Hasta La Gadget!

LG’s Ally might be scratching at the boring end of the Android landscape right now, but LG certainly isn’t stopping with one smartphone on the market in 2010. LG stated on Wednesday that it’s pouring some mega cash on R&D and marketing to play catch up, and it plans to release a whopping 10 smartphones by the end of the year, projecting sales of 5 million units in that time. The low-end Optimus One kicks things off in September with a whopping 120 carriers globally, but LG also said it has a dual-core Tegra based handset in the works for the performance minded. It’s unclear if this is a replacement chip for the supposedly Snapdragon LU2300 Optimus Q (pictured) or the innards for another handset entirely, but 10 phones is a big quota to fill (at least for anyone who isn’t LG or Samsung), so hopefully it’s the latter. Finally, LG reiterated that it’s working on a tablet for Q4. “It’s going to be surprisingly productive,” said LG’s Chang Ma, attempting to set it apart from the iPad in that regard. So, LG’s for-serious about Android, but is it too late? According to Mr. Ma, who may or may not have slowly donning a pair of really hip sunglasses at the moment, “The race hasn’t started yet.”

LG talks up Optimus smartphone line: 10 devices by year end, NVIDIA’s Tegra for high-end model, tablet will be ‘productive’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pandas, East Asia, wood. Nope, “laptop” hasn’t ever been on the list of words we typically associate with “bamboo,” but ASUS sure has us willing to tack it on with the introduction of its U Bamboo Series. The company’s newest 13-inch U33Jc is covered in one of the most durable and recyclable materials on earth, and its internals are made of equally strong parts. Sure, the laptop looks incredibly traditional, but the $999 machine actually packs an incredible amount of new technology, including a fresh Core i3 processor, NVIDIA Optimus enabled graphics, USB 3.0 and Intel’s wireless display technology. It’s truly one of the most impressive laptops we’ve heard about in the last few months, but a few gripes hold it back from being the killer laptop it could be. Intrigued? Bamboozled? Hit the break for our full review.

Continue reading ASUS U33Jc-A1 Bamboo series review

ASUS U33Jc-A1 Bamboo series review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If the pint-sized ASUS laptop above looks a wee bit familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it before — the 12-inch UL20FT is basically a refreshed UL20A, but with the surprisingly elusive Core i3 ULV guts. The UL20FT appeared at ExcaliberPC this weekend, while its Optimus-equipped big brother appears destined for Amazon; in a slight change of plans, both feature the 1.2GHz Core i3-330UM processor. While the $600 UL20FT is a solid netbook alternative, the $900 UL80JT has double the capacity (500GB) and memory (4GB) plus an optical disc drive, and if our review of its doppelganger is any indication, the 14-inch switchable graphics machine will have stellar battery life. Still, we can’t help feel a little bummed by the lack of the Core i7-640UM we were originally promised.

[Thanks, David T.]

ASUS UL-series laptops surface at e-tailers with Core i3 ULV processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS has been showing off bamboo laptops at trade shows for about three years now, but actual machines adorned in the special wood haven’t quite made it to market for what we’d call affordable prices… until now. The sub-$1,000 U43JC and U43F have been hanging out on Best Buy’s website for the last couple of days, and will be shipping towards the end of the month. Internally, these two 14-inchers certainly match their strong exterior — the $999 U43JC is a lot like the U30Jc we reviewed a few months ago with its Core i5-450M processor, NVIDIA Optimus / GeForce 310M graphics, and a 640GB hard drive. The $950 U43F has the same Core i5 processor, but instead sticks with Intel’s graphics to get some WiDi bragging rights. We’re planning to review at least one of these puppies in due time , but hey, don’t let that deter you from hitting those pre-order links below.

ASUS U43JC and U43F show up at Best Buy boastin’ bamboo bods originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While all of you Droid, Incredible and EVO 4G owners wait patiently for an official Froyo update to call your own, LG’s wasting no time introducing its first phones based on the latest and greatest Android build. Over in the UK today, the company has decided to launch the Optimus Series, a family of smartphones that’ll run “on a range of operating systems as well as Android.” If all goes well, LG will introduce around ten new smart devices worldwide in the second half of this year under the Optimus label, though only two are being partially revealed for now. The Optimus One with Google and Optimus Chic will both ship with Android 2.2 onboard, with the latter being specifically aimed at fashionistas who just might appreciate the “sleek curves” that make themselves so apparent. Further details surrounding pricing, availability and specifications remain to be seen, but here’s hoping this is just the beginning of the Froyo flood to come.

Continue reading LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first

LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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