LG launches Optimus One P500

Affordable mid-range Android handset

EARLIER TODAY LG announced its latest mid-range Android 2.2 handset in the shape of the Optimus One P500, well, at least in Taiwan, although the handset is expected to arrive in most markets later this year. This is LG’s first Android handset to be available with a range of accessories, something that’s not too commonplace in the world of Android phones.

The P500 doesn’t really stand out in terms of features; it’s a fairly middle of the road handset with a Qualcomm MSM 7227 SoC ticking along at 600MHz. It has for its price range a fairly generous 512MB of RAM and ROM with about 170MB available to the user. It has a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen with 480×320 resolution and it does of course feature 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support. Other features include a micro SD card slot, a 3 Megapixel camera, a built in GPS receiver, FM radio with RDS support and a 3.5mm audio jack.

It also sports a quad band GSM radio and tri-band WCDMA support for the 900, 1900 and 2100MHz bands and it supports HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2Mbit. LG claims up to 6h talk time and 450h standby time from the 1500mAh battery which again is pretty much on par with other similar devices. However, what makes it a little bit unusual is LG’s accessories which include a hard back cover – the standard rear coating has a soft-touch rubber feel to it – a desktop dock/charging stand and a custom made in-car holder for when you want to use it as a GPS navigator.

LG also provides its own PC sync software which will allow you to sync your emails and contacts with Outlook and it gives you the option to transcode multimedia files that you want to watch or listen to on the handset. It also supports playback of DivX and Xvid video files, a feature that HTC doesn’t offer on many of its more advanced handsets. At NT$10900 ($357) off contract and free on most contracts in Taiwan, the LG P500 looks like a pretty good deal, despite maybe not being a thrilling handset in terms of unique features. In saying that, this is the way the market it going and we’ll be seeing a lot more Android devices with a decent feature set for an affordable price over the next 12 months.S|A

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