S-classUi
Latest
LG not interested in proprietary smartphone OS, likes Android and Windows Phone 7
LG has told the press at MWC that it will not be developing its own smartphone platform "at least for the next two to three years." We think companies should focus on what they do well, and given our ambivalence toward the S-Class UI, it's probably a good thing that LG will narrow its operation down to churning out delectable slabs of electronics and leaving the software side to the geeks over at Google and Microsoft. The head of the company's handset unit, Skott Ahn, has indicated that the future of LG smartphones will be shared between Android and Windows Phone 7 (sorry, Symbian lovers). It will have taken plenty of restraint to not respond to local nemesis Samsung -- who has just introduced its first Bada handset -- but LG appears to be of the opinion (which we share) that the smartphone OS sector is already overcrowded, and its expectation is that over the next couple of years the market will distill itself down to just three predominant operating systems.
LG GD880 Mini and its chrome bezel spotted
We now know what's coming from LGs home entertainment offerings, but wondering what's next on the celly front? We've got a glimpse into at least one thing, with pictures hitting the web of the LG GD880, dubbed the Mini -- at least for now. It's rocking a 3.2-inch, 480 x 854 screen and a mere 100MB of storage, but microSD expansion should give you plenty of room for growth. WiFi is said to be on tap, as is a five megapixel camera, and an S-Class UI. Shocking? Hardly, but look at that bling!
LG IQ (Monaco) demoed on video, coming to Telus 'this holiday season'
Clocking in at 1:48, this glimpse at LG's IQ (a.k.a. Monaco) is indeed very brief and not much is said. It's got a fingerprint sensor lock, S-class UI (which we knew), and that backing is definitely Windows Mobile 6.5, but for everything else we'll have to refer to the previous specs we've seen leaked. As noted twice by the voice behind the on-screen hand, it's coming "this holiday season" and will be exclusive to Telus, so all the fine print should be revealed soon. Video after the break.
LG BL40 review
You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today's candidate for a grilling is LG's BL40, which is now available in Europe. You'll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us past the break where we explore what's under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is. %Gallery-75858%
LG BL40 Chocolate Touch hands-on
LG's latest Black Label device, tastefully titled the Chocolate Touch, caused quite a few gasps and swoons around the Engadget mansion when it was first spotted, and subsequent photo shoots have not diminished our admiration. The gorgeous 4-inch, 21:9 display promises a whole new way to experience web browsing and video playback on a mobile phone, and we've been salivating for an opportunity to try it out. Finally, that day has come, so follow along as we get our fingerprints all over a final production sample, and bring you pictures, video and our thoughts on the functionality that lay behind that tempered glass screen.
LG BL40 Chocolate Touch reviewed, deemed 'pretty OK'
We know you've been saving up your Rubles for the new LG BL40 Chocolate Touch, but in the meantime we thought we'd hep you to this pretty extensive review they conducted over at Mobile Review. And sure, at first blush this thing seems to be extremely noteworthy: that 21:9 display, the S-Class UI, the haughty demeanor -- what's not to love? The real question, of course, isn't how attractive the handset is, but how will it fare in the real world? For the reviewer, a big sticking point was the phone's dimensions. This thing is huge -- at over 5-inches tall, you're going to need a purse (or some sort of rugged man purse) to haul it around. Then again, at 25,000 rubles (about $795) you're probably not the kind of man who feels self-conscious about carrying a purse. And that isn't the only complication this form factor provides -- the extreme width (or really, extreme lack of height) means that, in landscape mode, the QWERTY keyboard takes up pretty much the entire screen, leaving you only one line of text to work with. And the display quality here can't compare to the AMOLED offered by Samsung. It's "pleasant," the reviewer said, "but nothing more." But there is more to this review, which can be found at the read link. And you know what? It's a real page turner. [Thanks, Vinicius]
LG BL40 Chocolate Touch gets the hands-on treatment... on video!
We've still got our hopes up for an August 23rd launch date, but in the meantime we do have a, well, tasty video of LG's BL40 Chocolate Touch to tide us over. As you might have guessed, the UI is of the 3D S-Class variety. The accelerometer looks pretty snappy, and watching video seems to be a joy on the 4-inch, 21:9 display. Of course, we could give you a scene-by-scene recap, but we'd hate to spoil this Oscar-worthy production for you. Peep it yourself after the break.
[20090316105704281].jpg.cf.jpg)
LG Arena launches in Europe
Well, that didn't take too long, now did it? LG has announced that its high-end touchphone du jour, the KM900 Arena, is starting to ship in Europe after a February announcement at MWC. The 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, WVGA display, 3D UI, and 5 megapixel cam are all lustworthy specs for a device in this class, and it shows -- LG proudly proclaims that carriers around the world have already pre-ordered a million units. Americans can keep on dreaming for the time being, but Europeans should look for the Arena to start filtering into stores any day now in their choice of silver and black.[Via SlashPhone]
LG brings S-Class UI to Windows Mobile with GM730
Turns out LG's fancy new feature phone UI -- S-Class, as it's called -- isn't just for feature phones. The GM730 brings the same 3D interface into the wide world of Windows Mobile, along with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA, quadband EDGE, and Internet Explorer Mobile 6.0 into a package just 11.9mm thick. Sadly, LG's elected to do nothing but 900 / 2100MHz with the 3G here, so North Americans are left out of the equation at this point -- but much of the rest of the world can look into picking it up in the first half of the year.%Gallery-44724%
