When LG took the wraps off of its new flagship G2 smartphone last month, all four major U.S. carriers came forward in support of the device. None of them were quite ready to talk availability, though, leaving interested consumers in the dark about when they'll get to try the G2's crazy rear-mounted volume buttons. Now it looks like at least some folks may not be too far out from giving those buttons a go, a a new report claims to have details on when two major U.S. operators will begin sales of the G2.
According to Android Central sources that claim to be knowledgable of LG's plans, the G2 is currently slated to hit Verizon on Thursday, Sept. 12, with a launch at AT&T to follow on Sept. 13. AT&T is expected to begin accepting pre-orders for the G2 on Sept. 3, and anyone that plunks down their cash early will receive a free folio case for their new handset.
In other LG news, an executive for the company's Bulgarian arm has hinted that the Life's Good crew has quite an array of products in its pipeline. Dimitar Valev, manager of mobile communications at LG Bulgaria, has revealed to Dnevnik.bg that his company is currently prepping a phone/tablet hybrid device that's larger than the Vu and Optimus G Pro, which measure 5 inches and 5.5-inches. Valev didn't offer any other details on the upcoming giganto-phone.
While LG intends to focus most of its efforts on Android, Valev did say that LG will probably crank out a new Windows Phone device soon, echoing an LG India exec's recent statement. Valev also teased that LG plans to add a Firefox OS phone to its roster sometime in the first quarter of 2014.
Moving on to non-smartphone products, Valev revealed that LG is poised to reenter the tablet market. The company put its tablet efforts on hold back in June 2012 to focus on its smartphones, but LG recognizes that the tablet segment is quickly growing. Valev wouldn't reveal much about LG's new slate, but he did say that the device will likely be revealed later this year.
Finally, Valev teased that LG's got a new smartwatch-style product in the works that's similar to the GD910 device that it launched a few years back. The U.S. is expected to be one of the first markets that LG introduces its next piece of wristwear in when it arrives, which Valev says could happen in 2014.
Overall it sounds like LG's got itself a pretty diverse pipeline of products. The G2 is obviously the company's main focus, but it'll be interesting to see what kind of Windows Phone and tablet products that it can whip up considering how long its been absent from both categories. And of course there's that smartwatch, a product that we'll likely see many manufacturers flock to in the near future. It remains to be seen how LG will differentiate its watch from the upcoming legion of competing wristwear, but with recent hardware decisions like the squarish Vu and the G2's rear buttons, it's clear that LG can create devices that are unique if nothing else.
