Hasta La Gadget!

There’s been no shortage of LG Nexus phone rumors these past few days, but it seems the time for speculation may have come to an abrupt end. CNET has confirmed with sources close to the matter that Google’s next Nexus smartphone will indeed be based on LG’s new Optimus G handset, and is slated to be officially revealed at the end of this month.

Roger Cheng’s report follows another sizable LG leak from earlier this morning — MoDaCo’s Paul O’Brien reported that the yet-to-be-named LG Nexus device sports an IPS display running at 1280×768, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, support for wireless charging, and an 8-megapixel camera (no 13MP sensor to be found, unfortunately).

The new Nexus’ spec sheet isn’t just a straight carry-over of the Optimus G’s, though. If O’Brien’s intel is to be believed, then users will be stuck with a downright scant 8GB or 16GB of internal memory to work with, and with nary an expandable memory card slot in sight. He notes that the storage situation may well change over time, but this will still come as a bummer to those looking to pocket a few seasons of The West Wing. To top it all off, the device will also reportedly sport a sealed battery — a first for the Nexus smartphone line.

Of course, assuming this information is all reliable, there’s still one big question in play here: will the LG Nexus phone be alone? After all, Google’s M.O. these past few years was to collaborate with a hardware partner on a single reference smartphone. The prevailing rumor at this point is that LG’s Nexus device will be only one of many that will soon find their way to the Google Play Store’s Devices section. There’s some evidence that Samsung (who has worked with Google on Nexus hardware twice now) is busy putting together a follow-up to its venerable Galaxy Nexus, and former hardware partner HTC may be working on a 5-inch Nexus-branded device of its own.

Regardless of what their rivals may do, the news could mean big things for LG. To put it mildly, the company hasn’t had the sort of runaway success in the smartphone market that Samsung or even HTC has had. While a Nexus-branded collaboration with Google isn’t guaranteed to be one, it stands a decent shot at being one of the company’s stronger competitors. Marketing tactics like an aggressive off-contract price point could help strengthen that possibility, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see details like that (plus a whole host of others) over the next few weeks.

Well, we’re finally getting a look at the US edition of LG’s Optimus G and surprise, surprise, it’s not that terribly different from the version we got to play with in both Korea and NYC last month. We’re still looking at that stunning 4.7-inch 1280×768 True HD IPS PLUS display, a speedy Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, a hefty 2,100mAh battery and 16GB storage — on this model, at least. But what, if anything, has changed on this Android 4.0 handset now that it’s here in the US cruising along on AT&T’s LTE network? Keep reading after the break to find out.

Continue reading LG Optimus G for AT&T hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T, LG

LG Optimus G for AT&T hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 19:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s last big (and I mean big) smartphone release around these parts was the Intuition, a funky phablet that many a critic panned. Thankfully, the company’s straight-laced follow-up — the nicely spec’d Optimus G — was revealed earlier this month, and now both AT&T and Sprint have signed on to sell the thing when it launches later this year.

Of course, just like nearly every phone announcement made this week, neither carrier has revealed when they plan to stock the G on their respective shelves. All LG will say is that the Optimus will see the light of day at some point in Q4, and that could mean a decent wait. Whether or not Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile (or should I say, T-Metro) will carry the thing is still up in the air too, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see the former pick up the G in time for the holidays.

The Optimus G, in case you’ve forgotten, sports a 4.7-inch HD (1280×768, to be specific) IPS display, and pairs a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with an LTE radio — a combination that’s only starting to pick up steam here in the States. Nestled within the G’s surprisingly sturdy plastic frame is 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage to boot. Sprint actually seems to have gotten the better part of the deal when it comes to snapping photos.

You see, Sprint’s version of Optimus G packs a 13-megapixel camera instead of the 8-megapixel shooter that AT&T’s variant does. Then again, the company’s LTE network still currently covers only a fraction of what AT&T’s does, so in the end both carrier’s consumers have something to get riled up over. To make things even dicier, there could be more Optimus-oriented squabbling in the works very shortly if some recent rumblings hold true — some claim that Google’s next Nexus smartphone will be based on the Optimus G hardware, which could make those holiday purchasing choices even tougher to hash out.

I finally got the time to shoot additional photos of the Optimus G white version, which is the model I prefer.  So far, I am really impressed by the unit I played with, the unibody design is sleek and elegant, with a great build quality that encloses powerful performance.

LG is pushing hard its software differentiation by emphasizing its “unique user experience”, which is supported by a set of custom user interface features. Some people are not really fan of Google mobile OS customization since it  increases the fragmentation of the Android ecosystem, however, I found LG innovations very interesting, pleasing to the eyes and practical.

See the demo video above, another one is available in the full post with a detailed explanation. More information about the Optimus G in the full post.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New LG P930 device hinted in an XML file could be a smartphone, LG Apex Coming to U.S. Cellular on Friday,

When it comes to LG’s latest flagship, it appears there can be no shortage of official announcements. So, while the news from overseas may not be quite so fresh, there’s certainly nothing stale about the Optimus G. Today the company held a second celebration in honor of its powerhouse — the first to pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro: a quad-core SoC clocked at 1.5GHz. Buffered by a heaping 2GB RAM and an Adreno 320 GPU this absolutely beastly device is officially coming to American shores in the fourth quarter of this year. The 4.7-inch phone may ship with some slightly different specs, depending on carrier, but they’ll still find a home for the 1280 x 768 True HD, in-cell, IPS display. There’s no specifics about carriers or pricing as yet, but we’ll let you know when we do.

Update: Hit the break for LG’s Optimus G PR video.

Continue reading LG Optimus G and its quad-core 1.5GHz S4 Pro coming to US shores in Q4 (update: video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

LG Optimus G and its quad-core 1.5GHz S4 Pro coming to US shores in Q4 (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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