LG's 3-in. 'Pop' touch smartphone charges with solar power

LG on Wednesday announced its GD510 "Pop" smartphone, a full touchscreen device that strips excess space and features for "the illusion of an uninterrupted sheet of glass."

What that means is that LG minimized the 3-inch WQVGA screen's bezel to just 4.8mm, anchored by a single button that does triple duty as menu, end and cancel keys (depending on the phone's mode). A slim strip of light around the button shines either green or red to indicate the handset's function.

Better still, the phone offers a replacement battery cover with a solar panel on it.

LG says the GD510 plays music and movies in "several popular file formats" and offers a paltry 8GB of internal storage. The handset has a web browser, of course, as well as a 3.0 megapixel camera.

[Image Gallery: LG GD510 Pop smartphone]

The GD510 "Pop" sports a brushed aluminum exterior. LG was not forthcoming with any more details about the device.

Here's a video:

The GD510 will be available beginning in mid-October in Europe, followed by other markets. Prices will be announced separately in each market, and LG didn't give any indication of what that might be in North America.