LG’s New Chocolate Phones Priced And Dated For Australia

There are some interesting marketing decisions in play with the Australian launch of the new LG Chocolate and Chocolate Slide phones. Like the fact that the Chocolate Slide goes on sale on Boxing Day…

I know Boxing Day sales are a big thing, but that’s because people want to buy regular stuff cheap, not because they want to buy something that’s brand new. Not to mention the fact that you miss the entire Christmas sales window, therefore significantly reducing potential revenue.

But thankfully that’s not something I’ll ever have to deal with, being a smartphone user. If you’re looking for one of these new phones, the Chocolate will land some time this month for $999 through major mobile phone outlets, while the Chocolate Slide is a Telstra exclusive, $0 up front on a $30 plan for 24 months from Boxing Day.

Get a Taste of New Chocolate and New Chocolate Slide

LG’s stunning New Chocolate handsets open up a whole new mobile experience

Sydney, Australia, 2 December 2009 – LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, today announced the release of the highly anticipated New Chocolate mobile phones in Australia. The New Chocolate and New Chocolate Slide, the stunning new editions to the Black Label Series, will be available in Australia from December.

With the introduction of its bold new shape, the New Chocolate is essentially reinventing the way consumers view and use mobile phones. Designed with sleek sophistication, the strikingly unconventional 4-inch wide screen opens up an enlarged and more optimal space for “on-the-go” computing, allowing for an entirely new mobile experience that raises the bar of innovation.

“The New Chocolate will dramatically change the way we interact with our phones,” said Nathan Dunn, General Manager, Mobile Communications, LG Electronics Australia. “The New Chocolate reflects the originality and sophistication of the Black Label Series, while the length of the screen makes browsing mobile internet a more convenient and effortless experience. Combine this with the elegance and style of the New Chocolate, and you have a unique, stand-out handset that is an essential accessory for the modern, fashion-forward consumer.”

Users will see things differently with the widened 21:9 panoramic display that establishes a new level of visual comfort for reading web pages and e-mail and dramatically brings movies and games to life with cinematic flair. Going wide also allows for the dual screen era to finally be brought to handsets for enhanced usability, which when combined with LG’s upgraded and intuitive S-Class UI brings a whole new meaning to the words “user friendly”.

The New Chocolate phone made an impressive debut during London Fashion Week as the headline sponsor of designers Sienna and Savannah Miller’s Twenty8Twelve catwalk show. Modelled before the glitterati of the international fashion world, the innovative wide screen phone was lauded for its bold visionary style and design initiative. The elegant phone looks set to be one of the most sought-after items this season among discerning fashionistas.

For those wanting a mobile phone with more traditional styling the evolution of the Chocolate legacy continues with the New Chocolate Slide. The New Chocolate Slide channels the spirit of the original Chocolate phone, inheriting its predecessor’s easily recognisable sleek and seamless look. Like the New Chocolate phone, it shares the characteristic glossy black surface accentuated with luxurious red highlights and yet forges its own identity with a sliding keypad for easy mobility.

“Standing proudly alongside the New Chocolate, the New Chocolate Slide expands the Chocolate series with a beautiful yet practical slider which reflects our design leadership and focus on consumer benefits,” continues Dunn. “The New Chocolate Slide offers consumers another way to experience the trendsetting style and high performance that is symbolic of the Black Label Series.”

With a compact form factor that’s both simple and sophisticated, the New Chocolate Slide’s enhanced interactive features make it a very attractive option for customers looking for smart and stylish usability. With just one touch, users can enjoy easy, direct access to commonly used features or view the latest news and weather with the Widget Hotkey.

Telstra Consumer Executive Director, Peter Jamieson, reports that the company is delighted to add the New Chocolate Slide to the Telstra NextG™ range as the original model proved very popular with customers.

“The addition of the New Chocolate Slide provides our customers with greater choice and even more ways to stay connected with people, entertainment and information on the go such as; CitySearch® film, Facebook®, BigPond® sport, news, weather, and see all the latest fashions on the catwalk with Fashion TV on Mobile FOXTEL from Telstra,” Mr Jamieson said.

The innovative Clear Memo Capture with Text Scan will alter the way users record information. This feature provides the ability to capture text, handwritten notes or even drawings with enhanced visual clarity for storage on the phone for later recall. The New Chocolate can act as a second brain to keep track of information for those times when there simply doesn’t seem to be enough blank scraps of paper.

The New Chocolate Slide will be available at T[life]stores, Telstra Shops and Retailers and Dealers on $0 on 30 plan from Boxing Day 26th December.

The New Chocolate will be available to order in December through major mobile phone outlets for RRP $999.

The New Chocolate

See Things Differently
Mobile web browsing is now a breeze with the New Chocolate’s 4-inch, 21:9 HD LCD that eliminates unnecessary side-scrolling; 7.2 HSDPA provides speedier internet and e-mail
Enjoy a panoramic multimedia experience featuring a theatre-like movie player and enriched image and document viewer through the wide screen
Utilize the extra space with Dual Screen UI which can intelligently display two different types of content simultaneously

Touch Things Differently
Enjoy simplified touchscreen navigation with LG’s upgraded S-Class UI which offers the best in finger-friendly 3D graphics, intuitive responsiveness and easier accessibility to applications
With one-touch copy and paste, transfer content even more quickly and effortlessly
Thanks to the wider screen, discover a refreshingly new hands-on experience for a multitude of tasks ranging from texting to gaming

Style Things Differently
Irresistibly slim shape, glossy black finish and iconic red highlights create a sense of subtle, chic luxury which preserves the New Chocolate’s design identity
Curved scratch-resistant glass that seamlessly encases the phone and provides a smooth, elegant surface which will always look flawlessly clean and alluring
The 4-inch HD LCD opens up a wider space to showcase and accentuate your personal style; enhanced customization features allow you to express yourself through wallpapers, themes and ringtones created from your own multimedia content

* * *

The New Chocolate Slide

Iconic Design
Captivating red-hued navigation keys lie hidden beneath the dark exterior only to be revealed when the phone slides open

Minimal Environment
The slender 12.3-milimeter body houses some surprisingly powerful tools, including the impressive 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash.
Touch-sensitive side controls are discretely concealed. Users can now instinctively feel their way around functions such as volume control and camera zoom for quick adjustments without disrupting the phone’s minimalist lines.

Maximum Engagement
Get direct access to commonly used features or just check out the news and weather with the Widget Hotkey.
The 42-milimeter keypad provides a comfortable and familiar interface for communicating via SMS
The innovative Clear Memo Capture with Text Scan feature provides the ability to capture text, handwritten notes or even drawings with enhanced visual clarity for storage on the phone for later recall

For more information please visit the LG website at www.lge.com.au or call 1300 LG CARE (1300 542 273) for stockists.


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