When LG introduced its latest offering to the Google TV lineup at CES in January, the Korea-based company did not give details on the launch. However, the launch time could be this week, according to the Korea Herald. The publication claimed that LG’s 3D Google TV, the first set that is part of Google TV 2.0, will be priced at $1,600 for the 47-inch version and $2,100 for the 55-inch version.
LG is lobbying Google to score a collaborating partnership on the next Nexus device.
“We’re having discussions,” said head of LG’s smartphone division Ramchan Woo to CNET in an interview. “We’re working on it.”
Garnering the honor would gain LG an ounce of prestige in the mobile industry, because the handset maker would have absolute access to Google’s offerings. Even if the financial benefits are on the low-end for LG, the company will inevitably surface with an impeccable reputation after working with the Mountain View, Calif.-based technology giant…
A new Japanese comic called “Sweet Android High-school” chronicles the relationship between major Android vendors and the rest of the smartphone market (Apple) as students each representing a company.
Some of the characters include Laura Moto-chan representing Motorola and Sam-Sung-chan representing Samsung. Other students include HTC, LG, Sony Ericsson, and Apple. As an example of what might take place in the comic’s storyline, Laura Moto-chan apparently married the character representing Google (the school’s teacher) to mirror the Google/Motorola acquisition.
The comic runs in “extra editions of Weekly ASCII, a PC magazine with long history in Japan,” and a breakdown of the characters can be found here.
[slideshow]
LG’s latest smartphone collaboration with Italian luxury fashion label Prada — the LG Prada 3.0 — launched in South Korea today and will sashay over to most Asian and European countries in January.
Fashion-conscious, tech-savvy geeks in North America are next in line for the designer accessory, according to an LG Newsroom press release (translated), but there is no word on its release date, carrier or cost.
As for the glitz and glam of this fashionista device, Prada worked “hand-in -hand with LG to deliver the world’s most stylish smartphone, tailored to a discerning, fashion-conscious audience.” The smartphone’s official website elaborated and said the back cover’s Saffiano leather was implemented to be reminiscent of Prada’s leather goods.
At a press event in Germany, LG has announced their newest addition to their Android line up — the Prada 3.0. Sadly, it doesn’t look like this device will see a US landing, but it’s good-looking nonetheless. The Prada 3.0 has a 4.3″ NOVA display at 480×800 resolution, TI OMAP 4430 dual-core processor at 1GHz, Android 2.3.7 w/ custom skin, 8GB of internal storage, and an 8-megapixel camera. There’s no word on pricing or availability.
Check out the rear after the break:
From 9to5Toys.com:
Best Buy today has the lowest price we’ve seen on the Virgin LG Optimus V since Black Friday – $65 with free shipping. That’s half price for this pre-paid Android 2.2 device.
I am a big fan of this phone because of the low, no contract pricing starting at $35/month for unlimited text/data and the relatively untouched Android 2.2 experience. There are Android 2.3 ROMs floating around for the somewhat adventurous, though frankly Virgin should get their act together and update this phone themselves. Even with 2.2, you get voice actions, a very capable GPS and free unlimited 3G tethering if you know what you are doing.
This is also one of the smallest Android devices you can find with a 3.2-inch 320×480 screen and nice physical buttons.
Expand
Expanding
Close
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN1gZKGiO4M]
U.S. carrier AT&T today announced that it will be exclusively carrying the Nitro HD smartphone from LG beginning this coming Sunday, December 4. It files as their first Android device with a native 720p display and their third 4G LTE handset (the other two being the Vivid from HTC and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket from Samsung). LG scheduled an ‘exclusive launch event’ for this coming Thursday and the Nitro HD is expected to take center stage at the event.
The 4.5-inch Nitro HD packs in a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, supports GSM HSPA+ and 4G LTE radio technologies, and has an eight megapixel back camera, HD content streaming via DLNA and more. Senior vice president Jeff Bradley said Nitro HD “is the one that does [a true HD experience on Anroid phones] right”, boasting its True HD AH-IPS capabilities.
AH-IPS is an acronym for Advanced High-Performance In-Plane Switching, a proprietary LG technology for a 1280-by-720 pixel resolution phone display with 500 nit display luminance that allows for clear viewing in direct sunlight. Additionally, RGB stripe pixels “deliver incredibly accurate true-to-life color rendering”.
AT&T recently took its 4G LTE network to fifteen new markets and plans on reaching 70 million Americans with 4G LTE by the end of this year. The Nitro HD will be available from the carrier’s retail and online stores for $249.99 after a two-year service contract. Full release after the break.
LG published on their official Facebook page a list of handsets that will get a firmware update with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software. Initially, high-end LG smartphones will be eligible for upgrade to Google’s latest Android release, including the Optimus 2X, the Optimus Black, the Optimus 3D and the Optimus LTE. The company did not say when Ice Cream Sandwich will arrive for the aforementioned handsets, noting it will update customers via Facebook in December. As for their other devices:
We are also continuing to evaluate the ICS OS to determine whether it is compatible with the functionality, features and performance of other LG smartphones to make the ICS OS available on as many LG smartphones as possible.
Google’s been serious about requiring phone vendors and carrier partners to support high-end handsets with Android software updates for up to 24 months since the purchase date. Phone vendors recently began announcing lists of devices eligible for Ice Cream Sandwich, including Sony Ericsson and HTC.
Google on its part confirmed that the Nexus S will get an Ice Cream Sandwich firmware update “within weeks”, but not owners of the older Nexus One smartphone. Samsung refrained thus far from public comments, but their flagship Galaxy SII is certain to get the new software and we have no doubt in our mind that the South Korean manufacturer will soon detail an ICS upgrade path concerning their Android devices.
Motorola, Samsung and just about every Android vendor has held a recent event announcing their new product lineups, especially in anticipation of the holiday shopping season. Not to be left out, LG has sent out invites (via Engadget) announcing an ‘exclusive launch event’ for December 1st. While we don’t learn anything from looking at the invite, Engadget claims the image file is titled “LG Nitro”. There have been rumors of a “Nitro HD”, which is thought to be the Optimus LTE variant for AT&T. We’ll of course be bringing you updates as the announcements unfold next Thursday.
Expand
Expanding
Close
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CGvzF56CRwI]
Four days ago, Google released the source code for Ice Cream Sandwich, and it was inevitable hackers would get working on an ICS port for devices. One of the most popular Android handsets to date, the Galaxy S II, is one of the first outside of the Galaxy Nexus to receive Ice Cream Sandwich’s touch. The port is pretty stable, only missing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and audio from the mix, but we expect bug fixes to be rolling out soon.
LG’s Optimus 3D is also among the first devices to receive the Ice Cream Sandwich port. The status of this port is unknown right now, but from the looks of it everything seems to be pretty smooth. Check it out after the break. (via Android and Me)
LG has teased their unannounced LU6200 this evening, which features spectacular specs close to the rumored HTC Incredible HD. The LU6200 (we’d prefer a nicer naming scheme) is rumored to be packing a 4.5-inch 720P HD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Gingerbread, LTE, 8-megapixel back-facing shooter, 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter, and NFC. Pre-orders are rumored to start September 26th. (via Engadget)
The web is abuzz with the news that Google is snapping up Motorola Mobility in a deal valued at $12.5 billion. And while there are concerns that Google is pursuing the deal purely for the patents, CEO Larry Page said in a blog post that the agreement will let them “supercharge the Android ecosystem” by fending off patent threats from Apple, Microsoft and other companies. In addition, he dropped hints of “wonderful user experiences” in a nod at tightly integrated devices that Apple famously builds.
Now, conventional wisdom has it that the transaction will put other Android backers in an uneasy position as they get to compete with Motorola on an uneven playing field. Not to worry, Boy Genius Report has reactions from major Android backers that appear to be upbeat about the deal. For example, J.K. Shin, president of Samsung’s Mobile Communications division says:
We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.
The publication quoted similar statements by executives from HTC, LG and Sony Ericsson that Google published on their site. On the other hand, as noted by Business Insider, Android backers cannot be satisfied with the outcome of this time, regardless of their voice of support. TIMN wonders what this deal means for the future of Motorola products and the level of Google’s involvement in product development. So far, this is about intellectual property. Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha revealed in a conference call discussing the Google deal that his company controls a rich patent portfolio of 17,000 issued patents and 7,500 patent applications filed, indicating that Google will use this patent war chest as a powerful leverage against legal pressure from rivals Apple and Microsoft.
Google’s chief legal officer David Drummond said this in the call:
Motorola’s Xoom will get the promised 4G LTE modem upgrade in September, per corporate communication from Verizon Wireless sent to registered users, published by the Droid Life blog. The free of charge update promises a tenfold increase in network speeds, available to more than 110 million people in select markets where the carrier rolled out its 4G LTE network, with “coverage expanding every day”. The email notice reads:
Be on the lookout at the end of summer for an email with information about how to upgrade your Motorola XOOM to speeds up to 10X faster than 3G. In the meantime, learn more about what you can do to prepare for the 4G LTE upgrade to your Motorola XOOM by backing up data, encrypting, or resetting your Motorola Xoom tablet.
On a somewhat related note, T-Mobile and Sony Ericsson also began rolling out Gingerbread updates to the Xperia X10 and G2x
IMS Research put out a study estimating that some 420 million smartphones will be sold worldwide in the 2011 calendar year, or 28 percent of all handsets sold. The survey portrays Apple as making huge gains in the space, buoyed on the sales of 18.65 million and 20.34 million iPhones in their last two quarters – enough to garner a 19 percent share of the global smartphone market. Combined with Nokia’s slumping sales, Apple emerged as the world’s leading smartphone maker.
It remains to be seen whether Samsung, which is due to report its earnings Friday, will beat Apple’s smartphone sales (some say it will). IMS noted the fact that the company grew their share of global smartphone market from three percent in the first quarter of 2010 to 13 percent in the first quarter of this year. Samsung, as you know, sells phones powered by Google’s and Microsoft’s software in addition to their own operating system for feature phones, Bada. IMS’s Analyst Josh Builta says this of LG:
LG, despite being the third largest OEM in the world, has offered a fairly limited smartphone portfolio in recent years, a factor that resulted in the company reaching less than a three percent share of the total smartphone market in 2010.
However, Nokia’s fall surprised even the most seasoned watchers and is unheard of in this industry. Nokia, the Finnish phone giant, lost 16 percentage points of its smartphone market share, going from a 40 percent share last year to 24 percent in the first quarter of 2010. They shipped 16.74 million smartphones in the June quarter – a 34 percent annual decline – versus Apple’s 20.34 million units – a 134 percent annual increase. Nokia also killed Symbian and is only shipping the well-received but short-lived MeeGo-powered N9 to select markets. Here’s how the analyst described Nokia’s problem:
Clearly one of the key dynamics of the mobile handset competitive environment in recent years has been the inability of many traditional market leaders to recognize and adjust to the growing smartphone tier. The reasons for these failures vary and include everything from poorly designed and manufactured devices, unsatisfactory user interfaces, and portfolios that don’t offer products with a differentiating feature. These lapses have created opportunities for newer entrants to the market, which they have aggressively pursued.
Research In Motion fell from 20 percent to 15 percent in the same period, mind you. IMS sees one billion smartphones by 2016 as average selling prices drop and vendors release more inexpensive handsets. Smartphones then will account for one of every two mobile handsets sold, the research firm concludes.
Cross-posted on 9to5Mac.com
Expand
Expanding
Close
LG this morning announced two new phones engineered around Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The LG Optimus Pro (LG-C660) and Optimus Net (LG-P690) smartphones – both rolling out in 30 markets this summer beginning in Europe – feature a 1500mAh battery – “the largest in their class”, says LG – and an 800MHz processor. The phones are clearly aimed at the social generation. The Optimus Pro hasa QWERTY keyboard that will appeal to fast typists, a 2.8-inch touch display and dedicated hardware hotkeys for email and scheduler. The device will be available in white, titan and black.
The Optimus Net, available in black and white, sports a bigger 3.2-inch 320-by-480 pixel resolution display and LG Social+, the company’s own widget that acts as a hub to popular social networks. It lets you read your friends’ social media feeds, update Facebook and Twitter status, share photos across multiple social media accounts and more. LG wrote another application, SmartShare, that enables the phone to share media with other DLNA-compliant devices.
The North American version will include a QWERTY keyboard and in Brazil, China, Asia and the CIS region, the Optimus Net will be dual SIM-compatible. Also, some European carriers will get a version of the device with an NFC chip for mobile payments. More images and full release after the break.
PocketLint today published pictures of an Android device slider from LG which houses a small screen between keys on the keyboard below the full screen keyboard. It reminds of the Kyocera Echo meets Nintendo DS a bit with its extra screen but that big screen on top isn’t really hitting the edges – which is where they should be pushing the screens.
When this hits the streets, it ill be interesting to see what, if any, applications have been modified for this screen.
T-Mobile USA has an event/Android launch next week btw. We’ll soon find out if this is the device on tap. Another shot after the break.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Gartner is out with their first quarter 2011 mobile phone market survey. The results are astounding. The first quarter belonged to Google and everyone else was reduced to extras in an Android show. Both Apple and Google grew their respective share of the smartphone market, estimated at 100.8 million quarterly units – nearly double the 54.5 million units from the year-ago quarter. Smartphones grew 85 percent and cut into sales of regular handsets, accounting for almost one quarter (23.6 percent) of the 427.8 million handsets shipped during the first quarter.
Predictably, Android was the leading smartphone platform in the first quarter of 2011. And here comes your mind-boggling takeaway: More Android-powered smartphones were sold during the first quarter than the combined sales of Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s BlackBerrys, Microsoft Windows Phone smartphones and vendors belonging to the Other OS category. And that is worldwide, mind you. Go ahead, do the math yourself (the below table).
It’s fascinating that Microsoft and Symbian combined had three percentage points lower market share than Android. Also, while Apple doubled iPhone sales, they barely gained any marketshare. This just shows that Android is gobbling up market share at a rapid pace, eating pretty much everyone’s lunch in the process…
