LG has been making quite a splash in the smartphone market these days with their popular android devices and cutting edge specs of phones like the Optimus 2x and G2x. Both the first phones in their market to house a dual core processor. The NVIDIA tegra 2 none the less. This time around LG is taking a different approach and going for gold in the software department with their brand new Optimus UI 3.0. They claim it is simple and tasteful, yet intuitive and eye-catching enough to grab your attention. This new UI for future LG android devices running ICS will bring with it a whole slew of new features.
- Dragging anywhere on the lock screen to bring up home
- A pattern unlock that allows the user to preset to the most used function or application, which then opens up to it after the screen is unlocked. This may seem familiar to anyone with a rooted device that is running a ROM built off of cyanogenmod source code. We CM users have been enjoying this feature for a while and I must say its pretty sweet.
- A download category in the app drawer for better organization. Not unlike what you see in the newer Sense 3.0 and 4.0 from HTC.
- A special camera feature that enables the user to choose the absolute best picture from multiple images. This is kind of like clear shot hdr found in some of HTC’s newer android devices.
- And my personal favorite, the voice shutter. With the voice shutter feature LG has made it possible for the user to snap a shot with the camera using nothing but voice commands. Just try to “picture” the possibilities that this feature could bring.
All of these new optimizations and custom usability features seem to be pretty enticing. While some are clearly LG’s version of features found on other UI’s, some are strangely unique and set LG apart from the pack which is exactly what they want and are trying to accomplish with this new installment to future handsets and devices. According to the CEO of LG Mobile Jong-seok Park, the new and updated UI is a move being made by LG to break away from other manufacturers. He stated part of the reason for this was because “both carriers and customers tell (us) that they want LG phones to look and feel unique and the UI plays a big part in that.” There will be many devices in the near future to see this UI update but some of the first ones to hit the market with this flashy new eye candy will be the Optimus LTE II which is slated for release this week in Korea, and the successor to the Optimus 2x from last year, the Optimus 4x HD which is set to drop in June in the UK market. I am currently using a T-mobile G2x as my daily driver and am curious to see what this new UI feels like on a day-to-day basis. I just want to play with the voice shutter so I can run down the streets screaming snapshot at the top of my lungs. It’s sure to make for some interesting photos. How about you guys out there? Any of these seem interesting enough to grab your attention?