Categories
Google

No Android 2.3 For LG Optimus S Due To "Processor Requirements"

Here is a lesson in social media marketing – never lie to your customers. At least over a social network where you can be easily caught. A recent conversation between an LG customer and the company’s social media team may have got more publicity than the company may have wanted to. The customer simply wanted to know when his LG Optimus S would get Android 2.3. And this is the reply he got over Facebook

“So, the Optimus line won’t be getting the Gingerbread update because they have a 600MHz processor,and the minimum requirements for Gingerbread require 1 GHz processor. In other words: it’s not possible to update the processor, unfortunately.”

Other members soon jumped in to correct LG’s statements. In fact, Dan Morrill, the Android lead at Google was quick to write on his Twitter account,

“there’s no hard minimum processor requirement for Gingerbread… trust me, if there were I’d know.”

While it is possible that the social media team had a dose of miscommunication (remember Gingerbread was initially thought to be Android 3.0 that will possibly need better hardware), it is always a good idea to verify facts before posting such communications.

Categories
Apple Gadgets Wireless

World’s Largest Phone Manufacturers By Units Sold

The mobile phone segment is very competitive with every quarter bringing some sort of a surprise. Back in May this year, I had written about an IDC report that had listed the world’s five largest mobile phone manufacturers. Nokia, quite unsurprisingly, had the top slot while Research In Motion and Sony Ericsson had their spots in the top five secured.

Just a few months and a few launches later, there seems to be a complete revamp of the last three positions. Thanks to a robust growth in sales despite a number of reported bugs, Apple has notced a spot in the top five. LG has had a lackluster period and has seen the number of units sold drop. Sony Ericsson is out of the top five.

Here is the latest top five list along with the units sold in the quarter Q3 2010. The corresponding worldwide market share is in the brackets.

1. Nokia : 110.4 million (32.4%)
2. Samsung : 71.4 million (21.0%)
3. LG Electronics : 28.4 million (8.3%)
4. Apple : 14.1 million (4.1%)
5. RIM : 12.4 million (3.6%)
Others : 103.8 million (30.5%)
Total : 340.5 million (100%)

Categories
Gadgets

LG Solar-Powered eReader Features Announced

South Korean tech giant, LG, has just announced a new solar-powered ebook reader that could help you make that small contribution to the environment by going green. The new solar-powered LG eReader is expected to come built with a 6-inches display screen that is powered by a tiny solar panel that measures 10 square centimeters in area. The device is pretty light-weighted and measures just over 20 grams, thanks to the extremely thin profile of just 0.7 millimeters.

According to a statement from LG, the solar eReader currently offers a 9.6% energy conversion efficiency though that number must rise considerably to 14% or 15% by the time the device is launched. That would effectively mean that a 4 or 5 hour of solar exposure should be sufficient to keep your eReader powered on for a complete day.
LG Solar Powered eReader
Sadly, no price of the device is available right now. That’s understandable though considering that the new solar powered LG eReader is not expected to launch commercially before 2012. I’m excited to get hold of one of these units though.

Categories
Gadgets

LG X140 Netbook Features Review – Launch In Asia & Middle East

It’s raining netbooks of late and the latest to drop in is the new LG X140 from Korea. The netbook is yet another machine running the Microsoft Windows 7 OS – something that appears to be the flavor of the season and is powered by Intel’s Atom N475 1.83GHz processor.

The display measures 10.1-inches and comes packed with a 1366×768 pixel resolution. Other specifications include a 1GB internal memory for RAM, a hard drive that comes with a capacity of 320GB and a multitouch trackpad.

Speaking of power backup, expect a good 9 hours of battery life with the six cell battery on the LG X140. The netbook also includes other standard features like support for Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth.

There are three colors to pick from – pink, white and black all of which are priced at a starting cost of around $500. But if you are around the US or Europe, don’t expect the device to launch anytime now. The launch is first expected to happen in Asia and the Middle East.

Categories
Gadgets

LG XNote R590 3D Notebook Tech Specs And Launch Date Review

This is yet another 3D-capable notebook that will get a lot of gamers interested. LG has introduced its first 3D notebook that will come with a 3D Gaming monitor and 3D projector. The LG XNote R590 notebook will carry the following specifications.

The first thing to note is the large 15.6-inches display on the 3D notebook. The device is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor that is supported by NVIDIA’s GeForce GT335M graphics card for some high quality gaming action. Another peripheral that gamers would love is the high-definition Tru-Surround sound provided by SRS. Users may also pick up the optional Blu-ray drive.

The LG XNote R590 3D notebook is installed with the TriDef software. This application is responsible for converting 2D videos to 3D in a real-time environment. The computer shall also come with polarized 3D glasses. This is unlike the active shutter glasses used on many other models that could cause eye fatigue and also increase the device weight.

The new LG R590 notebook is already out on sale in the Korean market and is expected to become available worldwide very shortly. Hold on for an announcement on price.

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Categories
Mobile

LG Optimus Series – One And Chic Launching In UK

LG is betting big on Android powered smartphones. The company has announced the launch of two new smartphones in the UK. The new line of smartphones shall be known as Optimus. LG has said that the second half of the year will see close to ten new smartphones under the LG Optimus series being launched.

For now, LG Optimus One and LG Optimus Chic are two phones that will be among the first to come installed with Froyo – the new Android 2.2 mobile operating system. As the name suggests, LG Optimus Chic is aimed at “fashion aficionados” who love the curvy design of this smartphone.

LG is having an interesting year trying to match up to the benchmarks set by its Korean rival, Samsung. The company had earlier announced its plans to launch an Android powered tablet PC in the fourth quarter of this year. With at least a dozen Android phones being launched from now till the end of the year, expect LG to be in the news quite a bit in this second half of this year.

Categories
Gadgets

LG Android Tablet Launch In Q4 2010

Who doesn’t make tablets these days? Everyone does. LG too. The South Korean firm has confirmed its plans to be developing a tablet device that is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of this year – read the holiday season.

As for specs, we do not have one word about it, though LG has made it clear that the tablet will run on Google’s Android Operating System. The company has also assured that the features will be better than whatever is on offer in the market today. That’s evident given that we are still a few months away from launch and also because every company tells the same thing (Steve Jobs even called the iPhone 4 magical!)

While LG has not confirmed what version of Android, the LG tablet will run, we assume it to be the latest Android 2.2 aka Froyo. Nevertheless, LG will have its task cut out as it is launching months after other big names have already started releasing theirs. Also, will it launch outside the Far East? No word again on that.

Categories
Consumer Electronics

LG 47LE5500 HDTV Review Of Tech Specs And Price

Korean electronics manufacturer, LG has launched its latest HDTV – the LG 47LE5500. As the name suggests, the new LG HDTV has a 47-inches screen that is protected inside some light tinted bezels. The bezel on the top and sides are 1.5 inches thick while the bezel on the bottom is 2.5 inches thick. The TV is 1.2-inches thick.

Now, let’s talk about the more important features. The bottom part of the LG 47LE5500 cabinet is connected to a 10-watt speaker. However, due to the thin profile, expect the bass to be a bit low.

The screen is coated with non-reflective anti-glare matte. The device has five touch-sensitive buttons, two USB ports, audio input, HDMI port, headphone jack, A/V ports,etc. The TV is also integrated with several web applications and widgets including Yahoo widget and others for weather, sports, news, finance,etc. Other web apps include those for Twitter and Flickr. NetCast offers connectivity to Netflix, Youtube and VUDU.

Price? It’s not exactly cheap. The LG 47LE5500 is available on stores at $2,100. However, do be on the lookout for discounts online. You should find them.

Categories
Mobile

LG Sentio Technical Specifications And Price

LG Sentio on T-MobileT-Mobile has unveiled its latest LG mobile phone that comes equipped with a neat 3-inches touchscreen display, 3-Megapixel camera and connectivity to T-Mobile’s 3G mobile internet.

LG Sentio is available at a retail price of $179.99. But with an instant discount of $60 and another mail-in rebate of $50, you can get hold of this touchscreen phone at $69.99. That’s with a 2-year contract. But if you are looking to save on your monthly bills and not be bothered by a contract, you can opt to buy the device at the suggested price of $179.99. This is what you will get

Dimension : 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches
Camera : 3-Megapixel
Display : 3″ touchscreen with virtual QWERTY keyboard
3G Connectivity
6 hours talk-time & 16 days standby
Accelerometer for portrait and landscape viewing
video capture and media player
microSD card support

Categories
Mobile

T-Mobile LG Sentio Launch On June 30

LG’s new touch screen phone, the LG Sentio is heading to T-Mobile. According to a leaked screenshot of the promotional materials, the elegant touchscreen phone could be releasing on June 30. The phone is targeted at the first time touchscreen buyers and is not a smartphone. Nevertheless, the features should have a lot of takers

Display : 3-inch touchscreen display
Camera : 3 MP camera with flash
3G
GPS
microSD card expansion
Auto-rotating screen
Bluetooth
Visual Voicemail
Media Player
Games
Email
Messaging
Stereo Bluetooth connectivity
Video Capture/Playback

[via TmoNews]