14 DAY TRIAL // South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics unveiled recently a series of bold plans for the ongoing year, including the fact that it aims at releasing around 10 smartphones that will run under Google's Android OS. According to the company, it intends to sell no less than 140 million phones during 2010, with a great focus on the smartphone market, it seems. Moreover, the company has great plans for the smartphone segment for the following years too, as it intends to become one of the “top two mobile device manufacturers in the world by 2012.”
Here's what the vendor says in the press release announcing its plans: “LG is aiming to sell a total of 140 million mobile handsets in 2010, a 20 percent increase year-on-year. Although the company is looking to increase its presence globally this year - it successfully opened about 100 mobile retail stores in the developing world in 2009 - it plans a particular strong push into the Korean and North American markets where it wants to be recognized as a provider of innovative, customized smartphones. By widening its range to include devices from the inventive and practical to the luxurious and chic, LG promises to be a vigorous, highly competitive presence in the mobile world this year.”
According to the handset vendor, it already started making the first steps in gaining more market share in the smartphone segment. The company says that it established a special smartphone business division since last year, and that its smartphone R&D workforce has been increased by 30 percent. During 2010, we should expect for LG to launch a number of 20 smartphones, running under popular mobile clients on the market, including Android, Windows Mobile and Linux.
At the same time, the phone maker reiterated its plans to have Android on half of its 2010 smartphones, “Hopes are especially high for Android phones, which, with their user-friendly and open-access OS, are expected to make up more than half of all LG's new smartphone releases.” In addition to the Android phones, LG will release a series of easy-to-use smartphones in the first half of the year, and it should deliver “cutting-edge designs” later during 2010.
The company also aims at launching a 3 Screen Service this year, which will allow users “to view identical content on their handsets, PCs and TVs without converting to different formats.” Dr. Skott Ahn, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, stated the following on the new announcement: “We are facing another revolutionary change in the mobile industry thanks to the rapid growth of smartphones and demand for more content and better services. We will continue to make breakthroughs in 2010 as we strive to maintain our trendsetter status and become one of the global top two by 2012.”