LG has jumped on the sparsely populated phone/tablet hybrid (‘Phablet’ to the uninitiated) bandwagon after launching the oddly proportioned LG OptimusVu device in its home market ofSouth Korea.

The manufacturer of the Optimus series shoved out a press release yesterday informing all and sundry that the massive phone/small tablet also looks to be winging its way to Mobile World Congress inBarcelonathis month. At least that’s what we think it said as the document was written entirely in Korean, and Google Translate is known to be a bit sketchy at times. Either way, this titbit has led many to speculate that an international release could soon be on the cards.

So what will we be getting if the thing does eventually materialise? Well, it’s said that the device will be similar in stature to Samsung’s recent tab/phone effort, the Samsung Galaxy Note, and will sport a huge 5-inch screen, weigh in at a not-that-pocket-botheringly hefty 168 grams (the Note is 178 grams) and pack a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera on the rear and a 1.3 megapixel lens on the front. Spec garnish continues in the form of 32GB of memory, HDMI-out, DLNA and Wi-Fi Connect support, and a 2080mAh battery.

Like the Galaxy Note, the Optimus Vu comes with one of those electro pencils (you mean a stylus – Ed) for taking notes and drawing pictures on the screen, but unlike the Samsung effort, the screen which you’ll no doubt be scribbling has an unusual 4:3 aspect ratio, making it look very ‘boxy’ indeed.

Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread is the operating system of choice, but LG have been swift to quell OS dissent by announcing that an update to Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming within three months of the device’s launch.

At present, the Vu is only confirmed forKorea, where it’ll hit the shelves next month. An MWC appearance remains unconfirmed, but if it does show up there, it’s fairly safe to say that an international launch will soon follow. We’ll keep you posted.

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