south hanson: LG Nitro HD hands on

We're here in New York City tonight where LG just took the wraps off of its next major device, the Nitro HD. This one's heading to AT&T, where it'll surf the carrier's latest and greatest 4G LTE network.

First thing you'll notice about the Nitro HD is that big beautiful screen. It's 4.5 inches all told with 720p HD IPS display technology. What does that mean? Well, for starters, LG managed to pull off a 1280 x 720 resolution, which translates 326 pixels per inch. It's the same resolution as HTC's Rezound and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, and when compared with the Rezound, it looks just as gorgeous, if not a bit brighter. LG says that's it's capable of up to 500nit luminance, which makes it one of the brightest displays on the market, which I believe after first-hand usage.

Aside from the screen, you've got LG's custom software running atop Android 2.3.5, the latest Gingerbread build. No Ice Cream Sandwich to see here, but we're willing to put money on the fact that LG won't be leaving this flagship device behind when Android 4.0 starts making its rounds.

Pushing the Nitro HD along is an impressive 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm APQ8060 processor and 1 GB RAM. I noticed no slow down, no lag, and generally snappy responsiveness, though I'd like to put it through some heavy duty tasks before I decide just how fast it really is. And speaking of fast, let us not forget AT&T's LTE radio inside. If you're lucky enough to be in a coverage area, you're going to be enjoying some blistering data speeds.

So how does the Nitro HD stack up to the other monsters hitting the market this holiday season? My initial instinct is to say that the Nitro HD holds its own. It's a gorgeous device: super thin, super light, and super fast. If you're an AT&T customer and haven't been blown away by what the Galaxy S II Skyrocket or the HTC Vivid has to offer, you might want to give LG a shot.

I'll be putting the Nitro HD through its paces in the coming days to give you a full breakdown on the good, the bad, and the ugly. You can pick one up for yourself on December 4, when the Nitro HD hits the market for $249.99 on a two year contract.