LG Mobile, Sprint Bring Fairy Tales to Life at LG Viper 4G LTE Launch Event

NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Mobile and Sprint teamed up last night with actress Ali Landry ("Bella," "ABC's Superstars") to celebrate the debut of the new LG Viper 4G LTE Android smartphone at Home Studios, located in the historic Flatiron/Union Square neighborhoods of New York City. Event goers experienced how technology can be used to bring families together with the introduction of tools like the "Life's Good Fairytales" app, a customizable storyboard that allows parents and children to bond over the creation and sharing of unique fairytales via their LG smartphone.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55525-lg-mobile-sprint-ali-landry-lg-viper-4g-lte-android-smartphone-launch

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120419/MM90408 )

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110203/CG42292LOGO-d )

Gathered in the brilliant 4,000-square-foot studio, guests were invited to use LG Viper 4G LTE to discover ways in which parents can reform bad tech habits that interfere with quality family time. Drawing from her experience as a model, actress and full-time mother, Landry shared how LG Viper 4G LTE and applications like Box (50 GB of free cloud storage for all LG smartphone devices) and "Life's Good Fairytales" can help parents stay connected with work and family without having to sacrifice one for the other. Demonstrated in Home Studios' custom-made children's bedroom, guests used the "Life's Good Fairytales" app to customize their own stories by uploading photos, names and voices directly into LG Viper 4G LTE smartphones. "Life's Good Fairytales" will be available for free to LG Viper 4G LTE owners beginning April 27 in Google Play. For additional details on the app as well as ways for other Android owners to download the app, please visit www.lg.com/viper. 

"A lot of today's parents work hard on the job then come home to commitments and family demands," said power parent Landry. "It can be easy to fall into the trap of mixing work with family time. That's why it's paramount for busy parents to have a smartphone like LG Viper 4G LTE that is not only dependable, but easily fits into their lifestyle. LG Viper 4G LTE makes its easier for me to stay connected with family, friends and business partners, and its technology and wide variety of useful apps allow me to juggle my personal and professional time in this fast-paced world."

"Like many of today's power parents, Ali Landry has a career that constantly keeps her on the go, in addition to her role as a full-time parent," said Tim O'Brien, vice president of marketing for LG Mobile. "At LG, we know it's important for people to have tools that allow them to multi-task. With LG Viper 4G LTE and apps like 'Life's Good Fairytales,' busy parents can stay connected to their families more easily than ever before—no matter where their work might take them."

LG also used this event as a platform to announce the results of a study about parents' use of smartphones. The survey of 2,222 U.S. adults (ages 18 and older) who have children ages 3 through 12 and own a smartphone was commissioned by LG Mobile and conducted online by Harris Interactive. The survey uncovered surprising statistics about parenting and smartphone use:

• Smartphones are an integral part of parents' lives—and more than half (57 percent) of all parents surveyed rely on their smartphones to keep them on track. More than two-thirds of these parents who are employed agree having a smartphone enables them to have a better work/life balance.
• Smartphones allow parents to stay in touch, but maybe a little too much. 62 percent of parents with smartphones indicate they check or use their smartphone during family time.
• Smartphones keep the family connected, but they also keep the family distracted. Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of parents with smartphones surveyed give their smartphone to their children to entertain them.
• Parents also are using smartphones to bond with their children. Nearly one-third (27 percent) of parents from the survey indicate they have read a book to their children from a smartphone.

In addition to giving parents a tool to help balance their personal and professional lives, LG Viper 4G LTE packs a lot of value. Owners have the ability to download Box on their smartphones for 50GB of free cloud storage and sharing directly from LG. Estimated at a value of $240 per year, Box users don't have to stress about storing all their favorite music, files, photos and other memories. The 50GB of free storage is exclusive to LG smartphone devices until July 22.

Also enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC), LG Viper 4G LTE gives owners access to features such as Google Wallet, an app that allows payment using a mobile device at NFC-enabled merchants nationwide including Bloomingdales, Toys "R" Us, CVS, Gap, Macy's and more. A full list of retailers is available at http://www.google.com/wallet/where-it-works.html.

The sleek, ultra-thin smartphone boasts a 4-inch touchscreen display that is remarkably bright and clear, even in direct sunlight. LG Viper 4G LTE runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system and features a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, a virtual QWERTY keyboard, WiFi hotspot capabilities and a microSD™ slot that supports up to 32GB. The ideal mobile device for anyone who wants superior performance without giving up personal style, LG Viper 4G LTE makes multitasking a breeze. The smartphone also features a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and VGA front-facing camera, which allows for a fun and easy face-to-face video chat experience with family and friends.

In addition to having the latest technology, LG Viper 4G LTE is ULE Platinum Certified with the highest level of environmental performance recognized by UL Environment and Sprint. LG Viper 4G LTE features a case made of 50 percent recycled plastics and is RoHS compliant, meaning it is free from many potentially hazardous materials such as PVC, phthalates, halogens and mercury. LG Viper 4G LTE also uses soy ink, is packaged in up to 87 percent of post-consumer paper, is made with a glueless construction and is 100 percent recyclable. Included with LG Viper 4G LTE is a charger that only consumes 0.03 watts of power when plugged into a wall socket without being connected to the phone. Unlike other chargers, this device exceeds the EC Code of Conduct on energy efficiency when it comes to no-load consumption.

LG Viper 4G LTE will be available in Sprint sales channels including Sprint stores, Sprint.com, Best Buy and RadioShack online and retail stores starting April 22 for $99.99 with a new two-year Sprint service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate via reward card¹ (excludes taxes and surcharges).  LG Viper is available now for pre-order via Sprint.com.  

Sprint 4G LTE is expected in select markets in mid-year 2012. For the most up-to-date details on Sprint's 4G LTE rollout, please visit www.sprint.com/4GLTE.

About LG Electronics USA

LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., and is the parent company of LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (collectively, "LG Electronics"), a $49 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, home appliances, mobile phones, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com or www.lg.com/us/mobile.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of LG Mobile from March 29–April 2, 2012 among 2,222 adults ages 18 and older who have a child ages 3 through 12 and own a smartphone. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Conor Campbell at [email protected].

SOURCE LG Mobile