You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
In each issue of Distro, Executive Editor Marc Perton publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.
It wasn’t long ago that the electronics divisions of Samsung and Lucky-Goldstar, two massive Korean conglomerates, played second fiddle to Japanese competitors like Sony and Panasonic.
Today, of course, Samsung is a leading manufacturer of everything from tablets to TVs, while Sony makes most of its money by selling life insurance. The renamed LG, meanwhile, continues to battle Samsung on the international stage. In the cellphone industry, for example, LG ranks fourth, behind Apple, Nokia and market-leader Samsung. In TVs, LG ranks second, behind, yes, first-place Samsung.
LG’s latest salvo, fired this week, comes in the form of the G2, a flagship smartphone that left our Sarah Silbert impressed during her brief time with it. Boasting a 13-megapixel camera that can potentially hold its own against the shooters in the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4, and a range of new features like Answer Me, which lets the phone automatically connect to incoming calls when held to your ear, the G2 could be, in Sarah’s words, “a compelling flagship.”
Filed under: Misc
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Can’t use a giant phone one-handed? LG has a solution. Its new 5.2-inch G2 phone has the sleep/wake and volume buttons on the rear of the device.
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Today at LG’s G2 launch event in New York City, we had the chance to speak with Dr. Ram-chan Woo — LG Mobile’s head of LTE product planning — about the company’s new flagship. He walked us through the handset’s design with its signature back-mounted volume rocker and power button. We discussed the ultra-thin bezel surrounding the 5.2-inch 1080p GRAM-equipped IPS panel and how the combination of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 SoC and a pyramid-shaped 3,000mAh Li-poly cell helps balance performance and battery life. Next we talked about the 13MP camera which packs OIS, 9-point AF and software-enhanced digital zoom. Finally, Dr. Woo shared his excitement about Hi-fi audio and the phone’s ability to playback 24bit / 192KHz FLAC and WAV files right out of the box — a feature we’re rather fond of ourselves. Hit the break for our video interview and be sure to read our hands-on.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
We just got some hands-on with the LG’s new flagship, the G2
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No non-Nexus Android phone is complete without a pile of obnoxious helpful unique software features. LG’s G2 is no different; it adds a bunch more customizations and apps to the company’s existing suite. Plug & Pop automatically suggests apps and tasks when you plug in headphones or a USB cable, while Slide Aside lets you quickly dismiss running apps with a simple three-finger swipe. KnockON isn’t exactly new, but it’s definitely one of the more intriguing and simple twists on the standard Android UI: instead of hitting a power button you simply tap twice on the display to wake the G2 from its sleep. It’s a nice convenience that goes hand-in-hand with Answer Me, which automatically answers calls when you put the phone to your ear, just like an old-school wired telephone. There’s even QuickRemote, which can not only control home entertainment systems, but a whole range of devices, thanks to its ability to “learn” from standard IR remotes. There’s also a guest mode, for when you want to hand the phone over to a friend or your child, though, Guest Mode does nothing to stop their sticky little fingers from leaving goo on your screen.
Gallery: LG G2 software add-ons
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
We’ve just met the follow-up to LG’s Optimus G flagship, the much-anticipated LG G2. That “much anticipated” comes with a caveat, though: while there’s plenty to love about LG’s recent premium handsets, they haven’t achieved anywhere near the same market clout as, say, Samsung and HTC. With the G2 — correct, no “Optimus” here — does LG finally have a crowd pleaser on its hands? Let’s dive in, shall we?
Gallery: LG G2 hands-on
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Now that the LG G2 is official, the battle between mid-2013 Android flagships is fully underway. But which wins the war? We’ve pitted the new smartphone against its biggest competitors in the US — Samsung’s Galaxy S 4, the HTC One and the Motorola Moto X — to understand which device most deserves a place in your pocket.
Based purely on the spec sheet, the G2 is the frontrunner. Its larger 5.2-inch screen, quicker 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 and image-stabilized 13-megapixel rear camera will please those who want a media powerhouse. Its extra-large battery and 24-bit / 192KHz audio are also unique in a category where longevity and sound quality tend to play second fiddle. If all you want is the most technically capable device, look no further.
Yet each of the G2’s competitors has an advantage that’s harder to quantify. The GS4 has a full set of hardware nav keys (for those who prefer them), air gestures and a slightly tougher plastic build. The One claims superior low-light photography and dual speakers. And the Moto X partly makes up for its lackluster speed through design customization and helpful tricks like Touchless Control. To us, that puts LG in an awkward middle. While the G2’s performance is almost beyond compare, many of its software features aren’t all that unique — those who aren’t sold on its performance could easily be lured away.
If you were worried that LG might launch an exclusive deal with one of the major US carriers for its new flagship G2 smartphone, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The company announced during the device’s launch that it’ll arrive on the Big Four stateside: Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon. Sprint said it was “thrilled” that the G2 would hit its 4G LTE handset lineup, while T-Mobile said it would be adding three LG devices to its lineup: the G2 plus the Optimus F6 and F3. T-Mob added that the F3 is now available for $0 down on its Simple Choice plan (for a limited time), and said that pricing and availability for the Optimus F6 and G2 would be available “in the coming weeks.” Verizon tweeted that LG’s flagship was “coming soon,” but AT&T has yet to officially chime in.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
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