LG's Optimus comes with Gingerbread

The phone, like its 2011 Optimus 3D predecessor, includes glasses-free 3D display technology on a 4.3-inch display and an ability to shoot 3D videos and photos with dual cameras. The new model, unveiled on Wednesday ahead of next week's Mobile World Congress, is thinner and has faster 21Mbps HSPA+ networking. It also supports near-field communications for tap-to-pay systems and other NFC uses such as switching the phone quickly among car, home and work modes. One thing that did not change is the version of Google's latest operating system. Even though Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, has been shipping in Samsung's Galaxy Nexus since late 2011, the Optimus 3D Max will still ship initially with the older Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread. An ICS update will arrive "shortly after the launch," which begins in March in Korea, where LG has its headquarters. European markets will come next, and others will follow, LG said, without releasing pricing or timing specifics. From: Cnet