The smartphone market of 2012 has seen some heated competition. The usual contenders all released solid hardware. But the dynamic between them changed, too—Windows Phone arrived as a serious third OS option, and 2012 ended with exciting new models of iPhone and Android devices. Here’s a look at the best new products people put in their pockets this year. More »
That was quick — not long after launch details of the LG Mach were caught lurking in Sprint’s catalog, the carrier has confirmed them. Fans of the Korean firm’s aesthetic who also like their QWERTY keyboards can buy the mid-range smartphone for $100 on November 11th, the same day its bigger Optimus G cousin reaches stores. Just be sure to avoid the Sprint website during the wait for the newly dated device; Optimus G pre-orders have started at the source link, and a click on LG’s flagship could be mighty tempting.
Continue reading LG Mach reaches Sprint on November 11th at $100, Optimus G pre-orders begin today
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint, LG
LG Mach reaches Sprint on November 11th at $100, Optimus G pre-orders begin today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 2012
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Google, LG
Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG committed to launching its mostly superb Optimus G to the three major carriers in Canada sometime in November. Just which day the phone would arrive was left a mystery, though, even when Rogers started taking pre-orders. It’s taking another provider to sort things out: Telus has gone on the record with plans to carry the quad-core smartphone starting November 13th, right at the height of what could be a busy month. That’s all that the future-is-friendly network can say for now, although Rogers may have provided the remaining piece of the puzzle when it gave out $130 contract and $600 outright prices. We have a hunch Telus wouldn’t want to be the exception to the rule.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Telus plans LG Optimus G launch on November 13th, other carriers remain shy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 05:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
LG Electronics has reported its earnings for Q3 2012, notching its third straight quarter of positive income with a net profit of 157 billion won ($138.57 million) and “solid” performances from its home theater and mobile businesses. Revenue is down from the same period last year, but seeing as it’s actually making money this time around it’s probably still reason to celebrate. On the mobile side of the aisle it reports an operating profit of $19.42 million with slightly higher sales than Q2, mostly thanks to those LTE smartphones it’s been rolling out. Its home entertainment biz noted a rise in LCD sales, with 3D TVs and LED-lit models growing from last quarter in most markets. Looking towards the future it’s obviously going all-in on the Optimus G (although our interests run towards the Nexus G that should debut next week), and also looks for its Ultra HD television to raise its standing as a premium brand. Check the press release after the break and PDF linked below for more numbers if that’s your thing.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, LG
LG records a ‘solid’ $138.57 million net profit for Q3, keeps the positive trend going originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG, Q3 2012 Results (PDF) | Email this | Comments
We’re fans of the LG Optimus G, although the custom ROM lovers among us might want to tamp down their expectations after this. We’ve confirmed comments to Android Central that the late 2012 flagship has a locked bootloader much like the Optimus 4X HD and Optimus Vu that went before it — any serious experimentation with a typical carrier variant could at least require jumping through some hoops, if it’s possible at all. It might not matter much for the sort who cares about bootloaders, though. If statements by other LG staffers are more than just wishful thinking, there could be a Nexus variant of the Optimus G next week that’s as good as a blank slate for modders.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
LG Optimus G comes with locked bootloader, might not be cause for panic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
It’s either a premature confirmation or one of the larger executive gaffes we’ve seen in recent memory, but it’s hard to ignore. LG’s Mobile Product Planning lead for India, Amit Gujral, just claimed in an interview with IBNLive that the “LG Nexus” will launch at Google’s October 29th event and ship to India “by the end of November.” He even stuck his neck out to offer specifications — the Nexus will reportedly have a very Optimus G-like 4.7-inch screen and quad-core 1.5GHz chip while throwing the unreleased Android 4.2 into the equation. Nothing’s official so far despite the statements, and we’re not expecting to Google to spoil its own party; if Gujral really does have the inside track, though, we may have been given a peek at the main attraction in Google’s playground.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG
LG exec claims Nexus due at October 29th event, ships to India one month later originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you were planning on picking up the LG Optimus G on Sprint’s network, which should be available for pre-order 1st of November and should arrive 11th November, you might be interested to learn that a root method has already been discovered for the handset. This is thanks to Jerry Hildenbrand over at Android Central who decided to try rooting the handset after their review of it. Apparently the method used to root the Sprint version of the Optimus G is based on the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean adb exploit discovered by XDA forum member, Bin4ry.
For those wondering about the significance of this, well what this means is that for those who aren’t satisfied with stock Android or the UI that manufacturers ship with their phones, gaining root access is bring the user one step closer to flashing custom ROMs and installing tweaks that might require a higher level of access. Either way if you’d like to bookmark the instructions, head on over to the Android Central forums for the details, and in the meantime you can always check out our review of the LG Optimus G and decide if this is the phone for you.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: LG Optimus G pricing announced by Sprint, LG Optimus G headed for AT&T and Sprint with different cameras,
LG’s been stepping up its mobile game recently, with the Optimus G being the firm’s clearest display of podium-position ambitions yet. And just like its regional neighbors, it’s getting in on the “explaining-ideas-behind-concepts” video action. In this clip we see senior research engineer, Sebastian Hochan Song, explain the inspiration and process behind the new phone’s QSlide multitasking function. Again, like its fellow Korean nationals, nature and the real world play a heavy part in the idea process. Head past the break if you want to see LG’s thoughts about pushing Android multitasking forward, and keep an eagle eye out for one of our very own editors’ quick cameo appearance.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won’t be mad if you tweet at the same time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Say this for the Optimus G: it doesn’t skimp. LG went for broke to shake off its mid-range reputation, cramming its latest flagship Android phone full of goodies. But specs don’t always equal performance. More »
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