LG Readies 4G LTE Phone For Verizon

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 3/24/2011

Orlando, Fla. - LG came to the CTIA convention with a working prototype of its LG Revolution, an Android-based 4G LTE phone for the Verizon Wireless network.

LG demonstrated a working prototype of its Revolution 4G LTE phone for the Verizon Wireless network.

The phone, which will be LG's first LTE phone, will be available to consumers in the second or third quarter, said Tim O'Brien, LG marketing VP.

Verizon's first LTE phone, the $249 HTC-made ThunderBolt, went on sale March 17 through the carrier's stores and website and through third-party retailers.

LG's Revolution will offer 4G data over Verizon's 700MHz LTE network and also operate in the 3G network.

The Revolution will have a 4.3-inch, WVGA 800 by 480, LCD capacitive touchscreen. It will not have a a QWERTY keyboard, but will have a 1GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Android 2.2 OS, 16GB of embedded memory, MicroSD card slot for an additional 32GB of memory, 720p HDMI output, DLNA certification, Bluetooth 3.0, playback of DivX video files, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and 720p video capture, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and Google Voice voice control.

The device offers simultaneous 3G voice and 4G data, and it supports IP-based voice over LTE data in preparation for Verizon's planned implementation of IP-based voice services over LTE to expand voice capacity.

The phone is capable of video chats over 3G and 4G data and over Wi-Fi. It wasn't clear whether it offers mobile Wi-Fi hot spot capability.

The device also features LG's Optimus user interface, including a pinch-in feature that, among other things, lets users see the phone's seven home screens simultaneously. Pinch-in also lets users pinch in to see folders of apps and view emails sorted by person.

The UI's "what's new" widget lets users view the newest social-messaging updates, emails, text messages, calendar updates, and news.

The Revolution offers many of the same features as the HTC ThunderBolt, which has Android 2.2, 4.3-inch 800 by 480 WVGA touchscreen, 1GHz processor, DLNA, 720p video capture, kickstand, 8GB embedded memory, MicroSD slot supporting 32GB cards, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, hot spot capability supporting up to eight Wi-Fi devices, 8-megapixel back cameras with 720p video capture, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for Skype video chats, FM tuner and assisted GPS.