Waiting on pins and needles for the first (of many) LTE-powered Android handsets on Verizon? Verizon Wireless just posted the following tweet from their Twitter account:

Jan. 6 at #CES: #Android and #LTE – could it be like peanut butter and chocolate? YUM!

There’s been no doubt Verizon will introduce a number of LTE-capable Android handsets at CES this year, starting with Ivan Seidenberg’s keynote, but Verizon has now made the news official.

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LG certainly has a huge presence at CES this year with displays and phones almost everywhere you turn. So sit back while we bring all the handsets right to you and make you feel like you were here. Sort of. While we’ve seen of these phones before, there are a few that are still awaiting official details from LG. So here are some pics and details to hold you over for now, after the break.

Here we have the LG Chocolate Touch or VX8575. It comes in a purple or black finish and features a large touch screen. It has Dolby Mobile, a FM tuner, 1GB of memory for your tunes (with up to 16GB support), 3.2 megapixel camera with video, dual-band CDMA 800/1900 MHz and EVDO Rev. 0. Sadly, it doesn’t have Rev. A but the big item LG is pushing here is music.

Next up is the LG expo or GW820 – yep, the one with the projector on it. The projector is kinda cool and it’s pretty vivid, but unfortunately there weren’t any good surfaces (dark ones) where you could really see it shine. This is a Windows Mobile handset for AT&T. It has a touch screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, WVGA resolution Pico projector, 5MP camera, Wi-Fi, 16GB SD card support, finger print reader and if the pics don’t tell you enough, it’s for AT&T.

Here we have the long, lanky BL40 with its 4 inch wide screen tempered glass. It features a dual screen UI, cinematic screen, one touch copy and paste and gesture shortcuts. But there’s nothing about this phone that you didn’t already know.

The GT540 is definitely a feminine looking phone both in terms of color selection, texture and size. It packs Android as its operating system of choice and has a custom theme and widgets. It also supports DivX and WMV playback, which is a nice touch. Other nifty features include a 3MP camera that has face detection and tagging, various camera filters and LG 3Way Sync.

We’re not gonna lie, coming with Windows Mobile 6.5 and the form factor of this phone makes it look very Samsung-esque. The GW550 has various VPN gateway client support (Cisco), Juniper Network, Checkpoint), push email support, 2.4 inch QVGA display, A-GPS, Wi-Fi and a 3.2MP camera.

Another Windows Mobile 6.5 handset for LG, the GM750, on its CES showcase. This one has a 3 inch WQVGA touch screen, push email support, S-Class UI, 5MP camera, A-GPS and Wi-Fi.

If you were a fan of the original LG Shine, you might like the Shine II or GD710, although we it might be a little late for a sequel. Just like its predecessor, the Shine II is for AT&T. It features AT&T Music support, AT&T Navigator, a little 2MP camera with flash, and 3.6Mbps 3G capabilities on AT&T’s network.

Now onto the Big Boy. This is LG’s latest and we didn’t get much info on it. There will be a keynote later and we were told that video will be available on YouTube this afternoon — we’ll update that in here. But the GW990 packs an Intel Atom Processor, a 4.8″ panoramic screen, PC class Internet experience, HD video with 3D gaming, and multi-window multi-tasking. If LG has a winner on its hands at CES, this thing is it.

So, what do you think of LG’s offerings this year? Let us know while we go grab something else to serve up!

While many tech geeks who fancy Verizon will be spending the majority of this week debating whether or not to pull the trigger on either the DROID or DROID Eris, today Verizon quietly started selling the LG Chocolate Touch, a non-smartphone with mass market appeal. Equipped with a 3″ touchscreen display and 3.2 megapixel camera, the Chocolate Touch also features support for VZ Navigator, V CAST Music/Video, Visual Voicemail and EV-DO Rev. 0 connectivity. Also of note is a convenience key that leads directly to social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter as well as the inclusion of Dolby Mobile technology, something which is claimed to deliver “audio quality that rivals MP3 players.” Of course with only 1GB of internal memory and no microSD card in the box users will be forced to drop some extra cash if they wish to listen to more than 250 songs, but at $79.99 on contract after a $50 rebate, what do you expect?Read

We were just hit up by a new Verizon connect and it looks like the LG Chocolate Touch is on the horizon. We’re told that retail stores should be receiving stock within the next two weeks, which makes sense since it was featured in Verizon’s Holiday Lineup list. In case you missed the details, the Chocolate Touch will pack a 3.2 megapixel camera, EV-DO Rev. 0 (they couldn’t get with the times and get Rev. A?), Visual Voicemail and VZ Navigator. We’re not sure how we feel about the design, especially with LG offerings like the BL20 and BL40, you’d think this fresh new touch screen wouldn’t look like it was designed in the late 90s. It also looks like it’s packing the same tired OS which will look even more dead once Droid/s hit the scene, but with the right pricing we think this could do well with those who aren’t looking for full-featured smartphones. Hit the jump for a shot of the back.

With employee HSPA training well under way, one of our TELUS connects hit us up late last night to let us know just what smartphone hungry Canadians can expect once its HSPA network overlay goes live next month. Apart from the obvious ones – iPhone 3G and 3GS — TELUS will be dishing out the BlackBerry Bold 9700, LG Chocolate BL40 and the Nokia E71 (odd, we know). Road warriors should also note that TELUS will be offering the Sierra Wireless 306 USB data stick which is capable of taking full advantage of TELUS’ 21Mbps HSPA network. Okay, fine, rumors about many of these devices coming to TELUS aren’t exactly new, but we’re the first to be able to confirm this 100%. Just one more thing…. We’ve been told that the HTC Hero is definitely in TELUS’ play book and it’s going to be the GSM/HSPA variant.

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After its early debut on LG’s developer website last week, the New Chocolate BL20 has been officially announced by LG. A full product page, flickr slideset and an official press release all serve to confirm the existence of this handset, though we pretty much already knew all there was to know about this little guy. For those on the other side of the Atlantic, the sexy slider with a distinctive red keypad is expected to land at O2 UK in Q4 for €269 ($394USD). As for the rest of us, it’s still a waiting game we’re afraid. Hit the jump for the press release.

LG’s newest Chocolate flavour slides to market

Berkshire, September 28, 2009 – LG Electronics a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, today announces its second New Chocolate phone, BL20, featuring a sliding keypad. The newest addition to the Chocolate series follows the launch of the stylish New LG Chocolate phone (BL40) at the start of September.

Available in the UK in Q4 at O2, the BL20 features a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash in a slim casing measuring just 12.3mm in depth.

The handset also features touch-sensitive controls which are discretely concealed on the sides of the phone. Users can instinctively feel their way around functions such as volume control and camera zoom for quick adjustments.

Widget Hotkeys enable users to personalise the phone to directly access favourite features for weather, news or personal updates. A new feature includes Clear Memo Capture which captures text, handwritten notes and drawings with maximum clarity, offering a different way to record information.

Jeremy Newing, head of marketing, LG Mobile UK and Ireland says, “Boasting advanced new features such as Widget Hotkeys and Clear Memo Capture, the BL20 offers consumers a design alternative to the already successful BL40 with its widescreen display.”

The New LG Chocolate BL20 is referencing the original Chocolate’s design characteristics such as glossy black surface accentuated with red highlights but reinterpreted them in a sliding keypad handset. Notably, the handset has refined its red navigation keys – part of LG’s overall design language – which are revealed when the phone slides open. It has evolved from the iconic design of its predecessors combining enhanced interactive features with a sleek minimalist look aimed at style-conscientious consumers.

“Standing proudly alongside the BL40, the BL20 expands the Chocolate series with a beautiful but practical slider option reflecting our leadership in design,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The New LG Chocolate BL20 offers consumers another way to experience the luxurious style and high performance that is symbolic of the LG Chocolate series but at a more affordable price.”

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LG’s latest and greatest Chocolate offering is shaping up to be the entry level BL20 touch-enabled slider. Shots of handset adorned with its red keypad have been bouncing around for a while but LG has been mum as far as details go. The silence has just been broken however — though it’s not an official announcement, the BL20 has made its first appearance on LG’s developer website with a full list of specifications including:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz
• UMTS/HSDPA (3.6Mbps) 900/2100 MHz
• 2.4-inch QVGA display with 262K colors
• ARM9 processor
• 256MB Flash memory
• 128 MB RAM
• 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus,  flash and video recording
• Bluetooth 2.1
• FM radio
• MicroSD card expansion, up to 16GB
• USB 2.0
• Proprietary OS with SMS and MMS 1.2, Email (SMTP, POP3, IMAP4), WAP 2.0/HTML/XHTML web browser
• 106.9 x 50.8 x 12.3 mm and 115 grams

Most of what we already knew about the slider has been confirmed, so now we just need LG to get moving and make this handset official.

[Via Unwired View]

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Behold, Verizon Wireless subscribers — the upcoming Chocolate sequel you had been praying was the BL40. Unfortunately no, it is most certainly not the BL40. We’ve known the Chocolate Touch would be a previously unseen handset for a while now of course, so this shouldn’t come as too much of a disappointment. As these live images of the handset emerge however, we can’t help but feel a little sad to think of how great a subsidized BL40 on VZW could have been. Alas, the peculiar mid-range handset you see at the top of this post is what we have to look forward to in its place. Rumored specs include a 3.2MP camera, 3.5mm headset jack, HTML Web browser, some form of limited multitasking support, a music player and a WVGA touchscreen display. Hit the jump for another shot.

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Perhaps it’s the ultra-wide 21:9 touchscreen display or maybe it’s the revised LG UI, but something about the Chocolate BL40 intrigues us. The simple fact that this handset is decidedly different from anything else on the market could be what’s drawing us in. Whatever the case, LG has just officially announced that its new oddball Chocolate phone will launch sometime toward the middle of this month in Europe. According to the release, the rest of the world will get the handset in October, though specific markets remain unnamed. To refresh your memory and whet your appetite, this Black Label phone features a 4-inch 800×345 pixel touchscreen display, LG’s S Class UI, a 5 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens, 7.2Mbps UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, and aGPS. The specs are there, the unique factor is there — the question is whether or not the market is there for a barely-pocketable feature phone with what will undoubtedly be a lofty price tag.

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Well what have we here? Our ninjas know better than to think they can take weekends off and one of our more diligent and trusted Best Best Mobile moles just hit us with a very interesting screen cap. Sunday, August 23rd is shaping up to be a hell of a day for the mobile mega-retailer and in turn, it’s going to be a hell of a day for phone fans in general. Let’s have a look at what’s in store:

• Samsung Gravity 2 (berry) — T-Mobile
• Samsung Solstice — AT&T
• LG Xenon (red) — AT&T
• Global AirCard (G2) — Verizon
• Samsung Rogue — Verizon
• LG Chocolate Touch — Verizon
• Samsung u450 Intensity — Verizon
• Samsung Omnia 2 — Verizon
• BlackBerry Tour — (new shipment, Sprint)

We can also see an “M330″ at the top of the screen listed as coming on September 8th and we’re guessing it’s not the clunky Samsung beast from 2002 or the Mitsubishi phone from 2003. All we know for the time being is that it’s a Samsung handset headed for Sprint, along with the Samsung Reclaim can be seen just off screen at the very top. We can’t make the date out but we know it’ll be sometime in August. Whatever… We’re to busy thinking about the possible BL40-like Chocolate Touch and Sammy’s Omnia sequel to worry about the Reclaim.

UPDATE: Hit the jump for a better shot of the list along with Best Buy location details.

Just one day after it was officially announced by LG, a super special variant of the incredibly sexy BL40 surfaced on the FCC. Dubbed the BL40g, it contains absolutely no surprises save for two of the things we love most in life — the 850 and 1900 MHz bands of UMTS. Now before any of you get jumping to conclusions such as “holy crap, it is coming to AT&T” we should remind you that the BL40 has long been known to be TELUS-bound in time for the launch of its HSDPA network. You know, seeing how it runs on the same bands as AT&T and Rogers… You get the idea.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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LG officially unveiled the latest addition to its Black Label series, the BL40 Chocolate. A bit of deja vu as this handset has already starred in its own photo shoot and made its unofficial YouTube debut. The red-trimmed handset has a 4-inch wide screen 800×345 pixel display with a unique 21:9 aspect ratio, 5 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens, 7.2Mbps UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, and aGPS. As far as release details, unfortunately all we know about this sleek and sexy handset is that it will debut in Q3 2009 in 54 countries worldwide. All else aside, we can’t wait to see how typing on this bad boy works out considering how long and thin it is. Hit the jump for a few more press photos.

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Well hello there, LG BL40. Don’t you look all pretty and nice in the flesh, just like we thought you would. Some people think you look more like some sort of fancy universal remote control than a high-end cellphone, but they just don’t get you like we do. We understand your thin frame and 21:9 aspect ratio-rocking 4-inch touchscreen display makes you quite imposing, but there’s no need to dismiss you just because you look different. You’re not the smartest phone on the block and you might only have 335MB of internal memory, but a little bit of Ginkgo Biloba and a microSD card should do the trick. By the way, would you mind telling us a little bit more about your friend, BL42? She’s pretty damn cute and we’d love to get to know a bit more about her and her 5 megapixel shooter… Hit the jump for more shots.

[Via Eng]

Read – BL40
Read – BL42

It looks as if we no longer have to wait on LG to complete a slow and painful unveiling of its brand new Black Label series phone — if this is the real deal, of course. A very convincing promotional video popped up on YouTube that, if genuine, not only gives us our first shots of the device but also details the majority of its specs. As expected, the BL40 appears to be a very formidable phone with features that include a 4-inch 345×800 capacitive touchscreen display (note the very unusual 21:9 aspect ratio) under scratch resistant glass, 5 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens, 7.2Mbps UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, aGPS and the what appears to be a suped up S Class UI. While we feel it necessary to again stress that this video is in no way official yet and could certainly be a farce, we would love nothing more than to see this puppy materialize. Hit the jump to check out the video.

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LG released a teaser spot on its Spanish blog that partially reveals the next generation of its popular Chocolate handset. According to LG, the new Chocolate will improve usability while maintaining the style and minimalistic design of its predecessor. A handful of carefully crafted profile shots reveal this sleek, simple design — and little else. Drooling over the design and want details? You will have to wait a little longer unfortunately as additional information on this sweet handset will be forthcoming in August. Hit the jump for a few more photos.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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