The new LG AKA phone series have personalities of their own, literally.

The new LG AKA phone is reminiscent of the Tamagotchi, a virtual pet like Pokemon, and the phone company intends to carry through the vibe to the hip tween-to-thirties market.

The LG AKA phone release date is yet to be fleshed out in the international market, but they're recently market-tested in South Korea. The reference to LG's new smartphones as actual people is merited, with four units configured and designed to have personalities of their own.

Meet Eggy, Wooky, Yoyo, and Soul; yellow, white, pink, and blue smartphones with "emotions" and personalities of their own. These are part of LG's effort to spark a personal connection between users and their mobile devices. The difference to the Tamagotchi is in the units' initiative to create a connection with their users.

"... instead of feeding and nurturing animal friends, the quartet of Aka characters seek to create a connection through their distinct personalities and backstories that encourage gamification. Underneath the on-screen animations, the Android phones possess sporty builds and midrange features similar to other handsets targeting the tween-to-early-thirties crowd." (cnet.com)

The design and build of the phones are solid and sturdy, sporty in general; appeals to the always-on-the-go crowd. The hardware specs are mid-range; 5-inch, 720p display, 8MP and 2MP (rear, front) camera, 1.2GHz quad core CPU, and 1.5GB RAM. Internal storage is 16GB, expandable to 128GB microSD.

The new LG AKA phone may seem juvenile for some users, but the company intends it to be that way. LG's Ramchan Woo says, "The software itself isn't [the Aka's] only identity. We want to create some sort of cultural code. You buy it because you like the culture."

The new LG AKA phone is priced at ₩500,000, or a steep $456, and plans for a global market launch is still to be determined.