MWC 2009: LG to produce more than 50 (yes fifty!) new Windows Mobile based phones by 2012

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

LG have today announced that in partnership with Microsoft, they will be releasing 50 new Windows Mobile based handsets by the year 2012!

Revealed in the Microsoft press conference here at MWC and detailed on the Microsoft site, the press release states that 'LG Electronics Deepens Alliance With Microsoft by Selecting Windows as Primary Smartphone Platform' and the 'World’s third-largest mobile handset maker plans tenfold increase in volume of Windows® phones from 2008 to 2009 and brings more than 50 new Windows® phones to market in coming years.'

Whichever way you look at it, it's a HUGE win for Windows Mobile.

The official line...

BARCELONA — Feb. 16, 2009 — LG Electronics (LG) and Microsoft Corp. today announced an expanded alliance to dramatically increase the number of LG phones running Windows. As part of the agreement, LG will make Windows its primary operating system for its smartphones and will increase both the number of Windows® phones in its portfolio and the total volume of Windows® phones it distributes. This will create a tenfold increase in the volume of Windows® phones available from LG in 2009 and bring up to 26 new Windows® phones to market in 2012 alone. Overall, the agreement can result in more than 50 new LG Windows® phones.

“New LG phones running Windows will take advantage of the excitement in this dynamically growing market,” said Yong Nam, vice chairman and chief executive officer, LG Electronics. “The Windows platform brings flexible and customer-friendly software that ties into the Web and the PC, giving our phones a wide range of new capabilities to address an increasing number of segments and markets.”

“Windows® phones enable people to tap into digital experiences that span their lives so they can connect to the people, information and services they care about most,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “Integrating Windows software with LG’s design leadership will bring new experiences to help enrich people’s lives.”

The agreement also includes a commitment by both companies to create joint teams for research and development, to focus on creating phones with powerful features built on tight integration between hardware and software. It also details joint marketing efforts to expand the reach of these phones at a range of prices in markets across the globe.

This agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed by LG and Microsoft on Nov. 3, 2008, which put in place strategic collaboration on the converged mobile device business.

Complementing the expanded alliance, LG also announced the LG-GM730, which incorporates LG’s signature style with a slim (11.9 mm) and seamless profile and rounded edges. The Windows® phone is user-friendly with features like one-click e-mail setup and easy finger navigation while browsing with the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile. Available in the first half of 2009 on Windows Mobile 6.1, LG will add Windows Mobile 6.5 version to their portfolio in the second half of 2009.

What are your thoughts? What interests me is how specifically 26 devices will arrive in 2012... a massive Windows Mobile 7.5 / 8 onslaught? :(

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[Guest mikeeey]

This makes me very happy :(

but how many of these 50 devices do you think will use a crappy qualcomm processor?

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Bearing in mind 26 of them are coming in 2012, the minority! :(

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[Guest agent.m]

anyone with an LG Viewty loog away now :(