LG Optimus Net with NFC head to T-Mobile USA?

LG announced its LG Optimus Net on the 15th of July with the promise that some versions of the phone would be NFC capable devices in certain markets. However, which markets would get the NFC version were not disclosed and the way the press release read suggested that it may only be Europe that initially received some NFC goodness from LG, which is a little odd when you consider that NFC is taking off all around the world and LG hasn’t really got a large portfolio of NFC phones. The way the press release read was very cryptic as to where and when we would see the NFC version of the LG Optimus Net. We have included the press release below for you to take a look at. However, the rumor mill has been peddling rumors in the last few days that T-Mobile USA may have committed to taking on the P690 LG Optimus Net NFC version on to the pink network, and we could see it in just a few short weeks.

LG Optimus Net NFC phone specifications

Specifications for the LG Optimus Net NFC phone are a little light on the ground at the moment, but we will give you what we have. The LG Optimus Net is a phone aimed with social networking in mind. It runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) so it will be able to handle most things you chuck at it. However, the company foresees the little handset being used socially and so have included a feature called LG Social+. The LG Optimus Net is said to combine the most popular social networking portals in one convenient widget right on the home screen. With a single click, users can multitask between updating their status on Facebook and Twitter while reading their friends’ social media feeds on the same screen. One-click photo sharing with multiple social media accounts from the home screen is integrated into its  social widget, so quick access is the order of the day for Tweeters and Facebookers.

The LG SmartShare function allows easy sharing of content with other DLNA-friendly devices. DLNA is a standard put together by DLNA.org that allows consumer electronics to talk to each other. For example, allowing you to show photographs from your laptop on your TV. The LG Optimus Net has a dinky screen, measuring in at just 3.2 inches but the HVGA (320 x 480) display is said to be sharp. The processor, a single core 800 MHz, is a little dated but should work fine for casual users. The NFC phone will also come in black and white variations.

LG Optimus Net NFC version on T-Mobile USA summary

As we are sure you will appreciate, the LG Optimus Net NFC version is no speed demon, but its specifications are fair for its target market. It is an Android Gingerbread NFC phone so will quench most people’s thirst for features and NFC. We don’t know whether T-Mobile USA will plump for the touch screen or QWERTY version of the LG Optimus Net, although the original press release stated that North America would see a QWERTY keyboard. Pricing is undetermined or unavailable at this time, but it should be very cost effective when you consider that just this last week at Best Buy, you could walk out of the store with an invariably more powerful Samsung Nexus S NFC phone for no money down and a two year contract. We are yet to see an LG NFC phone that can take on the superphones of Samsung, and if the leaked roadmap is a true representation of what is to come for the rest of this year from LG, the LG Optimus Net is as good as its going to get in terms of an NFC capable device this year. Check out the Italian video below to see the NFC LG Optimus Net in action and being handled like a fine bottle of wine by some Italian chap.