Archive for: LG
A teaser image showing what appears to be LG’s upcoming MWC handset of choice, the “Optimus Vu”, has trickled out. Physically speaking it’s about as simple and plain as a smartphone gets. On top of that, the dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm processor, 8 GB of storage, 1 GB of RAM, 8mp shooter, NFC, and Android 2.3 aren’t exactly grabbing our attention like “quad-core” or “Android 4.0″ would. Though, the 5″ display is somewhat unique all things considered. That said, should Android manufacturers even bother with “high-end” Android devices if they’re not going to ship with Android 4.0 moving forward? We don’t think so. LG?
For those looking for a bit more, Engadget has a photo of a phone that is supposedly the Optimus Vu in the flesh. Thoughts?
Image Source: LaptopMag
The current race in the smartphone world is two-sided. On one side of the coin you have handset manufacturers pushing the envelope in regards to screen size; just how big can they build a phone? On that same note, at which point does a “phone” transition to “tablet”. On the flip side, manufacturers are also hellbent on creating the thinnest phone possible and throwing out all common sense and functionality out the window. Finally, add in the plethora of battery sucking features such as high-res displays, LTE compatibility, and super high megapixel cameras and the state of smartphones has become a sad affair of locker room size comparisons.
I stumbled upon this article over at LaptopMag today and found myself pretty much disgusted. Handset manufacturers are not catering to customers in the slightest, and in fact, I’d argue they’re doing us a disservice. An average of 3-5 hours of battery life with moderate to somewhat heavy use is atrocious and inexcusable. The worst offender (as we’re discovering first hand) is the Galaxy Nexus. The battery life is seriously border line the worst we’ve even had on any device.
But as the Droid RAZR MAXX shows, there is hope. Motorola finally woke up and realized the sad state of the smartphone world, more specifically, the Android smartphone world. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Apple and Microsoft’s group of WP7 partners have been pumping out phones with good to awesome battery life. The answer, as Motorola has finally discovered, was there all along — slap a gigantic battery in a phone to combat the battery sucking features. Actual component size is constantly shrinking yet the battery size of most high-end devices has remained the same.
Why all Android manufacturers can’t put their weapons down and start some actual innovation in regards to smartphone runtime themselves (cross suing each other off the list too) is beyond me. Here’s to hoping Motorola has had their fill of locker room-esque boasting and manages to bring LG, Samsung, HTC, and everyone else with them. If they’ve managed to make Windows Phone 7 quite the battery sipper that it is — And Apple has managed to make iOS quite efficient even with dual-core processors as well — there’s no reason they can’t do the same with Android.
- January 23, 2012 10:18 am
CES came and went without too much of anything in the way of quad-core smartphones. But LG in particular has yet another emerging gem to show us, albeit unofficially of course. The newly leaked X3 is the company’s second (known) quad-core device. The X3 will reportedly feature an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and 4.7″ display at 1280×720 resolution. An 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera take care of life’s finest moments with 16 GB of onboard storage to keep it all. Notable mentions include Android 4.0 ICS WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, a 2,000 mAh battery and NFC. What’s also interesting is that the X3 will apparently have physical capacitive buttons underneath the display. It’s odd because the whole point Google tried to make with Android 4.0 is that less is more — they removed the need for physical buttons by moving everything to the touchscreen itself for a more fluid, consistant user experience.
PocketNow is reporting that despite the high-end specs and larger (than your average) battery will still fit within the X3′s svelte ~9mm frame. Consider us jaded but we’d much rather have the X3 gobble up a few extra mm in thickness for a battery closer to the RAZR MAXX and it’s 3,300 mAh energy source.
Expect to see the X3 debut under a different name more towards the summer months.
- January 17, 2012 10:01 pm
Oh, LG. You had a chance to wow us but left us merely wanting more. We’re not going to say the LG Optimus LTE is a rehash of the previous non-LTE version, but let’s be real. The specs aren’t exactly screaming “2012″ here. Rambling aside, the specs:
- Processor: 1.5GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm processor
- Display: 8.9″ IPS True HD Display @ 1280 x 768
- Cameras: 8-megapixel (Rear) / 2-megapixel (Front)
- Storage: 32GB (plus up to 32 GB via microSD)
- OS: Android 3.2 Honeycomb
We’re not sure we can take any tablet seriously (upgrade promises or not) that ships with Android 3.x. Android 4.0 ICS has been around for well over a month folks. Let’s get with the program and stop releasing outdated software, mmm k?
Android phones are a dime a dozen it seems. Hardware specs don’t mean much anymore as everyone and their mother uses virtually the same few platforms, allotment of RAM, and screen size. Sadly, as much as we hate to admit it, software apps/skins are what differentiates the multitude of Android devices. However, there are some exceptions to that rule. One such exception: the LG Spectrum. Hop past the break for Gadgetsteria’s official hands on and initial impressions…
LG is the latest Windows based PC manufacturer to try their hand at dethroning Apple’s tiny Macbook Air with a new line of ultrabooks — Intel powered ultra-light laptops that don’t sacrifice power in the name of ultimate portability. At the same time, LG made sure not to ignore traditional laptop users, and even managed to toss in a decent multitouch all-in-one unit too. Full details after the break…
LG’s big press day event is still in progress, but we’ve already got a decent amount of gadgetry to lust over. Everything from TVs to phones to even washing machines (yes, washing machines) was on site. Hop past for the full recap of LG’s CES press conference…
- December 26, 2011 1:15 pm
LG fans looking for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update news have finally been thrown a bone. LG updated their Facebook page today with a healthy list of Android devices that they intend to push 4.0 down to, beginning in April 2012 and stretching into Q3 2012.
Q2 Updates
- LG Optimus LTE, Prada phone by LG 3.0, LG Optimus 2X, LG Optimus Sol, LG myTouch Q, LG Eclipse
Q3 Updates
- LG Optimus 3D, LG Optimus Black, LG Optimus Big, LG Optimus Q2, LG Optimus EX
While LG has now promised to deliver ICS in Q2/Q3, it will ultimately be up to carriers and their own respective testing requirements to get the ball rolling.
- December 22, 2011 7:04 am
We’re positive that consumer electronics hardware manufacturers are going to try and blow our retinas away with a smorgasbord of displays at CES in a few short weeks. But as far as we’re concerned, it is LG’s new DM92 display and it’s 1mm bezels that have captured our attention the greatest. Additional features such as the sleek chrome base and 3D don’t hurt either.
Release is said to be February for an as of now undisclosed price. Look for more info once we get a little bit of hands-on time at CES next month.
