LG Had The Chance To Build The First Android Phone, But Backed Out

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Do you remember the T-Mobile G1? That was the first Android device ever. Certainly historic, although opinions on the phone are mixed, save for its cult following. That phone was produced by HTC, and HTC’s successful Android phones helped catapult them to be a top phone manufacturer in the same ranks as Motorola or Samsung. But, did you know the T-Mobile G1 was almost made by… LG? The Korean company was in talks to produce the first Android phone, but bowed out at the last minute.

This week with all the talk about Google buying Motorola, the Wall Street Journal ran an piece briefly running down the path of Andy Rubin, the man behind Android, as well as the popular Sidekick phone (remember the T-Mobile Sidekick?). The story mentions Rubin starting at Google and developing Android in a very top secret skunkworks environment.

They mention that while Rubin had secured deals to have the first Android phone on T-Mobile and Qualcomm providing the processors, LG was set to produce the phone, but backed out during talks. This has got to be a major blunder for LG and their ailing mobile division.

While LG’s featurephones (or “dumbphones”) are among the best selling in the world, the Korean company has had trouble making the jump to smartphones. Their first serious effort, the LG Ally, received mixed-to-poor reviews. The LG Optimus One was a more recent mid-end phone that’s been more well received, and their more high-end phones like the LG Revolution have garnered praise, but LG is still claiming big losses in their mobile phone division.

HTC jumped on the Android bandwagon early and it certainly has made them one of the hottest companies in tech. LG, who’s constantly battling their rivals at Samsung, certainly could of gotten a major boom if that had shown a little more faith in Android early on.