LG Expands Optimus Line with New Tablet, 3D Smartphone

Early this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, LG Electronics unveiled its Optimus smartphones. Today, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the Korean consumer electronics player added two new devices to its Optimus lineup, the Optimus 3D smartphone and the Optimus Pad tablet. The 8.9-inch Optimus Pad is an Android (News - Alert) Honeycomb-based tablet running a Nvidia dual-core processor.

Reporting on this announcement, PCmag.com said that LG created Optimus Pad to provide maximum playability and minimum portability. According to LG, wrote PCmag.com, the company took a swipe at the Apple (News - Alert) iPad because its 9.7-inch frame was too bulky, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s screen was a bit too small.

LG said it conducted research and found that 8.9 inches is apparently just right. It is small enough so that the user can use it with one hand, but large enough to enable an easy typing experience, writes PCmag.com.

To allow for a 1080p experience, the Optimus Pad includes a full high-definition (HD) camera in the back, and two 5-megapixel cameras in the rear to allow for 3D video capture. In addition, it also supports HDMI, allowing users to connect the Optimus Tab to other devices, like 3D TVs. Thus, this permits users to watch the recorded 3D video.

Furthermore, LG claims that the Optimus 3D smartphone is the world's first dual core, dual channel, and dual memory smartphone that provides a true, glasses-free 3D experience. Powered by TI OMAP 4430 processor, it includes a 4.3-inch screen and full HD support, including HDMI and DLNA.

To facilitate distribution, the company has forged a partnership with YouTube (News - Alert) to allow Optimus 3D users to upload their 3D content to YouTube's 3D channel with one click. Plus, they can also watch 3D content being uploaded by other users, as per the description in PCmag.com.

According to LG, the Optimus 3D is scheduled for availability in Europe starting May, while the Optimus Pad will be available starting April. U.S. availability was not discussed, nor was pricing, as reported in PCmag.com.