LG was the first phone maker to announce a handset for the WP7 OS and they have been the first to show the device in images and also in action. What is more is that the LG Panther is also the very first WP7 handset revealed that would have a slide out QWERTY keyboard – a major feature that is not present in other devices.

With the Panther already announced and ready to go, LG was able to establish themselves as the current ‘lead’ among WP7 handset makers –but with the simultaneous launch this coming October, LG’s position as first will not mean much. By having more devices however, they will still carve out a much larger niche than what the Panther can make.

The two new devices aside from the Panther are the E900 and the C900. These two smart phones have been brought up in a Microsoft database listing, revealing that the said devices will be using a special mobile version of IE7 that is designed strictly for the WP7 OS.

However, without an official listing or mention from LG, the actual specs or even basic details of the two devices are pretty much unknown –and some are even speculating that one of the handsets might be a designation for the Panther (which means LG will only have two devices and not three).

Since Microsoft has already given out specifics on the minimum hardware requirements for the new WP7, the least we can expect is that both devices will have capacitive WVGA touch screen displays and 1GHz Qualcomm CPUs.

Korean based LG is not going to be left behind by its competitors as they have recently confirmed that their LG Panther smart phone is ready and waiting for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 series mobile platform. The device is a touch screen smart phone that has a slide out QWERTY keyboard which matches the type 2 chassis requirements of WP7. The device is expected to come out later this October.

LG just announced 5 more smart phones that will be coming out in the next few months.

Starting off the list is the LG Cookie Music media smart phone that comes with some pretty impressive mid-range features. The device is equipped with a 5 mega pixel camera, Dolby technology for superior music quality, 4GB of internal memory, a 3.5mm external audio jack and of course, 3G HSDPA support.

Other upcoming devices include the KS365 touch screen GSM smart phone. The phone will have a 2.4 inch quarter VGA touch screen along with a 2 MP camera, a slide out QWERTY keyboard and an FM radio.

LG is also bringing out the Pure and the GT405 smart phones. The Pure comes in a slider form with a 5 mega pixel camera and support for HSDPA. While the GT405 is a touch screen device with a new 3D version of the LG S-class user interface.

Lastly, the LG Jaguar 5 is a basic candy bar device that comes with a VGA camera.

Get to know more about LG’s 5 new mobile phones at Mobile Choice UK.

While the OS is not yet shown on the device itself, LG and Microsoft have confirmed that the new smart phone is indeed made for the Windows Phone 7 series and it will be sporting a groovy 5 mega pixel camera and a slide out, physical QWERTY keyboard.

Initial shots of the device are promising. While there is nothing revolutionary about the form factor, it is very practical in terms of functionality. The slide out keyboard will certainly attract a lot of users who love to use mobile messaging functions such as text and email services. The actual keyboard itself is a 4 row layout that has decent sized keys for easy typing.

The fuss about WP7 is far from dying out as MS proves to the world that they still have what it takes to create a good operating system. The unveiling of the OS at the Mobile World Congress certainly drew a lot of good attention to the new user interface that reinvents the way we use and access information on mobile phones. Phone functions are divided into several pages for contacts, media and other functions, making WP7’s UI easy to move around in.

Speculations about the hardware for the WP7 hit a new high last week as the different chassis types were discussed at length. With the CPU for the OS already pegged to be using Qualcomm technology, many are speculating the Snapdragon processor to be WP7’s minimum required CPU. Images do reveal that the device comes with a 5 mega pixel camera with LED flash.

According to reports, the LG Panther is expected to come out later this coming September.

Read more about the Panther and WP7 at Mobile Today UK.