Feb 1, 2011 15:38 GMT  ·  By

Leaked a few days ago and currently retailing at RadioShack, LG Optimus V has just been officially introduced by Virgin Mobile. One of the last carriers to add its own branded Optimus One to its offer, Virgin Mobile hopes to attract customers with one of the most popular entry-level Android smartphones.

Besides RadioShack, the device will also be available via Virgin Mobile‘s online store beginning today for $149.99, as well as other major retailers throughout the month.

“Users get the best of both worlds with LG Optimus V,” said Tim O’Brien, vice president of LG marketing.

“Bringing an easy-to-use blend of applications and sleek design, LG Optimus V delivers the features users want with the efficient performance capabilities they deserve,” added O’Brien.

LG Optimus V is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7227 600 MHz processor and runs on the Android 2.2 Froyo platform.

It comes with a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen with 262k colors and 320 x 480 pixel resolution, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate and proximity sensor for screen auto turn-off.

The device measures 113.5 x 59 x 13.3 mm, weighs 129g (battery included) and comes with a Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery that should last up to 700 hours standby mode or 8 hours talk time.

Other key features of the Optimus V include: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, GPS with A-GPS support, Digital compass, Stereo FM radio, 170 MB of internal memory, 512 MB RAM, microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB, 2GB card included) and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support.

The Optimus V sports a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, Beauty Shot function and video recording capabilities (VGA@18fps).

“More than 44 percent of smartphones purchased in the third quarter of 2010 were Android based with the iPhone coming in second1,” said Bob Stohrer, vice president - Marketing, Virgin Mobile USA.

“With LG Optimus V on Android, Virgin Mobile customers who crave constant connectivity get a highly functional device with a high-resolution 3.2” touch screen paired with an affordable monthly plan and no annual contract,” concluded Stohrer.

As a side note, Optimus V is the second handset offered by Virgin Mobile that comes with Virgin Mobile‘s Live online music stream service.