LG and Rogers on Tuesday announced the release of LG’s Optimus Pad in Canada. Available for $449.99 CAD with a three-year data contract, $649.99 CAD on a month-to-month data plan or $699.99 CAD free and clear, the Optimus Pad features an 8.9-inch display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor and three cameras — one on the front for video chat and dual cameras on the back for 3D video recording. BGR reviewed the LG Optimus Pad last month, rebranded as the T-Mobile G-Slate, and we were very impressed with the hardware. We thought Google’s first version of Honeycomb left a lot to be desired though, and the overall design seemed a bit dated and juvenile. Android fans north of the border waiting to get their hands on a tablet should definitely spend some time with the device, however. Hit the break for the full press release.
LG OPTIMUS PAD SETING NEW STANDARDS SO CANADIANS CAN WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD
The 4G Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablet Brings Media to Life with 3D and HD Capture, Viewing and Sharing
Toronto, May 17, 2011 LG is bringing media to life with the release of the Optimus Pad in Canada – the latest in tablet technology with a dual-core processor. With diverse multimedia and productivity features, the LG Optimus Pad features a unique 8.9-inch display for one-handed portability and uncompromising viewability, a variation from the 7 and 10 inch screens in market.
The LG Optimus Pad is powered by Google¹s Android 3.0 Honeycomb platform and the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor. The world¹s first tablet with a 3D camera, the LG Optimus Pad wraps users in an immersive multimedia environment with Full HD 1080p decoding.³
We are thrilled to set a new standard for tablets in the Canadian market with the launch of the Optimus Pad,² said Frank Lee, Senior Marketing Manager, LG Electronics Canada.³ Canadians are looking for exciting innovation with versatility for work and play and the Optimus Pad achieves the right blend of portability and viewability with no performance compromises.²
The LG Optimus Pad will be available in Canada exclusively through Rogers Communications. It will be available with select three-year data plans at $449.99, a month-to-month plan for $649.99 or as a standalone purchase for $699.99.
Easy Portability, Ideal Viewability
Sized at 8.9-inch diagonally and 149.4-mm horizontally, the LG Optimus Pad offers a sensible solution to other tablets on the market that are either too large for comfortable portability or too small for ideal viewing. The conveniently-sized LG Optimus Pad fits comfortably in one hand, goes anywhere and slips easily into purses and slim briefcases. With 15:9 aspect ratio, the LG Optimus Pad allows users access to the full range of applications in Android Market and its 1280 x 768 WXGA resolution vividly displays multimedia content in full widescreen format.
Powerful, Fast and Versatile Platform
The LG Optimus Pad is powered by Android 3.0, Google¹s latest platform optimized for tablets which supports larger display resolutions and applications specifically designed for tablets, including Google eBooks, Google Maps 5, Google Talk, Rogers urMusic, Rogers On Demand Online and the Macleans and Sportsnet widgets. Android 3.0 also makes the LG Optimus Pad easy to use with a more intuitive PC-like interface. The LG Optimus Pad fully utilizes the 1 GHz Dual Core CPU of NVIDIA Tegra 2 to deliver lag-free web browsing and quick app start up. The superb graphics and multitasking capabilities of NVIDIA Tegra 2 enables the LG Optimus Pad to run multiple apps simultaneously and handle rich multimedia with ease.
Haven for Multimedia Enthusiasts
As the world¹s first tablet equipped with a 3D camera, users can capture vivid images and video with the LG Optimus Pad for viewing on 3D TVs using HDMI or on the web via YouTube 3D. Business users will also appreciate the built-in videocalling feature. With 1080p Full HD decoding, movie enthusiasts can transfer high quality content to their TVs without any loss in picture quality. Serious and casual gamers alike will delight in the wide collection of console-quality games available through the Tegra Zone app that runs seamlessly on the LG Optimus Pad.