LG set to release 3 new music based handsets, the GM205, 210 and 310

LG are releasing three music phones aimed at emerging markets; the LG GM310, GM210 and the GM205. The handsets feature Dolby Mobile and LG’s Sound Engine, which tweaks audio based on nine presets depending on the kind of music you’re listening to plus dedicated keys for the music player controls; not particularly unique, but considering the price range we’re expecting these to go for, they’re packing a fair punch.


LG have always had a respectable foot in the mobile music door but I feel these new handsets mark a new attempt to capture some of the market that Sony Ericsson mainly have dominated over recent years. The new devices are quite obviously targeted at the younger crowd as they are expected to be in the mid range to lower price bracket however this is yet to be put on paper.


Anyways back to business…


LG GM205

Starting on the low end, the GM205 candybar features 2.1-channel audio, a 2 megapixel camera, and memory expansion to 2GB (seems like everything supports microSDHC these days, so this is a bit of a disappointment even in the lower market segments).


LG GM210

Next on show is the GM210 which switches over to a slider design and ups the expandability to a generous 4GB and supports USB 2.0. Like the 205 it also sports a 2 megapixel camera however no 2.1 channel speakers?


LG GM310

Finally we have the LG GM310 which moves on from the 210 but keeps a similar slide form factor. It has 512 MB or 1 GB internal memory and support for up to 32 GB microSD cards so already you can tell which phone will be at the forefront of this new launch. 32 GB’s is more than enough for your many playlists. There’s even a 3.5 mm audio jack for compatibility with your favourite headphones. The GM310 also sports an upgraded 3.15 megapixel camera with autofocus and Bluetooth 2.1. It has a touch-sensitive navigation panel with dedicated music keys, located under the 2.2″ display with QVGA resolution. On the connectivity side, the LG GM310 offers tri-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA for up to 1.8 Mbps downlink speeds!


The phones will initially be released in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America, including Mexico and Brazil. After that they will inevitably move down to other markets launching in 30 countries in total. There is no definitive word on pricing yet but as I mentioned we believe they should be lower to midrange market price-wise.

The LG Watch Phone

LG Electronics, a worldwide leader in mobile communications, recently showed off its new innovative ‘Watch Phone’! at Mobile World Congress 2009. It is the world’s first market-ready Touch Watch Phone (LG-GD910) with 3G Video Telephony, 3G VT Service and GSM Quadband Network with sophisticated philosophy of ‘Simple & Easy connectivity’ by applying the world’s best wireless technology merged with miniaturisation and large scale integration technologies.


During the exhibition, LG held live demonstrations to show how the phone can be used to make video calls. This is a unique feature among watch phones and shows how advanced LG’s wearable mobile really is.


This chic, wearable phone is a follow-up to the prototype that LG introduced in 2008 and includes a number of upgrades, such as a full touchscreen interface, 3G capabilities and video calling thanks to a tiny little camera in the top right hand corner; now LG have said this will be able to take photos as well but as you can imagine the camera quality wont exactly be top notch, however its still pretty amazing. Most importantly, this watch phone will actually be available for purchase.


“Our new 3G Touch Watch Phone is stylish, sophisticated and the height of technology, but it’s also undeniably fun. How else can you re-enact those scenes from your favourite sci-fi or spy movie?” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG is the first company to introduce a mobile phone with the wearable device technology. We will continue to develop category-creating products to form a new market, based on our technological leadership and design capability.”


At first glance, LG’s new Watch Phone appears to simply be a high-end timepiece. The company used materials and stylistic elements found in watches from top manufacturers to ensure that people will be comfortable wearing it for any occasion. My first thought as im sure others will agree is that the phone must be an amazing eye sore with so many high end features however as you can see it is actually beautifully crafted. I had it at around 3 or 4 times the size after first reading about it but LG have once again outdone themselves and the competition. The Watch Phone elegance comes from it’s curved tempered glass face, high quality metal casing and slight frame which is a mere 13.9mm thick.


The Watch Phone is as technologically advanced as it is stylish. It is the first touch watch phone in the world to feature 7.2 Mbps 3G HSDPA compatibility, enabling high-speed data transmission and video phone calls using the built-in camera. LG did not sacrifice functionality in favour of size and the Watch Phone is fully capable of sending text messages (via a virtual T9 keyboard), making phone calls, and, of course, keeping accurate time. This is all achieved using the phone’s touchscreen interface on its 3.63cm (1.43-inch) screen and LG’s intuitive Flash Interface.


Voice recognition features, which can be used with or without a Bluetooth headset, make it easier to place calls and look up contacts. Text to Speech (TTS) reads text messages and other information out loud for even greater convenience. The phone also includes stereo Bluetooth and a built-in speaker for playing back MP3 music files. The sound coming from the speakers on the watch is surprisingly loud, though i still would suggest using a headset for taking calls or listening to music etc as holding your wrist to the side of your head does look a little too secret agent. We’ve been told there is 70MB of storage inside, but that could change by the time the device launches as could a number of things.


The charging pins are on the underside of the watch, which can then be connected to a mains charger if I had to hazard a guess like any other phone. The strap can also be adjusted quite easily, which I think is a simple yet strong selling point as its all well and good creating a tiny little wrist phone masterpiece but it becomes completely redundant if nobody can wear it. On the right side of the watch are three buttons: the Talk, Clear and End buttons, respectively which is obviously similar to most LG handsets on today’s market.


The phone will be available in Europe at the end of this year. It’ll be available in a range of colours, from black and silver to blue, red and even pink. Orange will be the first to bring the Watch Phone across its European footprint later this year however pricing is still yet to be announced, I imagine this is due to the lack of knowledge concerning the final features that will be available on the device. The Watch/Phone has without questions exceeding all expectations and has set new heights for both its respectful markets.

Introducing the Sony Ericsson W995!

The latest phone to be announced by Sony Ericsson as you may have already seen from a recent blog post is the new Sony Ericsson W995, the ultimate in mobile media. Not only does it follow the illustrious ways of the cyber-shot range boasting an 8.1 megapixel camera to take on the likes of its step brother the ever popular C905 but it also has Sony Ericsson’s walkman capabilities, making it the first of its kind, bringing media applications together in one stylish, pocket friendly device.


This week I was lucky enough to get my hands on the W995 and I have to say, I think I’ve found my next phone. So first things first, what does it look like? Well from the images you can see that it is basically a shrunken version of the C905 with all purpose slide action but has a more ‘walkmany’ feel, with the characteristics and exterior design of maybe the W880 with dedicated walkman and music buttons. It weighs in at a mere 113g making it extremely light weight considering everything it is packing. It is in no way touch screen which will probably split peoples opinions, however it does have accelerometer and all the latest 3g gadgets such as geo-tagging, Wi-Fi, motion sensors and of course, HSDPA for fast browsing and downloading which does include YouTube luckily.


The main talking point of the W995 is obviously the new culmination of all things fun, be it camera/video, music or even game based, the W995 seems to blow the competition away. The 8.1 MP camera is sharp and precise, it captures colour like any good Cyber-shot should, either close up or from distance. The zoom function allowed me to look at things from some distance with a fair bit of detail however I would advise keeping it just short of fully zoomed as it will tend to get a tad hazy. The camera also boasts features such as face detection, image stabiliser etc and the video recording capabilities are no joke either with 30 frames per second and a secondary lens for video calling.


As for the music side of things, the W at the beginning of its name is really all that you need to know. If you’ve had any experience with a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone before, you know the amazing level of control and adaptability you have with its new 4.0 player, SenseMe and ShakeMe controls plus TrackID recognition. The sound as you would expect is also as good as you will find anywhere, either through the loudspeaker or via the 3.5mm headphone jack placed quite neatly on the top of the handset.


Lastly I think the games on this mobile need a special mention. When I picked up the W995 I knew what I should expect; great handling, yes; easy navigation, obviously, great camera and music features, definitely! But the proverbial cherry had to be the amount of high quality games already downloaded. Two of my personal favourites would have to be ‘Real Football’ which I couldn’t get enough of once I worked out the fairly basic controls… 2-1 England, lovely strike by crouch from outside the box (just a side note, ignore if you have no clue what I’m talking about) and ‘Guitar Rock Tour’ Sony Ericsson’s version of guitar hero which is very easy to get the hang of and is very addictive which im sure anyone who has played the real thing would whole heartedly agree with.


I was going to say that the Sony Ericsson W995 looks set to be a great addition to the Cyber-shot and Walkman families but in hindsight I think this handset will actually be the corner stone of the two genres finally combining and not the end but the putting to one side of either or, with the W995 you can have both! I personally love this mobile as I’m sure you could tell from this glowing review, with an excellent camera and more than enough going for it in other departments too I’m sure this handset will be a massive hit.