-yr agreement and a data plan of at least £15 per month. You can check out all the deals here.

In case you don’t know yet, LG GD510 Pop’s features include quad-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, a 3 inch WQVGA touchscreen display, accelerometer, Bluetooth 2.1, FM radio, Music/video player, Web browser, 3.2MP camera and MicroSD card support.

Via Pocket-lint

• Samsung Tocco Lite (S5230) announced in the UK
• Philips X806 and C702 touchscreen phones show up
• 8 new Samsung phones leaked – S5050, C5212, S3310 and E2210 included
• Samsung B5722 and C6112 dual SIM phones show up
• Samsung S5560 touchscreen phone coming soon

As rumored, Verizon will sell the Droid Eris for 99.99 on contract (after a $100 mail-in rebate) starting November 6, the same day when the more expensive Motorola Droid becomes available.

The features of HTC Droid Eris include a 3.2 inch HVGA touchscreen display, HTC Sense UI, Wi-Fi, GPS and digital compass, HTML browser with Flash Lite, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera, and an 8GB MicroSD card in the box.

Unlike the Motorola Droid which will come with Android 2.0, HTC Droid Eris runs Android 1.5 (but it might be upgraded to 2.0).

Verizon has also (silently) launched the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575.

Available starting today for $79.99 on contract, the LG Chocolate Touch features EV-DO Rev. 0 connectivity, a 3 inch touchscreen display with 400 x 240 pixels, VZ Navigator, HTML web browser, Dolby Mobile sound, 3.5mm headset jack, FM radio, 3.2MP camera, 1GB of internal memory, and MicroSD card support.

Via Gizmodo

• Verizon Motorola Droid announced, comes on Nov. 6 for $199.99
• Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris shows up in press and hands-on photos
• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 shows up again
• Best Buy pre-selling Motorola Droid on October 29, no mail-in rebate
• Verizon’s Samsung Rogue and Samsung Intensity appear in official photos

The handset also comes with a G-sensor, compass and a calories calculator.

The SB210 looks a lot like Verizon’s upcoming Chocolate Touch VX8575 – and I actually think it’s the same phone, slightly modified.

Here are the main specs of LG SB210:

• 3 inches touchscreen display with 240 x 400 pixels
• GPS
• 3MP camera
• 242MB of internal memory
• MicroSD card support
• 1,000 mAh battery
• 111 x 55 x 12.3 mm
• 106 grams

LG SB210 will be available this month in Korea, via SKT. Its price will be of 638,000 KRW ($539).

Via Press release

• Samsung Jet goes to Korea as W850 / W8500 / W8550
• LG Lollipop announced, a phone for youngsters
• BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 available in the UK via O2
• Samsung S5050 appears in press photos
• Sprint officially launches the HTC Touch Pro. October 26 will see it in stores

The features of Nokia Surge include a 2.4 inch QVGA display, HSDPA, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Bluetooth, 2.5mm headset jack, 2MP camera and MicroSD card support.

Rogers sells the Surge for as low as $29.99 with a 3-yr contract agreement. Without a contract, the phone costs $279.99.

According to PhoneModo at the Howard Forums (via Mobile Syrup), Rogers is also getting ready to launch the Nokia N86 8MP (as rumored before), and the LG Eve – which is actually the Android-based LG GW620.

The Nokia N86 should cost $99.99, while the LG Eve will be only $49.99 (both with 3-yr contract agreements).

Rogers will also offer the BlackBerry Bold 9000 in white for $99.99, and the Xperia X1 for a lower price than the current one – $99.99.

Apparently, the Canadian carrier will rebrand its smartphones and call them Webphones.

• Rogers now offering Nokia E71 for $49.99
• Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8520 arrives in stores
• BlackBerry Curve 8900 quietly launched by Rogers?
• Rogers promises a Motorola Android phone for 2010
• Nokia N86, 2730, 6750 and 6350 coming to Canada for the Holidays

The magic date is November 5. This particular day will welcome not only the new network but several handsets to support that network with it.

Among the most notable of handsets is the iPhone 3G and 3GS, launching for the same exact price as on Rogers ($99, 199, 299 for 8 GB 3G, 16 GB 3GS and 32 GB 3GS, respectively).

In addition to the highlighted phone, we also have a great supporting cast: the HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate (BL40), Blackberry 9700 and Nokia E71, as well as a USB laptop card.

Not too shabby for an opening launch, Telus; not too shabby at all. We hope you can have all the bugs worked out of such a huge day before it actually happens.

Telus official website

• Telus officially launching Motorola Milestone (Droid) in early 2010
• Verizon to offer LG Dare, Decoy and Chocolate 3 in time for summer
• Telus’ BlackBerry Tour to land on July 15 for $249.99
• BlackBerry Bold 9700 shows up at T-Mobile Germany
• Nokia to Ditch Mosh Download Site

LG has two different methods of marketing it will focus on the most: celebrity marketing and specific sponsorships.

The company feels that it will be more effective at reaching customers by having Hollywood celebs endorse LG’s flagship products.

CMO Dermot J.M. Boden said “LG has been increasing the budget at a time when everybody else is reducing. The recession has been a key issue for everybody, but our market shares this year went up in every category.”

LG’s second strategy will be to set sights on sponsoring Formula 1 motor racing in a five-year deal as well as ICC (International Cricket Council) running to the end of the 2015 ICC World Cup.

via KoreaTimes

• LG turns to Formula 1 to market its phones
• LG aims for #2 spot by 2012, plans new “Black label” iPhone competitor, Prada III phone and extreme premium brand
• Cellphone energy gap widens, says Strategy Analytics
• 290.5 million phones sold in Q3 2009, Samsung and LG break new records
• LG aims to sell 100,000 Secrets, capture 10% mobile phone market share in Malaysia

The handset makers are: Samsung, LG, Research in Motion and Sharp. It is the first time when giant phone manufactures announce their global commitment to the JIL widget standard.

Reportedly, the Joint Innovation Lab’s widgets “will be capable of enhancing the mobile internet experience for customers on a variety of smartphones as well as mid- and low-cost handsets across several operating systems and distributed through JIL operators’ applications stores”.

Verizon, Vodafone, China Mobile and Softbank have a combined user base of more than 1 billion around the world (North America, Europe, Asia and Africa).

Via Press release

• Vodafone joins the app store race
• Vodafone buys Wayfinder for $29.3 million
• European telecom operators to sell HTC-branded handsets for a change
• Vodafone Music 24/7 service Launched
• QiGi i6 officially supports both Android and Windows Mobile 6.1

So when we found out the LG GR700 passed through the FCC with flying colors, and with AT&T bands, it turned our thoughts to what exactly this phone could be.

Here’s what we know: it has a sliding phone keypad, WQVGA screen resolution and has a screen size of 240×400 pixels. There is a very good chance the phone has a touchscreen which would make it appear to be very similar to the KF700 (pictured below). We assume when keypad is mentioned instead of keyboard, this means it is a standard numeric keypad, not a QWERTY.

Check out LG’s official XML file on the GR700 here. Let us know if you see any other nuggets of insight that we can’t see.

FCC Link; via PhoneArena

• PSP Phone from Sony Ericsson
• AT&T Intros Four Phones with Opera HTML Browser
• Triple slider idea from Nokia
• The new kind of HTC Slider
• Sony Ericsson Aino passes the FCC with AT&T 3G bands

BGR has leaked the new lineup that’s supposed to start off their voyage into HSPA+. Some phones are obvious while a few others are a pleasant sight to see.

First off, we all knew the iPhone is coming next month to Bell, so no surprise there. There have also been rumors of the Samsung Omnia II floating around. But we have learned that the Bold and Bold 2 (9700) are coming, Samsung Impact, LG Xenon, Nokias 2730 and 6350, and 3 HSPA laptop cards from Novatel (2 of which will offer 21 Mbps, a third will have 7.2).

Notable items: both the Bold and Bold 2 will be sold at the same time, though the original is rumored to be offered at a lower price ($149 for original, $249 for new). The iPhones will be $149, 199 and 299 for the 8, 16 and 32 GB respectively.

That’s all that was on the list for now, but I’m sure there will be a few others coming out that we haven’t heard of. Just make sure you get a new contract with these phones so you don’t get charged an additional monthly fee.

via BGR

• Bell to Deploy HSPA Network by Next Month
• AT&T to upgrade its 3G network to HSPA 7.2Mbps
• Samsung Reclaim launched by Bell; Samsung Omnia 2, Impact and Galaxy coming to Canada soon
• 5 mpx Samsung SGH-G800: 3x optical zoom, microSDHC card and HSDPA support
• Bell’s Samsung Omnia II is the Official Mobile Device of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Fortunately we had PhoneArena hanging around that forest to break the story. Yes, dear readers, there is a Lotus 2 coming. If you recall, the original Lotus was the squarest phone on the block, and apparently it was rather popular. At least popular enough to merit another go-around with nicer features.

So what kind of features are we talking about in this fresh sequel? Not much that we know of yet; MicroSD support up to 32 GB (up from 12 GB) and an external touch display. If there are additional features that are upgrades from the original, we know not of them yet.

But keep in mind that we have leaked info here that doesn’t even have a pic with it yet (the included pic here is of the original), so as always we are bound to get little pieces of info here and there to satisfy lovers of all things square.

Rumored roadmaps put the Lotus 2 launch at very early in 2010.

• Sprint LG Lotus LX600 Lotus Announced
• #MWC09: HTC Touch Diamond2 preview video
• HTC Touch HD2 to Run Android?
• LG Monaco, HTC Warhawk and Touch Pro2 leaked in Sprint document
• GPS equipped HTC Touch Cruise (Polaris) revealed

Unlike the BL20, which appeared in many leaked photos before being announced, the LG GD510 is a completely new handset.

Apparently, LG wants to continue Cookie’s success (sold in more than 7 million units until now), as the GD510 is a really simple handset – it’s presented as “the most compact 3-inch full touchscreen phone ever made.”

Not all the features of LG GD510 Pop were unveiled, but the known ones include:

• 3 inch touchscreen display with 240 x 400 pixels
• Music and video players
• 3MP camera
• 8GB of internal memory

The LG GD510 is made from brushed aluminum and has only one button on the front, which can shine either green or red, functioning as a menu key and as a call/end call key. The new phone also has some sort of a solar panel on the back, although LG didn’t mention this in the press release.

LG GD510 Pop will first be available in Europe, sometime in mid-October. Its price was not announced.

A video promo of the LG GD510 Pop can be watched below:

Via LG

• IFA 2007 report: LG KE970 Shine Gold
• LG KU970 Shine 3G Phone Gets Official
• LG Trax CU575 for AT&T gets official
• Alltell/ LG Glimmer touchscreen slider now official
• 3.5G HSDPA LG Shine upgrade – LG KU970 Shine in the works

The BL20 will be available in the UK starting the fourth quarter of this year, via O2 (which just lost its iPhone exclusivity).

All of the phone’s features are now confirmed, including the 2.4 inch QVGA display, the 5MP autofocus camera, the touch-sensitive navigation pad and the touch-sensitive side controls.

The New Chocolate BL20 also comes with Widget Hotkeys (for quick access to news, weather or personal updates) and Clear Memo Capture, a feature that “captures text, handwritten notes and drawings with maximum clarity, offering a different way to record information.”

The price of LG New Chocolate BL20 was not announced, but it will be “more affordable” than the price of LG BL40. The phone will probably be available across Europe before the year’s end.

Via LG

• LG New Chocolate BL20 shows up in promo video
• Samsung to pre-install WeatherBug weather widget on its phones
• Window Phone concept mixes transparency with weather forecasting
• LG New Chocolate BL20 – official specs unveiled
• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 gets pictured?

Like all the other phones in the Wine series, the new one is made for middle-aged customers.

Its features include a circular 1.77 inch external display, large keypad, shortcut keys, FM radio and GPS-based SOS alerts. The Wine 3 also comes with a leather case.

LG Wine 3 will be available in four color versions: Black/Gold, White, Pink and Titan. Its price was not announced.

No word wet if the LG Wine 3 will be released in other markets except South Korea.

Via LG (in Korean)

• Pantech IM-S380K announced – elegant Korean slider
• Samsung W690 has an AMOLED display and GPS
• Upgraded Samsung Corby announced in Korea with 3G, WQVGA screen and more
• LG Viewty now in pink
• LG Lollipop announced, a phone for youngsters

The GW300 is a messaging phone, so it comes with a full QWERTY keyboard, a Facebook application, email, and LiveSquare, a feature that gathers your favorite contacts on the phone’s homescreen “as avatars”.

LG GW300 also features tri-band GSM connectivity, a 2.4 inch QVGA landscape display, Bluetooth 2.1, 3.5mm headset jack, FM radio, 2MP camera with video reocording, 10MB of internal memory, MircoSD card support (up to 4GB) and a 900 mAh battery.

LG GW300 will be soon available from O2 (in electric blue) and Orange UK (in vibrant red). The phone’s price was not announced.

Via LG UK

• Samsung M3110, new affordable music phone
• Motorola Karma QA1 for AT&T now official
• Sprint’s Samsung Reclaim M560 messaging phone pictured
• Nokia 5230 touchscreen phone announced; costs only €149
• Motorola unveils the MOTO W403 – new basic clamshell

However, the new phone has been added by LG to its website, so we now know its official specs.

There aren’t any surprises here: the LG New Chocolate BL20 is a fashionable phone with mid-end features and touch-sensitive keys.

Apparently, the handset lacks both GPS and Wi-Fi, since they’re not mentioned in the specs sheet.

Anyway, here’s what is mentioned:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz
• UMTS/HSDPA 900/2100 MHz
• 2.4 inch TFT QVGA display with 262K colors
• SMS and MMS 1.2
• Email (SMTP, POP3, IMAP4)
• WAP 2.0/HTML/XHTML web browser
• Bluetooth 2.1
• USB 2.0
• PC Sync
• 5MP camera with autofocus, flash and video recording
• ARM9 processor (unknown frequency)
• 256MB Flash memory
• 128 MB RAM
• MicroSD card support, up to 16GB
• 106.9 x 50.8 x 12.3 mm
• 115 grams

The LG BL20 will probably be available before the year’s end. Its price is not known at the moment.

Via LG

• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• LG Secret soon in four new colors
• LG KF300 (Wine) details are finally out there.
• LG KG280 – cheap Chocolate for the masses
• Verizon announces the HTC Droid Eris, launches the LG Chocolate Touch

There’s still no official announcement, but the Chocolate Touch VX8575 has appeared in two live photos over at PhoneArena. Interestingly, it looks like there were two prototype versions of the VX8575: one resembling the BL40 and one being the phone pictured below.

Verizon didn’t like the design of the BL40-like handset, so they choose this one:

Reportedly, the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 features a 480 x 800 pixels touchscreen display, HTML browser, 3.5mm headset jack and a 3.2MP camera.

The phone is expected to hit Verizon sometime in October.

• Verizon announces the HTC Droid Eris, launches the LG Chocolate Touch
• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 gets pictured?
• LG Chocolate BL40 promo video leaked
• LG Versa officially announced by Verizon
• Verizon’s Samsung Rogue and Samsung Intensity appear in official photos

Unlike the already-announced LG Chocolate BL40, the BL20 doesn’t have a touchscreen display. However, the phone does have a touch-sensitive navigation area with hidden keys, and a sliding alphanumeric keypad.

The LG BL20 uses LG’s S-Class 3D UI, it has 3G, widgets and a 5MP autofocus camera with flash and Schneider-Kreuznach lens. There’s also a Text Scan feature that lets you capture handwritten text with ease.

The LG New Chocolate BL20 promo video can be watched below:

LG hasn’t officially announced the BL20, but it looks like it won’t be long until this happens.

Via PhoneArena

• LG Chocolate BL40 promo video leaked
• LG New Chocolate BL20 announced in the UK
• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• LG BL42 Chocolate leaked; live pics with LG BL40 spotted
• LG New Chocolate BL20 – official specs unveiled

This comes shortly after LG has also announced three Windows Mobile smartphones, including the GW550 and the GM750 for Vodafone.

As previously reported, the GW20 has a full touchscreen display and a sliding QWERTY keyboard.

According to LG’s CEO and President, Dr. Skott Ahn, “the LG GW620 will appeal to first-time smartphone customers by offering a new and different kind of user experience.”

The known specs of LG GW620 include:

• 3 inch TFT touchscreen display with the usual (for Android) 320 x 480 pixels resolution
• Quad-band GSM connectivity (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• HSDPA 2100
• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
• Stereo FM radio
• 5MP autofocus camera

LG GW620 will be commercially available in select European markets starting the fourth quarter of 2009. No word yet on the smartphone’s price.

Via Press release

• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic launched by Rogers in Canada
• Samsung i7500 officially confirmed as Samsung’s first Android phone
• HTC Tattoo (Click) announced, ships in October
• Acer A1 with Android 2.0 on pre-order
• Samsung Announces 4 Low-End Models; The World Yawns

Well, LG has announced that it has, indeed, partnered with the famous actress, as well as with her sister, Savannah Miller, who is Creative Director of fashion label Twenty8Twelve.

The announcement was made at the London Fashion Week, where Sienna and Savannah Miller have unveiled a luxurious case for the BL40 Chocolate phone.

Made from bespoke leather, the case features the Twenty8Twelve logo on a stainless steel tag, and is presented as a “perfect accessory” for the BL40.

LG will also offer exclusive Twenty8Twelve digital content for the BL40.

A video with Sienna and Savannah Miller’s opinion on the LG BL40 Chocolate can be watched below. They say they’re amazed by the phone:

Via Press release (in Korean)

• Sienna Miller to promote the new LG Chocolate?
• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• Vertu Constellation Ayxta video preview
• LG KF300 (Wine) details are finally out there.
• Apple “tax” for iPhone accessories may be in the works

The smartphone we’re talking about is called LG Etna – weird, because I knew that “Etna” was a codename for AT&T’s LG Neon GT365.

Anyway, Chip.de has a live photo of the Android-based LG Etna.

The handset has a 3 inch touchscreen display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and it looks pretty nice, as you can see for yourself in the image below:

The phone’s other known features include Bluetooth, USB, and a 5MP camera. The Etna appeared at Vodafone’s IFA boot, which probably means that the giant carrier will soon release the Android handset across Europe.

Via Phandroid

• Vodafone announces HTC Magic, its first Android smartphone
• Samsung InstinctQ M900 passes the FCC; Sprint release imminent?
• HTC Hero with Android to be exclusively sold by Orange
• New T-Mobile Samsung Bigfoot image leaked
• LG GW620 (Etna) with Android officially announced

Officially unveiled at the end of July, the LG BL40 is one of the most interesting phones of 2009.

The handset has a wide 4 inch capacitive touchscreen display with an unusual resolution of 345 x 800 pixels and a 21:9 aspect ratio.

The BL40 uses LG’s S-class 3D UI, and a new Dual Screen feature. Other specs include GSM and HSDPA connectivity, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headset jack, FM transmitter, 5MP camera with flash, and 1GB of internal memory.

“The new LG Chocolate will dramatically change the way we interact with our phones. The new Chocolate reflects the originality and sophistication of the Black Label Series and like its predecessor, we are confident that the new Chocolate will create its own legacy and further enhance our standing in the market,” declared Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

LG Still didn’t say how much the BL40 Chocolate will cost.

Via NewsWire

• LG Shine KE970 Launched in Europe
• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• LG Chocolate BL40 promo video leaked
• Black Label Series 3 LG KF750 phone gets official. Will get a name soon
• LG Chocolate II Black Label cellphone

In case Verizon’s customers are hoping for the Chocolate Touch to be the LG BL40, it looks like they’re going to be disappointed.

According to Engadget, the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 is, most probably, the device pictured in the images below. And, as you can see, this looks nothing like the BL40 (it actually resembles the LG Versa):

The phone’s back plate is surely interesting, though. Unfortunately, details about the features of LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 are not yet available.

Previous rumors had it that the Chocolate Touch would be launched by Verizon sometime in October, for $230 on contract.

• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 shows up again
• Verizon to launch Nokia Twist 7705, LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 and more
• LG Versa officially announced by Verizon
• Possible Touch Pro2 Release on Verizon Next Week
• Verizon’s new line-up: HTC Touch Diamond, LG 9600 Versa, Nokia 7205 Intrigue and BlackBerry Pearl Flip

We’re not sure if this is one of the new Windows Mobile 6.5 phones announced earlier today by LG, but, either way, the GM750 is basically an upgraded GM730.

The features of LG GM750 include a 3 inch touchscreen display with 480 x 800 pixels, Wi-Fi, 3G, Microsoft My Phone, Windows Live, 5MP camera, and LG’s S-Class 3D UI to make WM 6.5 look better.

For the beginning, Vodafone will offer the LG GM750 in seven countries: UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Greece and France (via SFR). Other markets will be added later this year.

The LG GM750 will be exclusively sold by Vodafone throughout 2009. Its price was not unveiled.

Via Press release

• The Vodafone App Star competition – €100,000 for the best 360 widgets
• Vodafone announces 360 services, Samsung H1 and M1 LiMo phones
• Vodafone’s BlackBerry Storm2 9520 officially coming on October 26
• Microsoft announces huge list of Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, HTC HD2 included
• HTC Magic to be released by Vodafone UK on May 1

One of the new devices is LG GW550 (pictured below) – which was first seen in June. It’s a Nokia E71-like smartphone, with a landscape QVGA display, full QWERTY keyboard, HSDPA, and a 3MP camera.

The other two WM 6.5 phones from LG were not named, but they are: “a full touchscreen device”, and “a touch slider with QWERTY keyboard.”

All three devices will use LG’s S-Class 3D UI and should be launched “in the next few weeks” in Europe, the US, and Asia.

LG said that it’s planning to launch a total of 13 new Windows phones by the end of 2010.

Via NewsWire

• HTC Touch HD with full QWERTY keyboard to be named HTC Touch HD Pro?
• Sprint 2009 roadmap leaked: HTC Rhodium, HTC Cedar, Samsung Dash, BlackBerry Niagara and 8 others
• Samsung SGH-i780 possible Black Jack 2 spotted in Dubai
• HTC Touch Slide, aka HTC Nike P5500 is almost here
• HTC Touch Pro2 officially announced by T-Mobile USA

Featuring GSM and TD-SCDMA connectivity, the LG GW880 will be available via the largest Chinese mobile carrier later this year, for a price that was not announced.

The smartphone is a high-end one, as it comes with a 3.5 inch WVGA touchscreen display, 5MP camera with flash, Mobile TV, 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM.

Here’s what the GW880 looks like:

We’re probably not going to see the LG GW880 outside China, but that’s OK, since LG is surely preparing some Android phones for other markets.

Source: Sina via SlashPhone

• Motorola A3300 is real, looks cool and is headed to China as A3300c
• LG KT878 and KV920 announced for China
• Dell Mini 3i smartphone finally launches in China
• QiGi i6 officially supports both Android and Windows Mobile 6.1
• Motorola MT710 oPhone is like a keyboard-less Droid for China

Sprint’s Touch Pro2 will have both EVDO and HSPA connectivity, plus Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, a 480 x 800 pixels touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, Sprint TV, a 3.2MP camera, and MicroSD card support.

The smartphone’s price on contract is still unknown.

The document also details the Verizon’s and AT&T’s Touch Pro2 (which have features similar to Sprint’s device), but without saying when they will be available.

T-Mobile is the only US carrier that currently sells the HTC Touch Pro2.

HTC Warhawk for AT&T is another smartphone that appears in the leaked document. The Warhawk is an upgraded version of the Touch Diamond2, coming with Windows Mobile 6.5, a 480 x 800 pixels touchscreen display, Wi-Fi and a 5MP camera.

Moving on, we have some info on AT&T’s LG Monaco. The WM handset has a 480 x 800 pixels display, Wi-Fi, full QWERTY keyboard, and a 5MP camera. AT&T should release it in September.

And finally, Verizon’s Samsung Omnia II is also detailed. The smartphone will come with WM 6.1 and 8GB of internal memory, sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Via Sprint Users and WMPoweruser

• Sprint HTC Touch Pro 2 / Rhodium to come in June; live pics leaked
• HTC Touch Pro2 details appear at Sprint’s website
• Sprint makes the HTC Touch Pro2 officially expensive
• LG Monaco (Pico) to hit AT&T with Windows Mobile 7 on board?
• Sprint officially launches the HTC Touch Pro. October 26 will see it in stores

Available as of March 2009, the LG Arena is a decent iPhone competitor – despite the fact that it’s not a smartphone.

The Arena is particularly successful in Europe, where it helped LG to sell almost five million phones during the second quarter of 2009.

LG currently offers the Arena in 53 countries around the world, for a retail price of about €400. The price will probably drop soon, especially since LG is ready to launch new touchscreen phones, like the BL40 Chocolate.

Via Press release

• 1 million LG Arena phones already pre-ordered
• 2 million LG Arena phones ordered worldwide
• LG Arena officially launched in Europe
• LG Arena to retail for €399 in Europe
• 5 million Samsung TouchWiz F480 phones sold

The Storm 2, which we just found detailed video footage on, is slated for a October release and still undisclosed price; BGR is assuming $199, a similar price point to the original.

Here’s the scoop we found out in the screenshots:

• Blackberry Curve 2 in late November
• Samsung Rogue (Glyde 2) coming in August; release this week?
• LG Chocolate Touch in October for $230
• Motorola Sholes Android Phone in late October
• Nokia Twist 7705 late September for $230
• Samsung Intensity in September for est. $160
• HTC Razzle/Blitz 2 in late Oct

The biggest mystery is what the Curve 2 will officially be. Any ideas, thoughts? Also what do you think the Twist 7705 is? The screenshots indicate it will be geared toward the female demographic.

via Boy Genius

• Verizon to launch Nokia Twist 7705, LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 and more
• AT&T rejected Motorola Android phones for being “out of date”?
• AT&T BlackBerry 8320 official photos leaked
• Motorola Dext hits Orange UK on October 7; Verizon’s Droid / Tao / Sholes may come on October 30
• Holiday Roadmap for Verizon Leaked

The LG GD910 will be available for a limited time in the UK, and only via Orange.

Starting August 27, customers will be able to buy the GD910 at the Orange shop in Bond Street Station, Central London. In September, the watchphone will also be available online.

Featuring HSDPA, a scratch-resistant 1.43 inch display, video call camera, Bluetooth and voice command, the GD910 is one of the nicest watchphones on the market today.

Orange UK will offer the LG GD910 on Pay As You Go, for £500 (about €589 or $824).

Here’s a video preview of the watchphone:

Via Press release

• Kemplar & Strauss Claims Smallest Watch Phone
• Orange UK exclusively launches the Toshiba TG01, free on select plans
• Samsung S9110 is a touchscreen watchphone priced at €450
• Orange UK confirms: Motorola Dext comes in October, free on contract
• LG GD910 watch phone hits the UK in July, via Orange and Carphone Warehouse

According to The Korea Times, LG Display spent around 90 billion won ($73 million) to establish a new OLED line.

The company plans to produce 8,000 OLED panels per month by the end of 2010.

(AMOLED layers, via Wikipedia)

“We are finding a growing demand for small display panels that are generated from high-end consumer electronics devices and smart phones,” declared an LG Display executive.

LG currently doesn’t have phones to feature AMOLED displays. But, most probably, the AMOLED panels made by LG Display will be used in some of LG’s upcoming handsets.

• Samsung flexible AMOLED displays to enter mass production soon
• Google Maps 3.2 brings Layers to BlackBerry
• Samsung to start AMOLED phone mass production for KDDI Japan
• LG GB106 and GB110 seem practical, quite affordable
• LG KM900 – LG’s first high-end music phone?

Well, we still don’t know when, but the first live picture of the phone has just appeared in the wild, so it probably won’t take long until the second largest US carrier announces the phone.

As previously reported, the LG Shine 2 should come with the following features: 2.2 inch QVGA display with 262k colors, HSDPA 3.6Mbps, Bluetooth 2.1, 2MP camera, MicroSD card support (up to 16GB), and a 910 mAh battery.

Seeing the phone’s features and design, we’re guessing that AT&T will sell it for a low price on contract. The handset will probably help LG to further expand its market share in the US.

Via Engadget

• LG Shine II announced, AT&T gets it on November 22
• LG Shine 2 and LG Georgia for AT&T pictured
• LG Shine Signature LG-LC3600 with personal engravings
• LG Shine 2 and Vu 2 rumored for AT&T. LG Secret cancelled?
• LG Shine Wood launched in Korea

Reportedly, Samsung’s market share in the US and Canada is currently of 24.7%, as the company sold 11.7 million handsets between April and June in the region.

In the same period, LG sold 10.7 million handsets, accounting for a market share of 22.6%.

In consequence, the two South Korean giants control 47.3% of the North American phone market.

LG is known for being a top supplier of messaging phones for the US – selling almost 12 million such devices in 2008.

As for Samsung, the company’s success probably relies on phones like Sprint’s Instinct series, AT&T’s Jack and Impression (pictured above), or Verizon’s Omnia and Glyde.

Via Yonhap News

• LG sells 20 million QWERTY phones, helped by the enV and Rumor series
• Samsung Instinct Achieves Record Sales
• Samsung’s mobile market share to top 20% by the end of 2009
• Mobile phone market declined by almost 13% in Q4 2008
• Samsung to increase phone sales by 20% in 2010 (to 270 million units)

Most have been expected to launch with the US’s second-largest carrier at some point in time (we’ve been hearing about the Garmin for 2 years now), though it’s still good to hear that time is coming very near for some of these listed.

The included picture will tell all, but let’s sum up some of the devices listed:

• Blackberry 9700 (Onyx)
• Garmin Nuvifone G60
• HTC Tilt2 (Touch Pro2)
• HTC Pure (either the Snap or Android-based Lancaster)
• Nokia 6750 and 6350
• LG GD710 (Shine 2?)
• Samsung A797 (to replace the A777?)
• Samsung A897 (”Blackbox”)

There are a few other listed that we don’t know much about (A new USB device, Pantech C7000 and C790 — could the C790 be a follow up to the Duo?), but we’d love to hear your input on them anyways. Leave some love in the comments section!

• AT&T’s Samsung A797 spotted in the wild
• AT&T’s HTC Pure shows up, might cost $149.99 on contract
• Tilt2, HTC Pure Now Official on AT&T
• BlackBerry Onyx 9020 picture leaked, optical trackpad included
• #MWC09: Garmin Asus Nuvifone G60 hands-on review and video

Sure, we know that the phone has a 4 inch touchscreen display with 800 x 345 pixels and a 21:9 aspect ratio, plus a 5MP camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and flash.

Some other specs have been confirmed by LGblog.de: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and UMTS/HSDPA connectivity.

And now, thanks to a new FCC approval, we know that the BL40 will definitely have an FM Transmitter.

Furthermore, as you can see in the image below, a 3.5mm headset jack seems to be included as well.

Official details about the phone’s internal memory, processor and RAM are still missing. Anyway, it looks like the new Chocolate will be a great multimedia phone. Hopefully, we won’t be disappointed when it finally hits the market (probably promoted by Sienna Miller).

• Sienna Miller to promote the new LG Chocolate?
• Sienna and Savannah Miller partner with LG, present Twenty8Twelve case for the BL40 Chocolate
• LG BL40 Chocolate starts shipping in Europe
• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 shows up again
• LG KU800 Chocolate 3G launched in Asia

And since there’s no better way to promote a product than in association with a famous star, LG wants to team-up with Sienna Miller, the American actress and model who’s  famous for her roles in movies like “G.I. Joe” and “Factory Girl”.

According to The Korea Times, which quotes an LG spokesman, the South Korean company “is close to striking a business deal with Miller for promotion, though more time will be needed to finalize it, as some technical issues still remain.”

Moreover, the spokesman has confirmed that Sienna Miller (pictured below) is somehow connected with the upcoming phone, which is presented as a “strategically important consumer gadget.”

LG said that the BL40 would be available across the world starting this quarter, thus in September the latest. So I guess that we’ll soon see Sienna with an LG BL40 in her hand – or something like that.

• Sienna and Savannah Miller partner with LG, present Twenty8Twelve case for the BL40 Chocolate
• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• Korea’s KTF in talks with Apple to bring the iPhone home
• Palm Treo Pro to be built by HTC
• Microsoft Office Web apps coming to iPhone in 2009

Posted on Twiter by an LG spokesman, the three pictures confirm the fact that the BL40 is indeed a good looking phone.

The BL40 is referred to as “New Chocolate”, but it’s not clear yet if this will be its official name.

As mentioned before, the LG BL40 Chocolate has a 800 x 345 pixels touchscreen display, a 5MP autofocus camera and probably many other cool features.

We still don’t know when LG will fully unveil the BL40, but that day shouldn’t be too far.

Update: LG has officially announced the BL40.

The phone has a Dual Screen User Interface “that can efficiently display two different types of content simultaneously,” while its 4 inch display is protected by curved tempered glass.

LG said that the BL40 Chocolate would be available in no less than 54 countries, sometime in the third quarter of this hear.

• LG Chocolate BL40 promo video leaked
• LG New Chocolate BL20 announced in the UK
• LG BL40 Chocolate starts shipping in Europe
• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• LG Prada KE850 Touch Screen Phone officially launches

As you’d expect from an entry-level phone, the GB109 doesn’t have too many features, being targeted at customers who need cheap, basic handsets.

Its specs include: a 1.5 inch CSTN display with 65K colors, stereo FM radio, organizer, and a 950 mAh battery that can last up to 6 hours in talk-time or up to 440 hours in stand-by time.

The LG GB109 also has some quick-access keys (for FM radio and messaging).

In Ukraine, the retail price of LG GB109 will be of only 389 UAH (about $48).

Via Mobile-review

• Samsung E2120 / E2120C – new, simple candybar
• Alcatel OT-707 and OT-800 – cheap touchscreen and QWERTY phones
• Nokia 2220 Slide in new photos, should be released this quarter
• Cheap Samsung SGH-t349 available from T-Mobile
• Samsung E1410 and Samsung E1117, new entry-level candybars

Leveraging on this success, LG now plans to release a 3G version of the Wine phone.

The handset will be launched in Korea in September, via SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom.

There are no further details about the upcoming device, but, since the previous Wine phones were targeted at middle-aged and older customers, we should expect the new one to be made for them as well.

The key features of LG’s Wine phones are the large screen and keypad, quick-access keys, text-to-speech, and the simple overall design.

Via Telecoms Korea

• LG Wine 3 announced in Korea; features circular display
• NTT DoCoMo, KT Freetel to Jointly Procure LG Wine
• NTT DoCoMo to launch Raku Raku Phone V in August for your grandmother and mine
• SK Telecom to make its own handsets?
• LG-SH470 Edge debuts in Korea

First of all, there’s the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575, a full-touchscreen phone that should come as Verizon’s fourth Chocolate handset – after VX8500, VX8550 and the VX8560. It’s not clear yet if the Chocolate Touch VX8575 is the LG BL40, the LG BL42, or another unannounced phone.

Next, we have two Nokia handsets: Nokia Shade 2705 (an entry-level phone to succeed the Mirage 2605) and Nokia Twist 7705, rumored to be a phone with a swiveling display.

BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 is obviously on the “coming soon” list too – it should be launched in October or November.

Samsung Rogue U960, aka Samsung Glyde 2 (pictured below) is prepared by Verizon for an August release.

As we’ve guessed earlier today, the Samsung i920 will be Verizon’s Omnia II – it is probably not the Omnia II announced by Samsung for Europe and Asia, since they have different model names (i920 vs. i8000). Anyway, Verizon’s new Samsung Omnia II i920 might be launched in time for Christmas.

Samsung U450 and Strut U440 should complete the Samsung line-up.

There’s a Motorola phone too – Motorola Entice aka Harmony W766. It will replace the W755, but it’s not clear yet when.

Four push-to-talk phones are also coming soon from Verizon:

• Casio Rock C731
• Casio Brigade C741
• Motorola V860
• Samsung Convoy U640

Interestingly, it looks like Verizon will also launch the Palm Treo 800w, a rather old smartphone that’s available via Sprint since last year. Verizon may introduce the Treo 800w in February 2010.

Via Phone Arena

• Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 gets pictured?
• Palm Pre and Eos included in Verizon’s inventory database?
• Samsung announces TouchWiz powerful phones for the US, Omnia likely to be included
• Casio Exilim and Motorola Rival launched by Verizon
• Verizon’s Omnia II appears on Samsung’s website

Reportedly, 19,000 LG Cookies are sold everyday  across the globe – which means 13 units per minute.

Launched nine months ago, the LG Cookie has become the company’s fastest selling touchscreen phone, currently being available in more than 60 countries.

Commercialized under various model names (like KP500 or KP501), LG Cookie has more than 10 color versions, including black, silver, pink and white.

Interesting facts: if you gather 5 million LG Cookie phones side by side, you can cover an area of about 29,000 square meters. Also, if you put 5 million Cookies end to end, their line would be of 535 km – more than enough to pave a road from London to Paris with the phones

Via Press release (in Korean)

• 2 million LG Cookie phones sold, 10 million units planed
• White LG Cookie from O2 UK, £99.99 on Pay & Go
• LG KX500 – LG Cookie for CDMA networks
• LG sold 5 million Viewty phones; new colors unveiled
• Samsung to make 100 million touchscreen phones in 2010, 65% of them with capacitive screens

And now that the official model number is confirmed and this super wide screen candybar (almost literally) is coming soon, can we ask why?

I did not like the narrow display of the KF700, and now LG made a screen that looks even narrower?

Sure, all that Cinema 21:9 resolution (with those friggin Cinema true things, that we won’t see on mobile device for months)  the real candybar form factor and the new S-Class UI next gen look really great on paper and on video.

But I just wonder, how will the LG BL40 feel and look when held in hand?

LG will probably announce the BL40 at the same time with the BL42 slider, but, of course, no one knows yet when this will happen.

We’ll bring more on these new Black Label Series phones as soon as new details emerge.

• New LG BL40 Chocolate Black Label Series 4 to come with 21:9 AR widescreen cinema display
• Verizon to offer LG Dare, Decoy and Chocolate 3 in time for summer
• Nokia is thinking about it’s own Sidekick
• Samsung i7500 in live pictures
• LG BL40 Chocolate appears in official pictures (updated)

The South Korean company will also release the LG BL42 – a mid-end phone that seems to be the direct successor of the original Chocolate.

Apparently, the LG BL42 will feature GSM/UMTS connectivity, a touchpad, a QVGA display, a sliding alphanumeric keypad, and a 5MP camera with Flash and Schneider-Kreuznach optics.

Here’s what the LG BL42 looks like:

LG BL42 vs. the old LG Chocolate:

Alongside the BL42, several live images of the high-end BL40 have appeared over at the Telefon-Treff forum:

LG BL42 vs. LG BL40 (notice the huge 800 x 345 pixels display of BL40):

We don’t know when LG will announce the BL40 and the BL42, but it shouldn’t be long until this happens.

Via All About Phones

• LG Chocolate BL40 promo video leaked
• LG New Chocolate BL20 shows up in promo video
• LG BL40 Chocolate to feature FM Transmitter
• LG Renoir 8GB Black unveiled
• Nokia E63 live shots, more details on specs

According to GW600’s User Guide unveiled by the FCC, the handset features Video Share, which is an AT&T service. In consequence, the new LG smartphone should reach AT&T sometime in the near future.

The LG GW600 has a half-QWERTY keyboard, a touchscreen display (probably with 240 x 320 pixels) and a stylus.

Other features include:

• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Proximity sensor
• Light sensor
• 3MP camera
• MicroSD card support

So, what do you think? Could this LG GW600 rival the Nokia E71x or a BlackBerry?

Via PhoneScoop

• The first HTC Leo picture (apparently) leaked
• Motorola Rival A455 and Evoke QA4 – specs unveiled
• Telus intros the Motorola Rival; Fido gets the Nokia 1661
• Philips X806 and C702 touchscreen phones show up
• Nokia’s smartphone roadmap unveils: a 8MP camera handset, three high-end touchscreen devices and more

Users who download the widget can win an LG Arena phone per day, while those who play the existing 3D game can win an LG Arena per week.

Accessible at this address, the 3D S-Class website also allows you to test the S-Class User Interface via an emulator.

Apart from being installed on the LG Arena, the S-Class UI is also featured on the LG Viewty Smart GC900 and the LG GD900 Crystal.

Via LG UK Blog

• LG Viewty Smart GC900 officially outed
• LG Viewty II GC900 in live pics
• LG Viewty Smart available this month in the UK. 12MP LG phone re-confirmed
• Samsung opens TouchWiz to third parties by launching Mobile Widget SDK
• LG Viewty Smart GC900 is finally official