LG Optimus 3D and Pad: hands on

It's certainly been a long time since there has been an LG mobile device worthy of our close attention, but LG has kicked off 2011 with not one hot mobile, but four: the Optimus 3D, Optimus Pad, the 2X and the Black. We took some time to paw over these beauties at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Offering 3D in mobile devices is a real gamble for LG, and it seems to be the only company taking that chance. In many ways the 3D features are mere gimmicks for these devices, so it's important that LG has backed up this claim to fame with some seriously powerful hardware, so that those who choose a 3D phone get a powerhouse smartphone with an additional 3D feature.

Now before we continue, we know you can't see the 3D in the photos in this gallery, so you'll have to take our word for it that it's there and it works, especially in the case of the Optimus 3D phone.

While you will be able to watch 3D movies on the handset, chances are the majority of 3D content you'll watch will be user-generated via YouTube 3D.

With two 5-megapixel cameras on the back of the Optimus 3D, you can get cracking recording your world with the added third dimension. With the distance between the cameras, the optimal distance for subjects in your videos will be one metre from the lens, or if you don't like the effect you can turn off 3D before recording.

Gaming giant Gameloft also contributed to the Optimus 3D, pre-loading three 3D titles on the handset at launch; Let's Golf 2, Asphalt 6 and N.O.V.A.

LG's entry in the tablet space is an 8.9-inch tablet running Google Honeycomb OS.

LG claims to have found the perfect tablet size in the middle ground between the industry's largest and smallest tablets. At 8.9 inches diagonally, LG believes you get the benefits of being able to hold it in one hand comfortably and type with two hands easily, with your fingers reaching all keys in the centre of the on-screen keyboard.

This is a tiny taste of the Honeycomb OS; a view of what it looks like when you add new widgets to any of the five customisable home screens.

This image simply doesn't do the display on this tablet any justice. The WXGA (1280x768 pixels) display looks fantastic when running HD videos.

The Optimus Pad isn't as 3D-ready as the Optimus 3D, with a standard LCD display, but it does have stereoscopic cameras for shooting your own 3D content. With the distance between these cameras, the optimal 3D shooting distance doubles to 2 metres.

In the camera app you'll find 3D viewing settings, allowing you to monitor your recordings in Anaglyphic 3D (red and blue), split screen or mixed.

It doesn't matter how many times we see an anaglyphic 3D image, it always looks so awesomely retro.

On the LG stand at MWC, the company had the new Optimus 2X connected to LCD TVs playing games running on the phone.

This is a feature we missed when we first saw the Black at the Consumer Electronic Show in Vegas. On the left-hand side of the handset is a gesture control button. Hold it in and you can move sections of the phone using the accelerometer. In this image, which is zooming in, we are panning over the pic by holding the button down and tilting the handset.

Though less impressive on the spec sheet, prepare to be blown away when the Optimus Me launches for approximately AU$150 outright on prepaid plans. With Android Froyo installed, that's a lot of phone for little money.