LG developing slimmer Optimus 3D handset, might be ready for 2012

The LG Optimus 3D certainly isn’t the slimmest smartphone we’ve ever seen, but it looks like the chunky handset is about to get seriously streamlined. In an interview with Pocket-Lint, LG developer Dr. Henry Noh confirmed that his company is working on a thinner version of its 4.3-inch phone, hinting that it may be ready for release by next year. Noh didn’t offer specifics on dimensions, but acknowledged that the current version, at 11.9mm (0.47 inches) thick, definitely isn’t the “sexiest phone on the street” — something he hopes to change. “Eventually, we want to make it so that having the 3D won’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be thicker,” Noh explained. “That’s going to be a differentiating factor that comes for free to the user.” Doing so, he claims, could help LG’s glasses-free 3D device distinguish itself from its 2D competitors:

“These days, all the phones look the same. They have a huge screen – 4.3-inches is normal these days – and next year they’re moving even larger. And they have a fixed number of touch buttons. They’re the same thickness. They have the same camera. And even the same OS. It’s so boring.”

Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not this strategy actually pans out, but it’s definitely something we’ll be keeping an eye on.

LG developing slimmer Optimus 3D handset, might be ready for 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG 3D Game Converter adds depth to regular 2D games

Spoiler alert! Instead of waiting to surprise people at IFA this week, LG has released details of its new 3D Game Converter for the Optimus 3D early. The software arrives as part of the October maintenance release, promising to take any OpenGL game that runs in landscape and convert it to 3D. Around 50 games will come with pre-optimized settings — the rest you tweak yourself. Open any game up in the app and it will try to split the foreground and background and recombine both in 3D. Feel your eyes crossing and a headache setting in just by thinking about playing this way? No worries, they’re all still playable in 2D as well. Mouse on past the break to find the press release, which LG rather thoughtlessly only released in 2D.

[Thanks, Eddie]

Continue reading LG 3D Game Converter adds depth to regular 2D games

LG 3D Game Converter adds depth to regular 2D games originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T postponing the LG Thrill 4G to September 4?

Are you excited that a 3D phone is coming to AT&T? If you answered yes, sit down and think happy thoughts, because we’re now hearing that the Thrill 4G — aka the LG Optimus 3D — may be delayed once more. According to a screenshot leaked from Radio Shack, the ill-fated device is getting pushed back to a tentative September 4th launch date for unknown reasons. As such, the reseller’s putting a halt on pre-orders of the phone until further notice. We’ve reached out to AT&T for official comment and will let you know if we hear anything back. Regardless, at the rate this phone is going, the Thrill is quickly devolving into a depression.

AT&T postponing the LG Thrill 4G to September 4? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus 3D review

Cilantro might be the most polarizing thing on this planet. Some people can’t eat a fish taco without it, others cry frothy tears of dishsoap at its mere mention. The same may well be true of the LG Optimus 3D (known as the Thrill 4G in the US). We already felt a little torn about the device when we first got our hands on it back in February. Sure, it packed some extra heft and, ahem, Android 2.2.2. But its stupor-inducing, 3D display (combined with some truly poignant marketing) was just enough to whet our appetites. Plus, after having already scarfed down a bowl of HTC’s EVO 3D, we were more than a little keen on tasting LG’s take on the glasses-free 3D recipe – a young and intriguing smartphone genre. Now that we finally have, we’re ready to tackle a question for the ages: dishsoap or delicacy?

Continue reading LG Optimus 3D review

LG Optimus 3D review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus Pro surfaces, dressed for your next business meeting (video)

Poor RIM — everybody wants a piece of the BlackBerry pie, as the company attempts to maintain its position as the face of business-minded smartphones in an era ruled by iPhones and Android devices. It’s tough to avoid mentioning the company when looking at these shots unearthed by Italy’s Android World blog of the forthcoming LG Optimus Pro, whose form factor ought to prove comfortably familiar to BlackBerry devotees. According to the site, the Gingerbread device has a 2.8 inch screen, a three megapixel camera, an 800MHz processor, and will run €179 ($249) in that country. Not much more info is available at present, but there’s a video after the break, and the source link has a few more shots, if you need help imagining it in your hand at your next board meeting.

Continue reading LG Optimus Pro surfaces, dressed for your next business meeting (video)

LG Optimus Pro surfaces, dressed for your next business meeting (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching

It’s been a while since we last laid eyes on Maingear’s fine looking Clutch-15, and while it’s still rocking that sexy exterior, the latest iteration has a little surprise for you under the hood. With the recent addition of NVIDIA’s graphics switching Optimus technology, this portable’s bringing the juice — battery juice, that is. Aside from that, things look mostly the same, inside and out; you’ve still got your pick of Intel Core i3 or i5 CPUs, a 750GB HDD or 512GB SSD, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and the same (still disappointing) WXGA display. This go ’round, however, the dedicated graphics have been bumped up a touch with NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 525M GPU (1GB). If automated graphics switching is your thing, you can get your custom laptop on at the source link starting at $1,030. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching

Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway updates its ID and NV laptops with USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge and Llano internals

Acer’s had its day (or two) unveiling back-to-school laptops, and now it’s its sister brand Gateway’s turn. The outfit just announced the 15.6-inch NV series and the 14-inch ID47, both of which include USB 3.0 and a choice of Sandy Bridge processors. (In the case of that entry-level NV, you can also opt for one of AMD’s fresh-off-the-line Llano chips.) But the company did more than just give its notebooks a spec bump — it also tweaked their designs, adding a chiclet keyboard to the NV series, while the metal-clad ID’s trackpad is 20 percent larger and no longer glows like a mood ring. The ID47 also has a 14-inch display crammed into a chassis usually paired with 13.3-inch panels, as well as a non-removable battery that promises up to eight hours of juice. (The NV is rated for up to four hours.) And, in an unusual twist, our friends in Canada will get additional choices, including a 15.6-inch version of the ID, as well as select models with NVIDIA Optimus. Both the ID47 and NV55 / NV57 are available now, with the ID starting at $629.99 and $799 Canadian, and the NV fetching $529.99 and $499 Canadian. Check out the various configurations after the break, with lots ‘o photos below.

Update: Lots of you are asking about the screen resolution on these guys. It’s not in the press release, but the answer is 1366 x 768, across the board.

Gallery: Gateway ID47

Continue reading Gateway updates its ID and NV laptops with USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge and Llano internals

Gateway updates its ID and NV laptops with USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge and Llano internals originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Art Lebedev’s Optimus Mini Six enters production, Popularis unsurprisingly delayed

We were a bit skeptical when we heard that the notoriously delay-riddled Art Lebedev Studio would be releasing a follow-up to its Optimus Mini Three keyboard this year, but it looks like the Mini Six is moving ever closer to reality. Yesterday, the company unveiled new images of the USB-powered peripheral, confirming that it’s in “early production” and slated for release later this year. True to its name, the latest addition to the Optimus family features six LCD shortcut keys, though pricing and precise availability remain a mystery. As for that pricey Optimus Popularis keyboard we saw exactly a year ago, its release has been delayed until 2012 — which, in Lebedevese, means “anytime within the next decade.” In the meantime, you can feast your eyes on an extra image of the Mini Six, waiting for you after the break.

Continue reading Art Lebedev’s Optimus Mini Six enters production, Popularis unsurprisingly delayed

Art Lebedev’s Optimus Mini Six enters production, Popularis unsurprisingly delayed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R

We know you’re going to be shocked — shocked! — to hear this, but NVIDIA’s gone and refreshed its high-end line of GeForce GTX cards. The GTX 580M takes the place of the GTX 485M, and NVIDIA’s bragging that it’s the “fastest notebook GPU ever,” capable, we’re told, of besting the Radeon HD 6970M’s tesselation performance by a factor of six. The new GTX 570M, meanwhile, promises a 20 percent speed boost over the last-generation 470M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for battery life, NVIDIA’s saying that when coupled with its Optimus graphics switching technology, the 580M can last through five hours of Facebook, but last we checked, that’s not why y’all are shelling out thousands for beastly gaming rigs. You can find the 580M in the Alienware M17X and M18X (pictured) starting today, though you might have to wait a week or so for them to ship. Meanwhile, the 570M is shipping in the MSI GT780R as you read this, and you’ll also find the 580M in a pair of 3D-capable Clevo laptops: the P170HM3 and the SLI-equipped P270WN. Handy chart full ‘o technical details after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R

NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for ‘world’s thinnest standard voltage i5’

ASUS U36 ASUS first made that handsome slab of magnesium alloy on the left available to the US back in December, and now the ultra portable laptop will finally grace folks in the UK. If you’ll recall, the 13.3-inch U36’s stand out features include a svelte 19mm thickness, standard voltage i5 processor, NVIDIA Optimus graphics, and a USB 3.0 toggle (for an estimated 11.5 hour battery life). The hardware seems chunky now that we’ve played with the company’s UX21 ultrathin, but with a price of £699 (just over $1,200) it’s hard to complain much. If your palms are beginning to sweat in excitement, it’s available at Micro Anvika today in your choice of black or silver, and should be at Comet by the end of the month. You’ll find even more details in the PR that just so happens to be waiting after the break.

Continue reading ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for ‘world’s thinnest standard voltage i5’

ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for ‘world’s thinnest standard voltage i5’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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