Hasta La Gadget!

LG’s set aside quite a big chunk of change — 21 trillion won (about $18 billion) — for investments next year, almost 12 percent higher than its 2010 allowance. And a good chunk of that, 14.2 trillion won, is going to electronics: smartphones, tablets, advanced TVs and components for 3DTVs, according to the Wall Street Journal. (The rest, if you’re curious, is going into medical products, electric vehicle batteries, and an assortment of other businesses.) True, LG’s position in the smartphone market isn’t quite what it wanted — its now-former CEO Nam Yong claimed responsibility and retired in September — but we’d be lying if we said we haven’t been smitten with its Optimus lineup of Android handsets lately, and already we’ve seen some impressive future devices. Now, those tablet investments… figure out an OS yet? Can we make suggestions?

LG commits to major smartphone, tablet, and smart TV investments for New Year’s resolution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s true, picking a smartphone is incredibly difficult these days. Gone is the time when your options were limited and your choices simply between the lesser-of-evils. The market has exploded, and the decision-making process of finding the best device for your cash can be one of the most daunting tasks you’ll ever undertake. Android, iOS, webOS, and Windows Phone are all better than they’ve ever been before, carrier lineups are bigger, and even choosing a plan can be a daunting process if you don’t know what you’re looking for. But hey, don’t let the stress of deciding between a Droid X and a Droid Incredible put a damper on the excitement of getting a truly awesome gadget — we’ve got your back!

We’ve broken the choices down into two groups for each major carrier in the US after the break — the top pick when money is no object, and the thriftier budget choice. We’ve also included our top selections for some of the smaller carriers throughout the US, and our ultimate pick if cost and carrier don’t stand in your way. In putting together the list, we were shocked to see just how many Android devices made it, but that’s a testament to the openness of the platform (and voracious consumer adoption of smartphones). 2011 is going to be a crazy year, but if you’re in the market right now, the options are amazing — so read on to see our picks.

Continue reading Smartphone buyer’s guide: the best phones for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more!

Smartphone buyer’s guide: the best phones for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This isn’t the first time that Sony Ericsson’s dabbled in the field of spy-like Bluetooth wrist accessories, but as we all know, extortionate prices and limited functionality meant these old timers never really took off. But now, things may be different: SE’s freshly baked LiveView promises to offer a generous set of features — alongside your Android 2.x device — while going a little easier on your wallet. It sure sounds tasty, but before you grab your virtual shopping cart, be double sure to read our full review first… right after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson LiveView review

Sony Ericsson LiveView review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At a 30,000-foot level, the global mobile phone sales numbers for the third quarter of 2010 just released by Gartner match up with what IDC posted a few days ago, but you might say the devil’s in the details. These guys have all of the top five players — Nokia, Samsung, LG, Apple, and RIM — at noticeably lower total market shares than IDC did, suggesting that second-tier players like Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and HTC (if you can really call them “second-tier”) are grabbing more hearts and minds. And hey, considering Motorola’s prominent role at Verizon and HTC’s ever-growing global presence, we could totally believe it. Notably, Nokia is well below 30 percent in Gartner’s report at 28.2, a whopping drop of 8.5 percent year-over-year — way more than the 4.1 percent drop that IDC’s got pegged. Of course, there’s no way of knowing which of the two reports is more accurate — and you know how margins of error work with these things. Hey, at least the rankings are the same, right?

[Thanks, Tad]

Update: As commenters have pointed out, the Gartner report also puts Android at 25.5 percent market share, moving past BlackBerry OS to become the number two smartphone platform behind Symbian (they’ve got iOS at third, BlackBerry fourth). Considering the platform’s trajectory this year and sheer variety of Android phones now being solid worldwide, it’s no surprise.

Gartner’s global phone sales rankings match IDC’s, but say the big guys have less of the pie; Android moves to number two overall originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will that fancy new smartphone you’re looking at buying run a version of Android that hasn’t even been announced yet? Or that Nokia 5800 — where’s the Symbian^3 upgrade? Has the lack of commitment on a launch date for the webOS 2.0 upgrade stopped you from buying a Pre on Sprint? The balance between the relative importance of hardware and software in the smartphone industry is definitely teetering toward the software side these days for a number of reasons: screens have no need to get any bigger or higher-resolution, processors likely can’t get much faster without a significant advance in battery technology, and we’re reaching a point where we’re all going to have HD camcorders in our pockets capable of taking still shots that’ll put even higher-end point-and-shoots to shame. So when you stabilize the hardware like that — that is, you get to the point where manufacturers are iterating essentially the same large slate over and over again with marginally better specs — the spotlight starts to fix squarely on the software underneath.

That is to say, whether a phone receives “good” operating system builds (and receives them on a timely basis) really makes or breaks its retail success now more than ever before. All too often, the question isn’t whether a particular device is great, it’s whether the manufacturer and carrier have committed to upgrading it — quite often to a version of its operating system that hasn’t officially been announced. It’s a recipe for confusion and paralysis among consumers that really don’t have a great reason to be putting off their purchases — they just want a reasonable assurance that their new phones aren’t going to be regarded as “obsolete” in six or nine months. And why shouldn’t they?

Continue reading Editorial: Should your next mobile OS update cost you?

Editorial: Should your next mobile OS update cost you? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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