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We saw the original LG Chocolate 3 announcement come along with the Dare and Decoy, but at the time it looked as if it were going to be available only in black. Well thankfully LG believes we should have some color options with our phones, although personally I am not digging the light blue, the metal trim and music wheel give it a nice overall look. As we have already seen the Chocolate 3 takes a little different style, moving from the candybar style to a new clamshell design, however the features remain solid, and the Chocolate 3 should do as well as the original models. It is still expected to be available beginning next month.

Via [IntoMobile]

Verizon’s new LG Dare has been circulating for a couple of weeks now, and it will be available online beginning tomorrow. The Date will be priced at $200, but it is going to be offered along with a $50 rebate. On July 3rd, it will be available in Verizon Wireless retail stores.

Starting off with the hardware, it measures out at 4.09 x 2.19 x 0.54-inches, boasts a 3-inch touchscreen display with a 240 x 400 resolution and a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, and exposure control. Additionally, it comes with a mode to record videos at 120 fps, a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD expansion up to 8GB, automatically senses when to switch off the LCD back lighting, accelerometer and 3D graphics. Onto the software, it comes with a full HTML web browser and zoom functions, V Cast online store, VZ Navigator, coverflow for music, 51 possible apps, contact list filters, QWERTY keypad, handwriting recognition, music support and video/picture editing.

Verizon and LG really worked hard on this phone to make it come with a lot of nice features, and this phone should do pretty well.

Via [Engadget]

I’ve been waiting for some kind of response from the big manufacturers to the iPhone.  Sure they’ve thrown some clones our way but nothing that puts them on the path to a true “iPhone killer”.  Today, they’ve shown they mean business by uniting the Symbian OS. 

Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and NTT DoCoMo have all joined forces to open up Symbian and work to encourage developers on the common platform.  By bringing together Symbian OS, S60, UIQ and MOAP(S) they will create one open mobile platform.  And they are working with carriers and other telecom giants like AT&T, LG, Samsung, STMicro, Texas Instruments and Vodafone to widen the net of users and developers.

This is a relatively big deal.  To me, it says, “we get the idea that software is king.” To the world, it says, “this is how we move forward.” And a lot of weight moving forward it is.  Going open source and royalty free they hope to attract all the developers who have iPhones royalties in their eyes right now.

This is definitely a step in the right direction.  As my Econ professors used to say, “competition is a good thing.”

Read [Sony Ericsson]

No disrespect to Kermit the Frog, but it’s actually a helluva lot easier these days to be green, especially with corporate marketers working overtime to tout any and all energy-efficient / environmentally-safe qualities of their products. Such is the case with LG’s new Flatron W2252TE LCD monitor, which the company claims is the “world’s most energy-efficient monitor.” LG says the Flatron model uses 45-percent less power but still manages to serve up enough contrast and brightness for all that web surfing and all those games you like to play on your computer.

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Verizon has announced a set of new LG handsets to include the Dare, Decoy and Chocolate 3. The new phones, while officially announced still have not had any pricing information revealed.

First up we have the LG Dare, a V CAST capable touchscreen-based handset that will feature 3G support, a 3.2-megapixel still and video camera, built-in photo editing tools as well as come loaded with multimedia functionality. The Dare will be available later this month.

Next we have the LG Decoy, which as we have already seen, comes with the built-in Bluetooth headset on the back, which will help to keep it charged when you are not actively using it, and should also help keep you from misplacing it. The Decoy is a slider style handset that feature a five-way directional joystick that will make it easier to navigate the menu’s and take advantage of Verizon’s V Cast and VZ Navigator services. Expect the Decoy to be available on June 16.

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Without the fanfare and definitely not as euphoric as the launch of the iPhone 3G that we saw yesterday, LG has launched two new music phones, the LG KM710 and LG KM380. Though these two LG phones may not be as classy and high-profile than the iPhone, they still merit some coverage from us since both are a good and low-cost alternative. Besides, the intended market of the LG KM710 and KM380 might still not see the iPhone 3G coming into their areas this year. So, they might as well find an alternative which could possibly be these two new LG music phones.

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LG has recently introduced two new LCD display monitors in the UK market. While there may already be a slew of LCD monitors available for UK consumers to choose from, LG’s monitors offer something else which makes them stand out from the LCD lot. For these two new monitors, the 29-inch M2900S-BN and the 38-inch MS3800S-BN, LG has stretched (literally) their screen resolution to 1366 x 480 and 1366 x 398 respectively. Both LCD monitors boast of a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a response time of 9ms aside from their digital and analogue video input.

According to LG, these two LCD monitors are perfect for exhibiting information in large commercial areas, giving out high picture quality and are able to display horizontal or vertical data in large format and in their full color glory. LG is also giving consumers an easy time in controlling the monitors’ power, contrast, brightness and volume through a single computer when they connect each monitor with cables.

Release date and pricing details are not yet available but like we said, it will be made available to the UK market first.

Via [Akihabara News]

Typically we see the press style photos turning up first with the live-style images showing up second, however in the case of the LG VX8610 Decoy from Verizon Wireless it was exactly the opposite.

These are nice crisp, clear press style images showing off the upcoming LG VX8610 Decoy in all its glory. The Decoy, while a basic looking slider style from the front, has a unique little trick hidden on the back in the form of a “built-in” Bluetooth headset. Although the details are still unconfirmed it looks like the Decoy is expected to become available in June.

Keep reading to check out a few more images of the LG VX8610 Decoy.

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LG Korea has officially announced the LG KF600 aka “Bikini” phone with touchscreen features. This new phone will come in either the HSDPA model (LG-SH640/KH6400) or the Revision A model (LH6400). Now, before we get really excited as to what this new phone has got in its arsenal, you may notice its resemblance to the previously released LG Venus, that’s because this new phone is just an upgraded version.

Basically, the LG KF600 pretty much carries the same features as the Venus. It has the InteractPad which replaces the physical navigation keys with context-specific virtual keys. Plus a 3-megapixel camera with video recording, MP3 player, FM radio and Bluetooth.

Currently there is no information on whether the LG KF600 will be released internationally, and possibly to replace the current LG Venus. The Bikini retails between $478-$574 in the Korean market.

Via [Aving USA]

Following in the path of Samsung, LG has officially announced they will be discontinuing their production of the HD DVD/Blu-ray combo players. The end of line from LG will come this fall with the LG BH200 that will retail for $587.

“Surely, it is a very tough decision for us to halt the production of the combos, however, we will stop manufacturing the Super Blu series from the second half of this year,” said a spokesman from LG Electronics.

Via [DVD Town]