According to a confirmation from LG, the shipping of its much-awaited LG Viewty Smart GC 900 will begin in Europe later this month, almost a month before the prospective launch date! However, its availability in US markets may still take some time.

A successor to the LG Viewty, the new device, while retaining some of its predecessor's settings - like face detection, panorama shot, and beauty shot, etc. The specs of Viewty Smart include 3-inch WVGA full touchscreen; DiVX playback; a thin chassis; as well as a 3D interface.

The LG Viewty Smart sports an advanced camera with up to ISO 1,600, an "intelligent shot mode" for automatic adjustment of camera settings depending on the surrounding environment. The addition of three more megapixels, makes the new Viewty compete directly with those like the Samsung Pixon.

In addition, LG has also announced its plans of releasing a 12-megapixel camera phone later this year, thereby offering competition 'in megapixels' to Sony Ericsson's plans related to Idou - a 3.5-inch, 16:9 touchscreen phone, boasting of collective Walkman and Cybershot know-how. However, details of LG's proposed 12-megapixel camera phone are yet to be officially announced!