LG promises energy efficient phones

At MWC, LG unveiled plans to develop new energy efficient mobile phones

LG Electronics has announced plans to develop new energy efficient mobile phones using cutting edge technologies from Qualcomm MEMS Technologies (QMT) and Intel.

The mobile manufacturer has partnered with QMT to develop mobile devices that use mirasol technology to function more efficiently.

Mirasol reflects natural light in specific wavelengths that interfere with each other to create a colourful display across a broad range of lighting conditions. Because the display consumes less power than with other technologies, handset battery life is extended and users can have greater access to a growing number of advanced features, according to LG.

"With the display's low-power capabilities, LG can see how our customers could take advantage of sophisticated mobile applications for longer periods of time and view them across a range of lighting environments," said LG vice president DooWhan Sang.

LG has not given the planned mirasol phones a name, nor has it identified the new mobiles it is developing with Intel that will be based on the chip giant's Moorestown platform.

Moorestown is scheduled for release in late 2009 or early 2010. The platform boasts a 45nm Intel Atom chip and an I/O hub codenamed Langwell, which supports a range of I/O ports to connect with wireless, storage and display components in addition to incorporating several board-level functions.

Intel said that the platform will be able to reduce idle power consumption by a factor of 10 compared to the first generation of mobile internet devices (MIDs) based on the Atom processor.

"We look forward to providing [LG] with some fantastic Intel products that will deliver the best internet experience while dramatically reducing power, contributing to the development of ultra sleek devices that offer superb battery life," said Anand Chandrasekher, general manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group.

Intel announced a partnership with Ericsson in 2008 to produce High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) data modules based on the Moorestown platform. LG has now said that it will work with Ericsson to bring 3G network capability to its planned MID.

"We are working with LG and Intel to deliver industry-leading 3G capabilities on the Moorestown MID," said Mats Norin, head of Ericsson Mobile Broadband Modules.

The LG device will also use a new edition of the Linux-based Moblin operating system developed by Intel. Moblin v2.0 will deliver a "PC-like internet experience while also supporting cell phone capabilities", according to an LG report.