LG Revolution LTE smartphone arrives on Verizon Wireless

The limited roster of LTE enabled smartphones worldwide was boosted yesterday by the arrival of the LG Revolution on Verizon Wireless in the US. The operator said that the device, which is now available online and in stores, will deliver download speeds between 5 and 12Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5Mbps, in areas covered by its LTE network.

The lack of LTE enabled smartphones was one of the key concerns for the industry raised at the recent LTE World Summit, so the arrival of a new device, the first from LG, should be viewed as welcome news.

The device runs on Android 2.2, features a 4.3in 800 x 480 capacitance touch screen and is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

One of the key uses for the phone on the LTE network will be for viewing video content and the LG Revolution is the first device to have the Netflix movie service pre-installed. This is made possible by a custom design of the Qualcomm chipset which supports DRM in order to appease piracy fears from the movie industry. The device can be connected up via HDMI however for viewing content on a larger screen. In another win for Microsoft, the phone comes preloaded with Microsoft’s Bing Search and Maps.

Other highlights include a rear facing five megapixel camera that’s capable of 720p video recording. It integrates wifi b/g/n and can be used as a mobile hotspot to connect up to five other devices to take advantage of the LTE service. Verizon said this feature will only be available as a no-cost option for a limited time.

The phones costs $249 with a two-year contract and an unlimited data package is $29.99.

Other LTE smartphones on Verizon Wireless are the recently released Samsung Droid Charge and the HTC Thunderbolt. The Samsung Droid Charge recently won the Best LTE handset award at the Informa LTE Awards 2011.

The fourth annual LTE North America Conference takes place in Texas, US, November 8-9