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.
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.
