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Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands
HTC's closure of its South Korean office may seem yet another blow to the company this year, but don't be alarmed: we saw it coming. It's a given that Peter Chou's gang is cutting back in response to its recent weak performance, but the more interesting takeaway here is the fact that the South Korean smartphone market is one tough nut for foreign brands to crack open. Just walk into any carrier shop in Seoul and you'll see the shelves dominated by devices from Samsung, LG and Pantech. If you're lucky, you may spot the odd Sony, Motorola and HTC phones cowering in a corner. So why is that the case? Let's take a look at the how it all started.
LG Andro-1 is a GW620 with a Korean keyboard, funnier name
Before this fancy-sounding LU2300 that we've been hearing about rolls in, LG's got another Android-powered phone in mind for its domestic market -- but we would've never guessed it'd be a rehash of a tired model that's been sold internationally for several months now. Indeed, the KH5200 "Andro-1" is little more than a remix of the GW620 QWERTY slider -- a phone known as Eve to its Canadian buyers -- with a 3-inch HVGA display and 5 megapixel cam on board. It's said the phone could launch on KT as soon as next week for around 600,000 won ($531), but what might make it more palatable is chatter that they'll get the sucker down to a nice, round 0 won on plans of 45,000 won or higher. If true, that would make the Andro-1 KT's first free-on-contract smartphone, ushering in an exciting new era of indentured servitude for Korea's wireless subscribers. Welcome to the club, guys!
LG commits to Android 1.6 -- not 2.0 -- for Rogers' Eve
We suppose we should be excited that Canada's version of the LG GW620 Eve is getting any major update at all, but still: what the heck? LG Canada has communicated via its official Twitter account this week that Rogers' version of the phone -- its second QWERTY-equipped Android set after the Dream -- would be getting an update to Android 1.6 (known to the bakers in the room as Donut, of course) this Spring. What's crazier, it apparently won't be an over-the-air boost since they're saying it'll be available from both LG's and Rogers' sites. That's not a huge deal, but seriously guys, why 1.6? If it were to drop today it'd feel old -- and by Spring, when HTC, Motorola, and likely Samsung all have 2.1 updates at the ready, this is just going to look a little silly, isn't it?
LG marks belated Android entry with GW620 UK launch
Hey, you know what's hot right now? Android 1.5. You know what else? Resistive touchscreens and chunky bodies, the ladies just can't get enough of them. Good thing too, since in some alternate universe where the Motorola Droid, HTC HD2 and the Nexus One existed, this LG GW620 -- hereafter to be known as the InTouch Max -- would look like it's arriving about a year too late to matter. A phone that's been teased and promoted since September, it has finally found homes on Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile in the UK, where unwitting victims can have it forced upon them for free when they sign up to long-term contracts costing at least £20 ($32.50) per month. Hit the source link for more details, if you must.
LG GW620 Eve coming to Rogers, Android deftly avoids AT&T yet again
It looks like Canada's Rogers will be among the first carriers in the world to offer LG's first Android device, the GW620 Eve -- and for North Americans, this is particularly notable since it means there's a version of the device at retail that'll theoretically work on Bell, Telus, and AT&T in addition to Rogers proper. We have no indication that AT&T's about to actually pull the trigger on this thing (or on any Android device for that matter), though, so if you're into the 5 megapixel AF cam, full QWERTY slide, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA capability, we'd recommend putting your unlockin' pants on. For Rogers customers, we're not seeing a release date just yet, but it looks like you'll be paying a downright reasonable CAD $49.99 (about $47) on a three-year deal when it launches. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG's Android-equipped GW620 hits the FCC
By all accounts, the GW620 seems to be a pretty timid first entry into the Android fray for LG -- it's a pretty plain-vanilla set with nary a software customization to be found -- but there's definitely a market for that sort of thing, so it's good to see that they're making nice progress toward retail availability with an FCC filing here. Of course, as with far too many phones, FCC approval has precisely zero bearing on whether it'll actually be offered in the New World; these guys are just dotting their I's and crossing their T's as they prepare for a proper launch in key markets around the globe where travel to the US seems like a possibility. The particular version we've got here is the GW620F variant, rocking quadband GSM / EDGE plus WCDMA Band V which offers up 850MHz 3G. If we had to guess, there's also 2100 in there, which would make it likely bound for Australia. With DROID Fever still in full effect, of course, it could launch in Antarctica and we're not sure the Android community would be paying too much mind.
LG launches official site for GW620 Android phone, sort of
LG's GW620 handset may be easy to miss among all the other current Android-based offerings, but it looks like LG is now starting to ramp things up a bit to help it get noticed, with it recently launching (inadvertently, judging from the copy) the official site for phone complete with some fresh new images and promo videos. While there's expectedly not much in the way of new details, LG's ads and promo videos (check one after the break) do seem to position the phone squarely in CLIQ territory, with LG even going so far as to dream up a series of mascots (including a "Social Butterfly") to demo the phone's social networking capabilities. Head on past the break to see for yourself, and keep an eye on the link below for what should soon be the "official" official website. [Via Android-France]
LG GW620 Android phone spotted in the wild, on video
We haven't heard much from LG about its new GW620 Android phone since it got official with it back in mid-September (and at IFA before that), but it looks like it's now made an official outing in France, where plenty of folks were on hand to get an up-close look at it. As expected, LG hasn't followed the route of HTC or Motorola with some heavy Android customizations, but the handset itself should still turn a few heads nonetheless with its brushed aluminum look, and what appears to be a better than usual QWERTY keypad (or AZERTY in this particular case). Unfortunately, that gets paired with a resistive touchscreen, but the rest of the specs are thankfully less disappointing, including a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, a microSD card slot for expansion, and a standard headphone jack. Still no indication of this one making its way over here, but you can get a closer look at it by hitting up the link below, and check it out on video courtesy of the folks at Le Journal du Geek after the break.Read - CNET France hands-onRead - Le Journal du Geek[Via android.hdblog.it]
LG officially announces GW620, its first Android phone
Though it already broke cover at IFA out in Germany a few days ago, LG's just sealed the deal on its very first Android phone -- the GW620 landscape QWERTY slider. Interestingly, the "Etna" name seen at IFA is missing from the official press release, but otherwise, the 3-inch touchscreen mentioned lines up nicely with what we'd previously known. Camera specs aren't mentioned here, but as far as we know, it's going to clock in at 5 megapixels and the phone looks to be loaded with a very bone-stock Android build sans LG-specific enhancements like an S-Class port. Interestingly, the GW620 flies in the face of LG's super-cozy relationship with Microsoft and its commitment to concentrate on WinMo in its smartphone line, but you can tell that the company's wording in the release is very carefully-chosen: the phone is geared at "making the smartphone experience more accessible for typical users" and "young professionals who demand a full QWERTY keypad," which we guess makes WinMo a more business-savvy platform in LG's eyes. We think we're comfortable with that characterization -- for now, anyway. Look for the GW620 to start showing up in "select European markets" in the fourth quarter of the year.
Oh, by the way: July 17, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Friday, July 17th, 2009: As Samsung goes, so goes LG -- usually, anyway -- and it stands to reason that Lucky Goldstar would want to be hot on Sammy's heels in the Android race. Indeed, it turns out that the unannounced LG GW620 Eve is running Android with a QWERTY keyboard, details we now know thanks to the official user agent profile for the device. No hint on pricing or availability, though. [Via NieuweMobiel.NL, thanks to everyone who sent this in] Palm has made a cute little RSS app for the Pre, but instead of making it available through any customer-facing channel, it's been outed through the Rough Cuts dev guide. If they were smart, they'd clean it up and push it through an OTA. [Via Gadgets on the Go] It turns out that The Weather Channel's developers are already cooking up an Android 2.0-compatible version of their app, and they've said it'll be available "late summer." Does that mean Android 2.0 devices and / or updates will hit around then? Food (donuts, of course) for thought.
