LG Bridges the Gap between Ideas and Reality

Barcelona, Spain. - LG Electronics, a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, will introduce its latest innovations, newest handsets and strategic direction for this year at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. Topping LG’s achievements is its direct, intuitive and dynamic 3D S-Class User Interface (UI), which will debut on the ARENA handset (LG-KM900).

Other highlights include several world firsts like the sensational 3G Touch Watch Phone (LG-GD910) and an LTE-based handset modem chip.

“The products and technologies we will unveil at Mobile World Congress were thought impossible not long ago, but now we’re proving just how possible they are,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We have based our products on insight from consumers, turning their ideas into reality.”

LG’s new S-Class UI, which will become standard on the company’s high-end handsets, is a totally new interface designed specifically to leverage the advantages of touchscreens. Based around a 3D cube layout with four customizable home screens, S-Class UI eliminates nested menus wherever possible and provides direct access to applications and features. This dynamic interface, with rich graphics changes instantly to fit the task at hand and is the result of LG thinking “what if?” when trying to create the most intuitive interface in the mobile industry. Moreover, a powerful AMD processor ensures that it always runs at top speed.

The first handset that will benefit from the S-Class UI is ARENA, LG’s new flagship model for 2009. This fully-loaded multimedia phone includes a large 3.0-inch full touchscreen with razor sharp WVGA resolution. It achieves a previously unthinkable level of audio quality with all its multimedia features, thanks to Dolby Mobile; even more impressively, a 5 megapixel camera captures incredible quality pictures and can also record DVD-quality video that looks great, even when played back on a large screen TV. With DivX and Xvid video playback support, ARENA is the perfectly convenient multimedia companion.

Wearable mobile devices, until recently just science fiction, will be another highlight of the show. On hand will be LG’s 3G Touch Watch Phone, which was a major hit at Consumer Electronics Show earlier in the year. This is the first market-ready wearable 3G phone and comes with a Bluetooth headset, touchscreen interface and built-in camera for video calls. LG’s PRADA Link (LG-LBA-T950) is a designer accent to the PRADA Phone by LG (LG-KF900). Connecting wirelessly by Bluetooth to the PRADA Phone by LG, PRADA Link provides instant access to text messages and many features without having to take the phone out from a purse or pocket.

LG will demonstrate the world’s first handset modem chip based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. This chip, with a previously unimaginable top download speed of 60 Mbps and upload speed of 20 Mbps, is the core component needed to make a market-ready 4G handset. No longer just an idea, it is nearly 10 times faster than the fastest 3G HSDPA handsets available today and LG will show how this chip can be used to simultaneously download four HD-quality videos and play them back in real-time.

Once thought impossible, LG will prove at Mobile World Congress that high technology can also be eco-friendly with the release of LG’s Solar-powered handset. A solar panel embedded on the phone’s battery cover harnesses the power of the sun to charge the battery without plugging it in. In addition, LG is introducing eco-friendly packaging, using recycled materials and soy-based inks. These initiatives prove LG’s commitment to creating a healthier and cleaner environment for everyone.

LG will hold a press conference at 2:00 p.m. on February 16, the first day of the exhibition, at the Media Center in Hall 2 of Fira de Barcelona. During the conference, LG will show off several new products and lay out its strategy for 2009.