LAS VEGAS ― LG Electronics and German-based telecommunications firm T-Mobile on Wednesday (Las Vegas time) unveiled the G Slate, the first tablet PC manufactured by LG.
The world’s third-largest handset manufacturer sought to re-enter the smart device race after it lost out in the smartphone battle last year.
The G Slate underscores the company’s attempts to get back into the groove, industry watchers said.
“This is the year that LG will show everything there is about smart products,” said Scott Ahn, the Chief Technology Officer of LG Electronics on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest electronics tradeshow that kicked off this week in Las Vegas.
Scott Ahn, LG Electronics chief technology officer (LG Electronics)
Jeff Hwang, President of LG Mobile Phones, said “LG is dedicated to continuing its role as an innovation leader and is thrilled to announce it’s entry into the tablet marketplace with the G Slate.”
The G Slate will start being sold in the U.S. during the first half of this year. Global sales will begin soon after, LG officials said.
LG’s G Slate is a 4G tablet that runs on the Honeycomb, the 3.0 version of the Android operating system created by Google, optimized for tablets.
Among South Korean manufactures, G-Slate will be the first tablet PC to run on the Honeycomb.
Samsung Electronics, the only other domestic firm to have rolled out a mobile computer, the Galaxy Tab, runs the device on the Android 2.2 version operating system.
Models show LG Electronics’ smart TVs and smartphones Wednesday ahead of the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (LG Electronics)
At Las Vegas, Samsung unveiled its Wi-Fi-only version of the Galaxy Tab, along with a tablet/laptop combination called the “Sliding PC 7 Series.”
The device runs on Windows 7 operating system and is powered by the Intel Atom processor.
LG has a lot on its plate as it will be competing against not only Samsung, but a plethora of tablets unveiled by major electronics manufacturers such as Sony, HP, Dell and the iPad from Apple, CES participants said.
By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldm.com)
(Korea Herald correspondent)
LG 옵티머스패드, T모바일로 최초 출시
구글의 태블릿PC 전용 안드로이드 3.0(허니콤) 운영체제(SO)를 탑재한 LG 전자의 8.9인치 태블릿PC인 '옵티머스패드'가 최초로 모습을 드러낸다.
LG전자와 미국 이동통신사 T모바일은 6일(현지시간) 미국 라스베이거스 베네시안 호텔에서 열리는 프레스 컨퍼런스에서 T모바일의 스마트폰 라인업 '4G시리즈'의 대표 제품으로 옵티머스패드의 T모바일 모델인 '지슬레이트(G-Slate)'를 소개할 예정이다.
지슬레이트는 T모바일이 유통하는 첫 태블릿PC로, 올 상반기 중 출시될 예정이다.
지슬레이트는 허니콤을 탑재해 위젯 및 멀티태스킹 속도의 개선, 5.0 버전의 지도 등 구글의 최신 모바일 서비스를 이용할 수 있다.
또 휴대성과 가독성을 최적화해 8.9인치임에도 한 손으로 잡을 수 있도록 크기를 구현했으며, 듀얼코어 프로세서를 갖춰 컴퓨팅 능력이 강력하다.
LG전자는 올해 본격화될 태블릿PC 경쟁에서 앞서나가기 위해 고성능 하드웨어 및 엔터테인먼트를 즐길 수 있는 다양한 서비스를 제공할 예정이다.
옵티머스패드는 미국을 시작으로 전 세계 시장에 판매될 예정이다.
(연합뉴스)
jemmie@heraldcorp.com
