While LG has never appeared to be particularly interested in offering Android smartphones, today the Korean company officially took the wraps off of its first Android device in the LG-GW620. A slider with a full-QWERTY keypad, LG made the strange decision to withhold most of the GW620′s specs in its press release despite having shown it off at a trade show just one week ago. But because of this recent appearance, we know that the GW620 also known as the “Etna” has 3-inch HVGA touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3.6 Mbps UMTS/HSDPA connectivity. You can expect to see the LG-GW620 in Europe sometime in the next quarter, although disappointingly there was no mention of a North American release. Hit the jump for some high-res press shot goodness.

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It looks like Vodafone subscribers may be among the first to get their hands on LG’s virgin Android offering as the handset has reportedly just made its first official public appearance. Spotted at a Vodafone booth at the IFA trade show in Germany, the Etna appears to be a decently-spec’d Android phone, though all we have so far is a sliding QWERTY, 3-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth and a 5 megapixel camera. This all strikes us as odd of course, considering “Etna” was the codename for AT&T’s LG Neon feature phone when it was first explored back in February. Maybe LG liked the name so much, it decided to reuse it as the launch name on its Android phone? We imagine the details will all be ironed out soon enough but in the meantime, let’s all just keep our finger’s crossed that LG’s Android phone finds its way to the US sooner rather than later — we could certainly use the variety.

[Via Phandroid]

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Hardcore messaging fanatics on AT&T have a few more options to look forward to in the near future. If you find yourself in need of a full QWERTY keyboard and blazing fast data speeds aren’t a necessity, the Samsung Shift and LG Etna might be for you – if the Propel, Quickfire, Slate, Matrix and Duo just aren’t cutting it, that is. The Samsung Shift is a 2G candybar phone that has a full QWERTY keyboard and apparently not much else to tout; perfect for those who do some talking, a little browsing and a whole lot of messaging. It’s a pretty basic handset and really doesn’t offer much to squeal about with EDGE speeds, a VGA camera and no real smartphone features. But there is something for everyone and the Shift definitely has its purpose. For a video of the Shift along with info and a video of the Etna, hit the jump.

Next up for AT&T is the LG GT365 (sounds more like a muscle car than a phone), or the Etna. This little slider also offers a QWERTY keyboard as well as a 2 megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth support. It’s basically just a hair above the Shift in the features department for those who want a little more. It also has a resistive touchscreen with haptic feedback so you save some extra bulk and size by being able to dial on the screen instead of having another keypad (like the Pantech Duo). Otherwise, it’s a pretty basic phone with heavy messagers in mind.

Thanks, Fernando!