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For LG, the key to mobile dominance has nothing to do with nice-looking devices, and everything to do with future-thinking ideas.
Speaking today to Korea’s iNews24, LG Mobile Managing Director Kwon Bong-suk said that his company is currently in the preparation phase of developing a “thinking smartphone” that LG believes could put the company over the top and cause apparently dumb devices to lose out.
The mobile chief didn’t provide too many details on how the device would act, but did say that it could, for example, adjust its built-in alarm clock based on external factors. So if a person has the alarm clock set for 6 a.m., but the thinking phone realizes there’s heavy traffic on the route to work, it might wake the person up at 5:30 a.m. instead.
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Whether customers would actually want a thinking smartphone, however, is not immediately apparent. On one hand, a thinking device might make lives easier. But what if the user doesn’t mind waking up at 6 a.m. and being a little late? Perhaps more importantly, how can the thinking function be modified to react to the user’s desire? It also should be interesting to see if LG will allow the device to learn from users over time.
Regardless, LG’s desire to make a mark in the mobile space is becoming increasingly apparent. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, the company mad a major mark, unveiling a host of smartphones — including additions to its somewhat popular Optimus line — that it plans to pit against Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy line.
A key ingredient in taking on other Android vendors is getting access to Google’s “Nexus” branding. At Mobile World Congress, LG’s smartphone division head, Ramchan Woo, told CNET that his company is currently “having discussions” with the search company to be a Nexus vendor.
Kwon didn’t say when LG’s thinking smartphone might launch. But considering the company is still considering its options, don’t expect it anytime soon.
(Via The Verge)
