LG&39's mystery dual screen Android handset

A new LG handset with a rather unique form factor has been spied in London this week. The unnamed device features a sliding QWERTY keyboard with a secondary display nestled halfway between the keys. Pocket-lint indicates that the Android smart phone was used as part of a demonstration by Orange and Kineto Wireless who were discussing the carrier's Signal Boost technology.

According to Pocket-lint, the screen provides eight shortcuts to applications with six already accounted for. The other two would presumably left for the user to decide. Unfortunately, they did not get enough time to see if the second display allowed for additional customization or if it behaved differently when specific apps were running. Considering the six listed shortcuts found in the image, I would anticipate being able to hand pick all of them.

In terms of hardware, not much else was disclosed. The digital camera lens on the back did not indicate its resolution and there appeared to be an abnormal amount of space between the two halves when the phone was closed. One possibility is that this particular display phone might be a prototype and not indicative of a production-ready model. The display was described as being unremarkable, leading me to believe this will be a wallet-friendly offering when it arrives.

It's difficult to say with certainty which handset this is, however multiple outlets are leaning toward the Optimus Slider. Also whispered with the codename of Gelato, at least two carriers are expected to offer the phone this fall. Both Sprint and T-Mobile were recently found to have the LG product on their short term road maps. Without knowing the full details, I imagine this will be a priced on the low end of the spectrum, possibly hovering around $50 or less. Should that prove to be the case, LG could be sitting on another popular phone line.