LG's pico projector-packing WinMo eXpo outed for AT&T

Hey -- what's that? Oh right, it's the LG eXpo, the slider with a pico projector jammed inside. Among other things, the full QWERTY slider's packing a 1GHz CPU, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and of course that removable Texas Instruments projector. The just-announced handset bears quite a strong resemblance to the Monaco we heard about way back in May -- though from the looks of it, its lost all of the brassiness we were so fond of. The eXpo runs Windows Mobile 6.5, and it will hit AT&T on December 7th for $199 after a mail in rebate with a two year contract -- plus an additional $179 should you choose to opt in on that projector.

Today LG and AT&T introduced a new Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone, the eXpo. The device's defining feature is a removable Texas Instruments DLP pico projector, which can be used to share movies...er...PowerPoint Presentations when on the road.

This is an interesting device. Pico projectors are nothing new, but we have yet to see them become widely available on mobile phones, especially in the U.S. That the pico projector is detachable is nice, because according to the photos I've seen, it adds significant bulk to the eXpo. The projector weighs in at 1.8 ounces and is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, and can project content a distance as far as eight feet. You're not going to be sharing movies drive-in style at the office...yet.

The eXpo comes with the usual set of smartphone specs. It runs WIndows Mobile 6.5 professional and has a 3.2-inch touch display. It is a sideways slider that has a full QWERTY keyboard for messaging. It comes with dedicated buttons to launch applications such as the browser.

Other stats include a 5 megapixel camera with flash and video capture. It supports microSD cards up to 16GB, and includes GPS.

As if the pico projector isn't enough temptation for you, the eXpo also brings another unique feature: a fingerprint sensor. AuthenTec has been making fingerprint sensors for ages, but this is the first time I've seen one on a device released to the U.S. market. The fingerprint swipe sensor should please enterprise IT admins, as it provides a whole new level of security for the device. The sensor also doubles as a navigation control, allowing users to move the cursor about the screen as if it were a mouse.

The last interesting tidbit of info about the eXpo is that it will support AT&T's 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G technology when it becomes available in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami later this year.