LG Mobile Phones Announces Winners of 3rd Annual Design the Future Competition

SAN DIEGO, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) today announced the winners of its 3rd Annual Design the Future Competition.  The ideation competition challenged participants to create a mobile phone concept to define the future of mobile communication.  By partnering with crowdSPRING, more than 400 designs were submitted during the six-week competition in a battle for more than $80,000 in awards.  LG awarded $20,000 plus a Wacom Intuos4 medium tablet to the first place winner, $10,000 to second place, and $5,000 to third place.  Each of the top three winners will also receive professional design and sketching software from sponsor Autodesk, Inc.  LG also presented 37 honorable mentions with $1,000 each!

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The first place winning entry was a team effort by Zack Filbert, Chris Carpenter, James Connors, and Kees Luyendijk, four second year industrial design students from the same design class in Virginia Tech.  Together, they created the AL-i concept around the functionality of a smartphone for one-handed use.  The winning concept showcased detailed, innovative examples of form and interface scenarios for one-handed usage inspired by their own research.  These four students will receive $20,000 plus Autodesk Alias Sketch software, the newest application from Autodesk for exploring concepts and producing stunning artwork.

The second place winning entry – titled Premium – is a mobile phone with 3D interface that connects the phone and the car together to adjust in-car climate, control the infotainment system, select seat memory, check tire pressure, gauge the fuel amount, etc.  It should come as no surprise that the winner, Nouphone Bansasine, is a professional car designer.

This year's competition marked the first-ever Prop Mater's Choice Award which was given to Dua Xiong for his cutting-edge design titled the Flutter. A smartphone that fans open to reveal a beautiful flexible OLED touch screen that scrolls radially, the Flutter has won the opportunity to be featured in future blockbuster film.

Participants submitted a wide range of ideas including accessories and concepts for the disabled.  For example, an honorable mention – titled Atlas – is a smartphone that docks into a base which projected the pages, so you can view multiple applications simultaneously.  The dock features a tracking system which senses your hand gestures, so you can spin the pages in a loop and zoom in and out.  Another honourable mention – titled Surface – is a watch phone for the blind and features a Braille keypad and a unique shape, so you can distinguish orientation of the phone by feel.

"We continue to be impressed with the imagination of the participants," said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of marketing and innovation for LG Mobile Phones.  "Although we listen to our consumers daily, LG's Design the Future Competition invites a different type of conversation."

"We are extremely pleased to partner with LG on this innovative project," said Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING.  "We see great potential for the future of this program and tapping into the best talent out there for affordable logos, web designs and writing services."

Judges in this year's competition included 2009 Design the Future Competition participant, Gwen Frederick. Impressed with her talent and creative promise, LG hired Frederick as a full time employee after seeing her innovative design. This year's competition also attracted a record number of submissions from design enthusiasts. Entries were judged on three criteria: creativity/originality, need fulfillment, and feasibility. Any U.S. resident over the age of 18 years (or age of majority in state of residence) and older was eligible to submit a concept. Both seasoned and aspiring designers used their imagination, creativity and 2D and 3D engineering software such as the free trial of Autodesk SketchBook Pro to develop their designs.  Ideas were accepted from March 15 to April 26, 2010 and were submitted online through crowdSPRING.

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 84,000 people working in 115 operations including 84 subsidiaries around the world. With 2009 global sales of USD43.4 billion, LG is comprised of five business units -- Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning and Business Solutions. LG is the world's leading producer of flat panel TVs, audio and video products, mobile handsets, air conditioners and washing machines. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both a Global Partner and a Technology Partner of Formula One(tm). As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit www.lgusa.com.

About LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company

The LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is a leading global mobile communications and information company. With its cutting-edge technology and innovative design capabilities, LG creates handsets that provide an optimized mobile experience to customers around the world. LG is pursuing convergence technology and mobile computing products, while continuing its leadership role in mobile communication with stylish designs and smart technology. For more information, please visit www.lgmobilephones.com.  

About crowdSPRING

crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for creative services ranging from graphic, web and industrial design to copywriting services. For buyers, crowdSPRING is a place to post a creative project, watch the world contribute ideas and choose the best at an affordable price. For creatives, crowdSPRING is a global stage for creativity where title and experience don't matter.  crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit www.crowdspring.com.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies - as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects - use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, Alias, AutoCAD and SketchBook are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

SOURCE LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc.

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