LG today announced a user-friendly stripped down touchscreen phone called “Pop” (also known as LG GD510), calling the “Pop” phone the most compact 3-inch full touchscreen phone ever made. The idea of the “Pop” phone is taking out all the unnecessary features that make the touch screen phone expensive, and make the “Pop” phone as simple-to-use as possible with the help of touchscreen navigation. LG said according to their survey, customers wanted an affordable full touchscreen phone that is not complicated, and doesn’t break the bank.

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“We gave the LG GD510 an optimized feature set which allowed us to concentrate on making the phone more compact and simpler to use,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our high-end phones like the Black Label Series New LG Chocolate (LG BL40) may be getting all the attention but there’s a gap in the market for affordable touchscreen phones that we want to fill. The LG GD510 delivers all the essentials in communication, multimedia and entertainment and comes in a compact form factor as well.”

Features of the LG “Pop” include a 3-megapixel digital camera, 8-GB of internal memory, MP3 music player, Video player, and Video recorder.

“The spacious 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen extends almost to the edges of the LG GD510 with a narrow 4.8 mm bezel giving the illusion of an uninterrupted sheet of glass. The unit’s sleek design is accented by a single button on the face that functions as the menu, end and cancel keys, depending on the phone’s mode. A slim strip of light around the button shines either green or red to indicate the handset’s function. The LG GD510 is crafted from brushed aluminum which gives it a high-end look and feels solid in the hand even when squeezed.”

The LG Pop phone will be available in mid-October in Europe. Price is yet to be determined, but will vary country-to-country.

Alltel today announced LG AX310, an entry level CDMA clamshell phone, available for Alltel customers beginning today. The LG AX310 has a 1.3-megapixel digital camera, speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, and Bluetooth capabilities. It is available in black or red color, and will be sold for $30 only with 1-year agreement required. Below is the press release from Alltel.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- Alltel Wireless today announced the availability of the LG AX310 handset in Alltel retail stores and online at alltel.com. For customers looking for a practical device that delivers versatile communication features, the LG AX310’s clamshell design brings superior accessibility and functionality to their fingertips.

For Alltel customers who are on the go, the LG AX310 features voice-activated calling, a one-touch speakerphone and Bluetooth capabilities. The phone also features speaker-independent voice commands and allows users to record and save voice memos.

Available in two colors – black and red – the LG AX310 also includes a 1.3 megapixel camera with zoom, perfect for taking snapshots of family and friends. It supports picture and text messaging, with a large easy-to-read keypad and internal LCD screen.

The LG AX310 is available for $29.99 after a $30 mail-in rebate with activation of a 1-year service contract on a qualifying rate plan. Alltel continues to be the only major wireless carrier to offer 2-year postpaid handset pricing to those signing 1-year contracts, creating enhanced flexibility and greater choice for customers.

The LG AX310 and 1-year contract option is available only to customers in the 91 cellular market areas (CMAs) that Verizon Wireless is required to divest, which will continue to operate as Alltel Wireless until the sale agreements with AT&T and Atlantic Tele-Network are approved by the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission.

Google’s Android is getting a lot of momentum recently as more and more manufacturers are willing to make phones that are powered by Android. The latest carrier that joins the Android bandwagon is LG, the world’s 3rd largest cell phone maker. LG today announced the LG GW620, a full touch screen phone with a slide-out keyboard, pretty much just look likes HTC’s G1 or MyTouch.

The release of GW620 doesn’t mean that LG is betting that Android will be the mainstream OS in the future. In fact, LG, just like Samsung, is having two-tier smartphone strategy, which means they will release a couple of phones for different mobile OS, and see which one picks up.

“The LG-GW620 will appeal to first-time smartphone customers by offering a new and different kind of user experience,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our objective is to provide a wide selection of smartphones to satisfy the diverse preferences of today’s consumers. This Android phone is just one of many smartphone models we plan to introduce worldwide in the years ahead.”

LG today announced the 4th generation of LG Chocoloate Black Label Series phone, model name of LG-BL40, in South Korea. The candy-bar shaped LG Chocolate phone has an impressive 4-inch HD LCD screen (800 by 345 pixel) rivaling any phone in the market. The display has 21:9 aspect ratio for a panoramic, cinema-like quality and optimal mobile computing experience.

The big 4-inch display also helps users in browsing the Internet as its huge size with 800 pixels save users from scrolling horizontally. The new Chocolate phone also features a Dual Screen UI that can efficiently display two different types of content simultaneously.

“The initial response to the new LG Chocolate phone has exceeded our expectations by a wide margin,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications. Although much interest seems focused on the striking shape of the handset, the real surprise will be when people discover the advantages of the 4.0-inch screen in terms of viewing pleasure and ease of use.”

The new LG Chocolate’s wide screen is overlaid with curved tempered glass and is seamlessly encased in a glossy black finish and iconic red highlights. Although the screen may be much wider, the new LG Chocolate makes an incredibly slim and chic style statement that was also inherent in the original Chocolate.

The release of this new LG Chocolate mean the fierce war of TV phone has began. This new Chocolate phone will be available in the 3rd quarter of 2009 in 54 countries. LG, however, didn’t mention United States was among the 54 contries.

Since Apple App store was released, those who were jealous of Apple’s successes launched numerous of their own App stores in the past two years. Now, we have LG join the App store bandwagon. LG today officially announced that its own application store goes beta testing. The LG Application Store (http://www.lgapplication.com) will first be introduced in Asia with the service being expanded to 24 countries. LG expects to offer up to 2,000 applications on its site by the end of year with at least 100 programs available free of charge to LG handset users.

“As we’ve announced earlier, LG is planning to invest heavily in the smartphone market going forward, with ten smartphones being introduced this year alone” said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “As the trend has shown, the appeal of smartphones is in the diversity and usefulness of the applications. Opening our own Application Store will allow us to offer the best content and applications for our devices so that LG phone owners will get the best possible ownership experience.”

It seems like want to assure the users that its App store won’t be something that rip them off.

“It’s important to understand that unlike other mobile phone manufacturers, LG’s Application Store is not intended to be a new or separate business model,” added Dr. Ahn. “It’s an added-value service that comes with LG’s high-end phone and smartphone ownership. And unlike other mobile phone online stores, LG’s intention is not to censor the type of applications that are available to our customers but only to ensure that they meet the high standards for quality and compatibility.”

Sprint today announced the availability of LG LX290 slider phone. This slider phone isn’t a something as sexy as iPhone, however, it does has decent features and specifications. It features dedicated application shortcut keys, and a Motorola KRZR’s style navigation keys. Its features and specs include a built-in 1.3-megapixel digital camera, GPS navigation (subscription required), and Bluetooth connectivity. The LG LX290 is available beginning today for $30 after rebates with new agreement.

LG’s 3D S-Class User Interface that powers LG ARENA (LG-KM900) awarded Gold in the Product Interfaces category, which includes all graphic user interfaces. The 3D S-Class User Interface also powers some of the latest LG’s touch screen phones, including Viewty Smart (LG-GC900), LG-GM730 and LG-GD900 Crystal.

The Viewty Smart runs the S-Class UI with modifications that make it ideal for a camera phone, including intuitive multi-touch commands for zooming in and out, one-touch mode selection for stills and video, and even an Intelligent Shot Mode Indicator that shows exactly how the phone is analyzing the scene. The version of LG’s S-Class UI in the LG-GM730 is designed to work seamlessly with the latest version of Windows Mobile, thus making this smartphone easier to use while still delivering the advanced, familiar features. The S-Class UI in the world’s first transparent phone, the LG-GD900 Crystal, responds to commands on the phone’s full touchscreen as well as its transparent, touch sensitive Crystal Touchpad.

The iF Design Communication Award is given to innovative products which succeed especially well in combining functionality with convenience and esthetics. The iF Gold Award honors the best product in each category which have already been honored with an iF Design Award. The top thirty iF Gold Award winners were chosen from a total of 1,368 entries this year. LG ARENA is the first to be awarded Gold in the Product Interfaces category, a newly created division of the iF Communication Design Award. This award proves that the S-Class UI is user-friendly in operation and superior in design.

“Through recognition from this prestigious organization, LG has once again proven its design expertise and innovation not only in physical appearance but also in user interface,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG will continue to lead with products that enhance the user experience.”