Hasta La Gadget!

LG told us to expect the ultra-slim Optimus Black handset globally in the first half of the year, and at least one continent will receive the device as planned — the company just announced that the 9.2mm thin smartphone with the 700 nit NOVA display will hit Europe this month, with launches planned for North America and Asia at unspecified times after that. Yes, there’ll be plenty of jealousy to go around, especially sometime in June — that’s when LG will allegedly unveil white and pink versions of the phone. Assuming, of course, that you’re willing to settle for a single-core 1GHz processor when confronted with the latest spec sheets. PR after the break.

Continue reading LG Optimus Black debuts in Europe ‘this month,’ rest of the world settles for dual-core crumbs

LG Optimus Black debuts in Europe ‘this month,’ rest of the world settles for dual-core crumbs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 02:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, the crew toys around with phones, knives and robots.

Senior editor Dylan Tweney gives us shares his experience visiting SRI, where he saw an awesome wall-climbing robot.  Watch out, Spider-Man.

Then we recap the latest iOS software update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It addresses the “bugs” that made the devices store too much location data.

Staff writer Mike Isaac joins the show to talk about LG’s latest dual-core smartphone offering, the mighty G2X. Verdict: It’s a powerhouse.

We wrap up the podcast with the Bear Grylls knife and machete set. They’re sharp enough to chop vegetables and bears.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #114

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0114.mp3

We’ll tell you what: if you even blink these days, you’re gonna miss a special guest on the Engadget Podcast. This week we’ve got Joystiq‘s Chris Grant in the house to shoot the shizzle on Sony’s network hurt and the Wii 3D IMAX rumors bubbling up all around us. And we lure Richard Lawler to step out on his old lady, the Engadget HD Podcast, for a romp on the possibly slightly wilder side of the tracks. Let’s do it: let’s talk tech.

Host: Tim Stevens
Guests: Chris Grant, Brian Heater, Richard Lawler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: You Shook Me All Night Long

02:15 – Apple iMac hands-on, with dual 30-inch displays! (video)
03:00 – Apple iMac refresh official: Thunderbolt and next gen quad-core processors
03:45 – AT&T officially announces HP Veer 4G, available May 15th for $100 (update)
04:55 – Star Wars Blu-ray set ships Sept. 12th/16th (world/NA), has 40 hours of special features
06:35 – Dish Network, EchoStar will pay TiVo $500 million to settle DVR lawsuit
07:55 – Latest Windows 8 leaks reveal cloud-based settings, more app store evidence
09:35 – Droid Charge review
11:16 – Verizon document suggests LG Revolution will have Netflix pre-installed
13:47 – Sony promises ‘phased restoration’ of PlayStation Network and Qriocity starting this week
20:22 – Sony woes continue as SOE confirms data breach (update: 24.6 million accounts affected)
31:03 – Sony responds to Congress: all 77 million PSN accounts compromised, finger pointed at Anonymous
33:52 – BlackBerry Bold 9900 hands-on (update: video)
34:30 – BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 (Bold Touch) official
34:45 – BlackBerry Bold Touch makes brief appearance on RIM’s website
35:05 – Android apps on PlayBook eyes-on (video)
35:48 – RIM announces BlackBerry 7 OS with better browser and BlackBerry Balance, but no legacy support
38:10 – Nintendo drops Wii price to $150 from May 15th, throws in a free Wii Wheel and copy of Mario Kart
48:05 – Nielsen estimates show first drop in TV ownership in 20 years, Mayans nod approvingly
50:40 – We won some Webby Awards, and now you can win a BlackBerry PlayBook!
51:44 – Listener questions

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Contact the podcast

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Twitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @chrisgrant @rjcc

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 238 – 05.06.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s time for us to welcome yet another contender in the battle for world’s slimmest Android phone: the LG Optimus Black. This 9.2mm-thick handset made its debut to oohs and aahs of admiration at CES earlier in the year, and is now on the very precipice of a global release. Admittedly, it’s not quite slender enough to knock the 7.7mm-thick NEC MEDIAS N-04C off its perch as the absolute thinnest, but it is sufficiently slender to give Samsung’s Galaxy S II and Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc a good fright. That pair of smartphones offer thinner proportions on the spec sheet, but when rested on a flat surface they sit ever so slightly higher than the Optimus Black. This is because, unlike its tricky contemporaries, the Optimus Black keeps to the same thickness along its full length (don’t laugh), which, technically speaking, makes it the thinnest Android handset on the European market. Check it out in the gallery below or video after the break — and hold tight, we’ll have a full review for you in the coming days!

Continue reading LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc… fight!

LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc… fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The debate over active and passive 3DTV glasses has, for the most part, been riddled with biased claims (and more than a little mudslinging) from TV manufacturers on both sides of the aisle. Now, however, an independent study from TCO Development has finally shed some light on how the two glasses can actually affect a user’s viewing experience — and yes, there are some differences. When researchers tilted the passive, film pattern retarder (FPR) above or below a vertical viewing angle of 15-degrees, 3D images tended to bleed into one another at a higher rate. Active glasses, meanwhile, transmitted white images at a luminance that was three times lower than what FPR-equipped shades delivered. But because passive 3D glasses display images at different polarizations for each eye, they don’t offer as much vertical resolution as their active counterparts. Unfortunately, TCO didn’t look into how each pair of glasses affects a viewer’s health and comfort — which, for most of us, would probably be the deciding factor. But as soon as it does, expect either Panasonic or LG to jump all over the results. Dive into the full PR after the break.

Continue reading TCO study compares active and passive 3DTV glasses, doesn’t really favor one over the other

TCO study compares active and passive 3DTV glasses, doesn’t really favor one over the other originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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