LG Unveils Two Shiny Clamshell Cell Phones

ORLANDO, Florida -- Pre-show activities for CTIA, the wireless industry's biggest U.S. trade show, kicked off today, although the exhibition officially begins tomorrow.

LG started things off with its announcement of two very slick and stylish clamshell phones, as well as a stereo Bluetooth speaker.

The LG VX8700

The company's first announcement was for the 3.8-ounce LG VX8700, which sports a brushed metal finish, a slim, 0.5-inch profile, and an external status display with a shiny, mirror-like background. Inside you'll find a 240-by-320-pixel screen and flat keys that are similar to the Motorola Razr's.

The VX8700 supports dual-band CDMA for calls and EvDO for data. You also get a speakerphone, a 2-megapixel camera for photos and video, and a microSD media card slot for additional storage. The phone doubles as an MP3 player and supports stereo Bluetooth headsets.

The LG 570

Meanwhile, the LG 570 is designed even better for music. It has touch-sensitive audio controls on the outside (similar to those on the LG Chocolate, a microSD slot, and an integrated FM transmitter that transmits songs directly to a car stereo or other FM receivers. Users can set the phone to music-only for uninterrupted playback. The 570 features dual-band CDMA, EvDO, a speakerphone, 2.25-inch, 220-by-170-pixel internal LCD, and a 1.3-megapixel camera with video recording.

LG Bluetooth Stereo Speaker

To round out the music experience, LG offers the MSB-100 Bluetooth Stereo Speaker. It supports A2DP, AVRCP, hands-free, and headset Bluetooth profiles. You can also use it as a speakerphone for answering calls. LG estimates up to 8 hours of music playback time on the MSB-100, up to 20 hours of talk time, and 3 hours to charge it. The company plans to ship the speaker in May for $120.

The carrier partner for the VX8700 and 570 haven't been announced yet, though given its CDMA capability, we presume that it will be available from one of the major CDMA players in the U.S.--Verizon, Sprint, or an MVNO that uses one of these carriers' network.