LG Announces New Clamshell Music Phones

LG has announced two new clamshell music-capable phones, one with a "shiny" brushed metal finish and the other with an integrated FM transmitter for in-car use.

LG Electronics has decided to get their announcements out the door just prior to the start of the CTIA mobile industry trade show, showing off two new clamshell music-capable phones and a Bluetooth speak system.

First up, the LG VX8700 touts a shiny brushed-metal clamshell design with a flattened keyboard which will call to mind the Motorola RAZR (at least, it will for phone fashion fiends). The phone supports CDMA calling and EV-DO high-speed data, and offers Bluetooth, microSD storage a 2 megapixel camera, and integrated speakerphone. The outside of the clamshell carries a status display; inside, you’ll find a 320 by 240-pixel LCD display. LG hasn’t announced carrier partners or pricing for the LG VX8700 in the Unites States, but the buzz is that the VX8700 will land at the upper end of Verizon’s clamshell offerings in the next couple of months. The unit weights under 4 ounces and is half an inch thick when closed.

While the VX7800 offers music, image, and video support, the LG 570 more squarely targets the music crowd, offering an integrated FM transmitter to let the phone pump tunes to a car audio system while you’re on the road, along with external audio controls (like the LG Chocolate) which let users control their music without flipping open the phone—and users can set the LG 570 to a music-only mode which doesn’t let calls ring through while users are absorbed in their private musical worlds. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel video-capable camera, a 2.25-inch LCD display, an integrated speakerphone, microSD storage, and EV-DO mobile data services. Again, no carrier or pricing information has been released, but given that the LG 570 is a CDMA phone, it’ll be Verizon, Sprint, or an operator using those networks.

LG also announced its MSB-100 Bluetooth Stereo Speaker, which is intended to fulfill dual roles as an external speaker for playing music from Bluetooth-enabled devices (like, you know, phones) and act as a speakerphone for standard phone use. The device supports headset, hands-free, AVRCP and A2DP Bluetooth profiles and LG says the MSB-100 can play music for up to eight hours on a three-hour battery charge. Unlike the V8700 and the 570, LG actually gave a price and availability date for the MSB-100: consumers should start seeing it in May for $120.