MANILA, Philippines?Global mobile phone maker LG Electronics has joined the Android fray by introducing an entry-level smartphone running on the Google-developed open source mobile operating system that is increasingly popular among handset makers.

LG refers to the LG Optimus (LG GT540), which is priced at only P12, 900 when it hits the market this August, as the most affordable yet fashionable Android-powered smartphone.

With its price and textured design and colors, the LG Optimus is intended for first time users of smartphone devices, according to Faith Mijares of LG Electronics.

As an Android phone (it runs on version 1.6 of the operating system, but is upgradeable to the current version 2.1), the LG Optimus allows users to enjoy Google apps and synchronize automatically with Google mobile services.

For example, the user who logs in using his or her Google account can already enjoy and use YouTube, Gmail, Gtalk and Google Maps as these Web services?represented by active widgets?can be accessed from any of the several home screens of the LG Optimus.

As an Internet device, the LG Optimus is also enhanced with features that connect the user to social networking functions such as Facebook and Twitter.

LG Optimus features the SN Manager, which offers integrated access to social networking sites (SNS) in convenient platform. It can manage multiple SNS accounts, while a dedicated Social Networking Client allows users to easily keep track of their Facebook, Twitter and Bebo accounts.

As a full featured smartphone, the LG Optimus is a multitasker as the SNS widgets provide real-time status updates directly to the homescreen, which the user can view while still accessing and searching the phone?s contact list simultaneously.

This handset, like any other Android powered smartphones, features an Android homescreen, but gives the user the option to use an LG homescreen created by manufacturer for its popular Cookie lineup of touch phones.

In fact, the LG Optimus features a total of seven homescreens that can be customized according to user?s preference.

As a multimedia device, the LG Optimus comes equipped with a 3 megapixel camera that supports geo-tagging, auto face-tagging and ?face-to-action? technology that allows the user to create and share multimedia content from the phone. Likewise, the phone has a built-in video editor with storyboard function, allowing the users to add music and text to videos directly on the phone.

An added plus is the phone?s ability to play DivX and Xvid videos directly without separate encoding.

The LG Optimus also features the Android Market, where the user can access more than 100,000 apps?many of them still for free?via 3G data connection or through Wi-Fi.

The open source Android mobile OS was developed by Google in partnership with the Open Handset Alliance, a Google-led consortium of hardware, software and telecom companies (that includes HTC, Intel, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Qualcomm) devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.