Your phones have always looked good LG, and that’s why you’ve managed to overtake Motorola in worldwide phone shipments a couple of years ago. Now that you have the beachhead, it’s time to start appealing beyond the superficial tastes of the consumer.

Anyways, here we go!

Tell us about the experience of creating the LG GD900 Crystal. How did you come up with an idea of transparent phone?

We started toying with the idea in 2005 and later the concept won the Presidential Design Award at the Korea Industrial Design Exhibition in 2006. At the lab, we are always examining new designs and always on the lookout for something that would stand out from the rest. Ironically, we created a ”stand-out” phone by making it transparent!

Transparency is one motif that many designers around the world have experimented with at one time or another. It’s like invisibility – the holy grail for designers because we’re essentially working with something that’s almost invisible. But the challenge is also a reward because we’re not constrained by the barrier of a shell or covering. Once the opaque skin is stripped away, the interior is exposed, creating a kind of emotional connection.

There are a few transparent concept products from other manufacturers. What is it that distinguishes the LG GD900 Crystal that your team has developed?

Everything else we’ve seen are prototypes at the conceptual stage whereas this handset is now just a few weeks from being in the hands of an end-user. Other transparent products have never made it this far and usually have ended up as experimental design concepts that end up in a museum or design studio.

The real challenge of creating the LG GD900 wasn’t that the transparent design had to be attractive but that the handset itself had to function no differently than any other premium mobile phone. Consumer insights, which play a big role in how we approach handset design, have shown time after time that design and style are important but unlikely to be accepted by the masses unless the functionality is all there. Even fashion-conscious customers want a good lens on their camera for those important photos and clear sound even when they’re on the subway.

Did you have any difficulty developing the design of the LG GD900 Crystal?

One challenge we had to overcome is that consumers want big screens but they don’t want big handsets. So on the GD900 Crystal we expanded the touch screen functionalities to the touchpad itself. We adopted an inner slide system utilizing a gapless rail support mechanism to achieve the simple look. The final challenge was making the electric circuitry invisible which was achieved with the help of a layer of touch-sensitive film. We achieved all these breakthroughs and still managed to keep the thickness to a slim 13.5 millimetres.

Advances in design are often driven by the development of new materials. What new materials were used in the creation of the LG GD900 Crystal?

We’ve used many kinds of materials on other models that have turned out to be successful and popular with consumers who want a different look. This is easier said than done, as the right materials also have to have the right look and feel. For LG Shine, we used a full metallic body, first ever used on a mobile phone; and for LG Secret, the initial concept was a “style that lasts” and we used premium materials of tempered glass and carbon fibre. For GD900 Crystal, it’s made of a highly durable tempered glass and is framed and reinforced by a band of Liquidmetal, a relatively new material that designers are looking into that is very strong and quite shock-absorbent.

Tell us your outlook for transparent consumer products.

Transparency is another form of invisibility. It’s something that everyone fantasizes about but until now, that’s all it’s been. The fact that we can now make devices for daily use that are, for the lack of a better word — “invisible” — is significant because we are no longer constrained by a solid “barrier” in design. It’s like a window that is also an input device — it’s revolutionary. We’re excited about what the future holds in the next generation of “design transparency”.

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The yet-unnamed netbook will feature built-in 3G connectivity, a 160GB hard drive, and integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam. All these run on Windows XP, backed by an Intel Atom 1.6Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM. Line-in and line-out, at least one USB port, and VGA out also seem to be part of the package.

Definitely not a portable gaming powerhouse, but netbooks were never about high-level framerates on-the-go anyway. And the use of XP makes this gadget a great performer for “low-intensity” tasks like surfing, presentations, typing out reports, and the like.

(image and source: shinyshiny.tv)

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During the Mobile World Congress 2009, LG jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon, unveiling a mobile with solar panels on the back, set for release in Europe by the end of this year. Packaged with this announcement was a reminder about LG’s HFB-500 Bluetooth solar car kit, and the use of recyclable-friendly packaging for newer models.

From all appearances, the phone in the official picture above reminds me of the LG Secret; is it safe to assume that this yet-unnamed solar-powered phone will feature the same functionality as LG’s slender black slider? Updates to come as they become available. In the meantime, feel free to continue reading and see the entire press release for yourself.

LG Highlights Green Initiatives for the Mobile Industry

Company showcases eco-friendly products and its efforts to reduce environmental impact at the Mobile World Congress 2009

Barcelona, Spain, February, 19, 2009 – LG Electronics, a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, today unveiled its eco-friendly mobile phone equipped with a solar panel battery cover at the Mobile World Congress 2009. This solar-powered handset is part of the company’s aggressive green initiative, proving LG’s commitment to creating a healthier environment for everyone.

“Using renewable solar energy in the mobile handset is an example of our ongoing efforts to help create a safer, cleaner environment for our customers,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG continues to research and invest in creating products that not only provide a better experience for consumers, but also encourage an environmentally responsible lifestyle.”

The phone’s solar power system is embedded onto the battery cover to conveniently harness the sun’s limitless and pollution-free energy. By simply pointing the phone’s solar panel at natural light, the panel will convert solar energy into electricity without needing to be plugged in. Exposing the panel to the sun for ten minutes will give the phone enough power for a three-minute call, making it the perfect companion for emergency situations when no power is available to charge a dead battery. If left in natural light for long periods, the solar panel creates enough standby power to power the phone without any charging devices. LG plans to release this eco-friendly phone in the European market at the end of this year.

LG’s green initiative has not stopped at phones. The company’s LG HFB-500 Bluetooth solar car kit, first introduced at this January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, gives customers hands-free mobile use in a fully rechargeable solar unit. In addition, LG is introducing green packaging to its entire line of 2009 mobile handset models. The eco-friendly packaging saves natural resources and promotes easy recycling by printing with soy inks and using recycled paper and cardboard without laminate coating. LG will also expand the use of its eco-friendly product manuals, produced with soy ink and recycled paper, to a broader range of models in 2009.

LG is also taking a step forward in reducing the use of hazardous substances in its products and instead using sustainable ones. LG adheres to strict requirements administered by the EU’s RoHS regarding the management of hazardous substances including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) in its production processes. The company also plans to make its mobile handsets free of halogenated substances, a known endocrine disruptor, by removing Brominated flame retardants (BFR), chlorinated flame retardants (CFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from the manufacturing process by 2010 and will make all handsets antimony-free by 2012.

LG recently announced its “Life’s Good When It’s Green” initiative, the foundation of its global sustainability program at Consumer Electronics Show 2009. The worldwide program focuses on sustainability through Eco-Design and Eco-Products, the reduction of hazardous substances, responsible take-back programs and recycling facilities, and addressing global climate change.

The LG solar-powered handset, Bluetooth solar car kit and new green packaging will all be showcased at the Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona.

# # #

To see LG’s innovative products and technologies in person, visit LG’s booth at the 2009 Mobile World Congress in Hall 8 of Fira de Barcelona. Please visit http://mwc.lge.com for more information.

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in 114 operations including 82 subsidiaries around the world. With 2008 global sales of USD 44.7 billion, LG is comprised of five business units – Home Entertainment, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning, Business Solutions and Mobile Communications. LG is the world’s leading producer of mobile handsets, flat panel TVs, air conditioners, front-loading washing machines, optical storage products, DVD players and home theater systems.

LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company (LG) is a leading global mobile communication and information company. LG creates handsets that provide an optimized mobile experience to customers around the world with its cutting-edge technology and innovative handset design capabilities. Increasingly, LG is pursuing convergence technology and mobile computing products. LG will continue to take leadership in the mobile communication environment with stylish designs and smart technology.

For more information, please visit www.lge.com.

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Anyways, one company that should take a cue from the dominator is LG. Lately, they’ve made some inroads into Europe and Asia with their style-driven offerings. But this kind of focus limits the potential for success.

Go Beyond Style

It’s easy to see why LG is all about style. Again, we return to the iPhone. Apple has always done a great job of cultivating that sort exclusivity attractive to customers. Though a certain brand of precocity, plus legions of loyal fans, is the reason behind this successful approach.

LG doesn’t enjoy such a thing, at least in markets where noisy tech journalism reigns supreme. It’s great that they do give a damn how their phones look like. But to establish any meaningful beach head, they need to go beyond style and offer functionality. Pretty much what Nokia does nowadays,

Make the Features Better

Speaking of which, you can’t fault LG for putting in too few features. On the contrary! Recent offerings like the Secret and KC550 pack quite a lot within their respective cases. To this degree, LG has copied the put-everything-into-a-phone approach of Nokia.

From personal experience though, these features are lacking because of how they’re implemented. There’s always something just missing. It’s hard to describe this lack comprehensively in a simple blog post, so here’s an example. Since the Secret runs on a variant of Symbian dutifully licensed from Nokia), it’s possible to mark items on any list (think contacts, pictures, songs, etc.). Unfortunately, once you mark them, the only thing you can do is delete your selected items. Why is it impossible to do other useful things with marked lists, like send Bluetooth?

Responsiveness Responsiveness Responsiveness

By far the most important capability of any mobile phone is how responsive it is. A phone that’s loaded with features is practically useless if it takes a few split-seconds to get things done. That unfortunately is a shortcoming plaguing current-generation LG phones. Let’s make those phones more responsive LG! If competitors like Nokia and (sigh) Apple can do it, the latter on the first try, why shouldn’t you?

LG makes decent phones. The point of any business is to make the best, so that when your marketing department goes on overdrive, they’ll have something really great to work with.

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Amazingly, no one has definitely reported on the unboxing of an LG KF700, which is a definite waste! Philippine affiliate took the Korean manufacturer to task for making their packaging look too good:

Damn it LG, we hate you. Unboxing the LG KF700 was a traumatic experience, because everything’s put together so nicely that it seems like such a waste to remove everything from the box. It’s like looking at a beautifully-made cake and not wanting to eat it.

Click here to see more pics of the unboxing on Technograph.

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Part of their approach should be to make their cell phones’ software available online. Most of LG’s newer phones come in smaller models, which necessitates the packaging of a mini-CD, instead of a normal-sized one, in the box.

While this is fine for many people, it isn’t for laptop users who rely on slot drives to read their CDs. In case it’s not obvious, a mini-CD cannot work in a slot-drive.

So LG, heed our call! Make your software available online! We totally understand that you have to keep your installation CDs small. But we really don’t want to relive our experience in getting the LG Secret’s software to work with our XPS. We had to borrow another computer with a conventional CD drive, copy all the files to a flash disk, and copy that to our laptop. Downloading the software would be so much easier. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find anything for the Secret on your Download Centre.

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