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E-volo's electric 'air taxi' picks up passengers next year
The last time we'd heard about E-Volo's 18-rotor electric helicopter was almost a year ago to the day. The latest news out of the company is that at AERO, an aviation trade show in Germany, E-Volo revealed its latest model, the Volocopter 2X. The firm says that the advantages of this version versus previous iterations (namely, the VC200) are that it's a "consequent evolution" geared toward everyday use as an autonomous urban mobility vehicle. Translation: it could be a pilot-free, or remote-flown taxi for two.
Optimus 2X caught on camera wearing WIND's clothing, it's a G2x in disguise
LG's first foray into dual-core was recently spotted in full WIND Mobile attire, where it appeared ready to soar on the provider's AWS spectrum. Of course, given the LG-P999 designation, this handset reveals itself to be the same as its 1700MHz-capable US cousin -- the T-Mobile G2x -- and we're hoping this version of LG's flagship will also ship with plain Android (unlike the skinned affair on the Optimus 2X). With no firm announcement from WIND, it's difficult to know what customers should expect from this beast -- but as long as those troublesome reboot issues don't interfere, this could be a smooth flight indeed.
T-Mobile G2x experiencing reboot issues, Gingerbread may be the remedy (update)
Ready for a good story? Gather around, kids, we have an intriguing one to share. The T-Mobile G2x is enjoying its share of controversy this week as concerns arose about the phone experiencing random reboots. Our saga began on Wednesday, as we received tips about the G2x getting pulled from stores due to "quality concerns." We confirmed no inventory was in stock, but T-Mobile emailed us denying there was any reason for this other than high demand. With the phone being so popular, that's fair enough, right? Not so fast. As it turns out, our tale doesn't stop there. A well-worded statement was sent out explaining, "a small percentage of customers have commented about possible improvements and we are working with LG to deliver a software update." A bit of a far cry from confirming reboot issues (or bugs of any kind, for that matter), but it is refreshing to hear some sort of acknowledgement at least. T-Mobile didn't get specific on what those "possible improvements" may entail, but the carrier also reiterated plans to bump the flagship phone up to Gingerbread "by summer" -- possibly tackling the bugs at the same time. The end to our story has yet to be written, but we sure hope it's a happy one. Update: TmoNews just posted a screenshot (shown after the break) that shows a resolutions sheet to help employees troubleshoot a few customer concerns about the G2x. The list includes overheating, rebooting, low battery life, and WiFi handoffs. Now, it's important to note that this isn't T-Mobile acknowledging these as known issues; the company is just receiving enough calls on them that it needed to add these to the list of standard support responses.
LG prepares to update Optimus 2X, banishes unexpected reboots to Never Never Land
LG is delivering good news for those affected by random reboots and shutdowns on the Optimus 2X. Today, the company reached out to Engadget and acknowledged the plight of its early adopters. Even better, the manufacturer wants everyone to know it will begin delivering updates in Europe this week, and expects North America to be close behind. In most situations, users will receive the firmware update over-the-air, but this will depend on your carrier and region. After all the hoopla, LG determined these troubles occur when the device is charging, the power button is pressed, or the phone is in standby -- which basically means whenever you reach for it. Let's hope this update filters down to G2x handsets as well. It would seem rather unkind to leave them in the cold, don't you think?
LG Optimus 2X is world's first dual-core phone necessitating an online petition
Early adopters of the Optimus 2X are rightfully proud to carry the distinction of owning the world's first dual-core smartphone, however, that badge of honor comes with a steep price. In LG's rush to be first, it delivered a unpolished operating system that hinders the speed and stability of the phone -- and we're now seeing user reports suggesting the troubles may go beyond software. Notably, the forum at xda-developers now exceeds 100 pages of comments describing blank, unresponsive screens, random reboots and exceedingly hot temperatures when recharging. While many owners are performing various forms of voodoo hoping to stave off the symptoms, the problems are intermittent, making fixes difficult to verify. Regardless, putting the phone in a paper bag and lighting candles isn't going to banish the ghost in this machine. In response to LG's silence, frustrated users have started an online petition to bring their plight to the public's eye. Here's a little boost to the cause -- if you're an affected owner, please add yourself to the list of names by following the source.
LG Optimus 2X scoops up Guinness World Record for being first dual-core smartphone
LG's Optimus 2X just scooped up official recognition from the Guinness World Records crew for being the very first dual-core smartphone, which sounds like a good thing, but really it kind of isn't. In its rabid pursuit of the "First!" badge, LG neglected to polish up the 2X's software, leaving a lot of early users feeling high, dry, and in need of a good custom ROM. On the other hand, that very same phone's US variant, the T-Mobile G2x that came a couple of months later, arrived with a nice and shiny stock Android build that really showed off the underlying hardware's true capabilities. So yeah, kudos on another Record, LG, but next time let's have less haste and more awesome, mmkay?
LG Optimus 2X to be upgraded to Gingerbread in summer, says Danish support site (updated)
Other than saying Gingerbread will be forthcoming for its dual-core Optimus 2X Android handset, LG has been pretty mum on the subject of software updates. It's good, therefore, to finally extract a timeframe out of the company, albeit from a somewhat obscure source. LG's Danish support site tells us that the P990 (the internal code number for the 2X) will be updated to Android 2.3 "in June-July 2011." That's a fair bit later than we might have expected or hoped for the upgrade to happen, particularly given the various software foibles that the device we reviewed suffered from, but the summer of 2011 will always be preferable to the summer of never. A final warning is perhaps merited here to say that LG has been a bit inconsistent when it comes to software roadmaps, so consider this one scribbled down in pencil until we hear more concrete confirmation from the company. [Thanks, Michael] Update: LG's marketing chief for Denmark and Iceland, Morten Aagard, has responded to this intel by saying that actually the Optimus 2X will be updated to Android 2.3 in "mid-May." Update 2: Morten's been misquoted, apparently. LG has now told us directly that it's targeting this summer.
LG Optimus 2X coming to Europe in March, a little later than planned
European dual-core aficionados were promised their fix way back in January from LG, however the Korean company's delivery schedule evidently slipped a tiny bit as we're today bidding adieu to the month of February. Good news is that LG will definitely, totally, honestly be releasing its Optimus 2X in "key European markets" this March. It'll ship with Froyo on board, however a Gingerbread update is expressly promised, which should allay fears of being left with a very powerful but outdated piece of hardware. Last time we looked, Amazon's German branch had priced this handset, to be known as the Optimus Speed in Deutschland, at just under €500, which sounds about right for its eventual unlocked price.
LG Optimus 2X review
The world cried out for a dual-core smartphone and LG and NVIDIA answered the call. Actually, the world only ever dreamt about multicore mobile architectures up until late last year, but sometimes that's all it takes to get those zany engineers engineering. So here we are, in early February 2011, beholding the world's first smartphone built around a dual-core processor, the Optimus 2X. This is a landmark handset in more ways than one, however, as its presence on the market signals LG's first sincere foray into the Android high end. Although the company delivered two thoroughly competent devices for the platform with the Optimus S and T in 2010, they were the very definition of mid-range smartphones and the truth is that Samsung, HTC and Motorola were left to fight among themselves for the most demanding Android users' hard-earned rubles. So now that LG's joined their ranks, was the wait worth it? %Gallery-115835%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc vs. LG Optimus 2X... fight!
Android is our future, the stat mavens all agree, but for all its rapid growth, Google's OS still suffers from a shortage of top tier differentiation. This has in part been down to LG and Sony -- two of the world's biggest phone makers -- spending the majority of 2010 watching the battle for Android supremacy from the sidelines (the X10 disqualified itself when it announced it neither knew nor cared what Froyo was). 2011 might just be the year of redemption for both, however, as LG will soon assault the European market with a pair of truly desirable and powerful Android smartphones in the Optimus 2X and Black, while Sony Ericsson's well leaked portfolio of new Xperias includes the Arc, Neo and Play, each one of them coming with Gingerbread preloaded. We've wrapped our mitts around a pair of these high-hope devices, one from each manufacturer, and photographed the living daylights out of them sat side by side. %Gallery-115722% We humbly submit that the Xperia Arc looks and feels far more refined than LG's admittedly well designed Optimus 2X. The Arc's curvature seriously makes it feel like the thinnest phone we've ever handled and its weight is also dramatically, unreasonably minimal. Another note of import is that the 2X comes with a 4-inch screen whereas the Arc offers a more generous 4.2-inch display, yet their overall dimensions are nearly identical. All in all, we'd hardly object to having either one in our pockets, but the Arc wins it for us in terms of aesthetic appeal. Of course, the Optimus 2X has a dual-core Tegra 2 heart beating within, it's not all about looks, though in the case of this hands-on comparison, it kind of was. We'll have a full review of LG's handset in the coming days, while Sony Ericsson promises the Xperia Arc will land in Europe by the end of March. You can see more of the prototype unit we got to handle in the gallery below and there's a video comparison of the two Android newcomers after the break as well. %Gallery-115723%
LG Optimus 2X looks like a dual-core Star, shows off HDMI-out while embarrassing the Galaxy S on video
LG has, in the most casual fashion possible, revealed the name of a new smartphone it intends to launch in the Korean market: the Optimus 2X. That brand name was buried deep in a release yesterday about exclusive Ennio Morricone content bundled with the Optimus Mach, though some studious folks have unearthed it and subsequently found YouTube content showing off the handset. Codenamed the SU660, the 2X looks almost identical to the LG Star we handled for ourselves recently, with the only differences being in product code (the Star was dubbed P990) and the button array at the bottom. Looking at the videos after the break, most of the onboard content bears LG's local branding of Cyon, leading us to suspect the 660 is just the Korean variant of the Star. Either way, that LG presser also notes that the Optimus 2X should be launching within the next couple of months -- just in time to take the Nexus S down a notch or two, eh LG?
Ritek readies 2x HD DVD-R media
Granted, the majority of you probably haven't forked out just yet for a pricey HD DVD burner, but just in case you've got one in mind for the future, Ritek is readying the equally expensive media you'll have to pick up. According to DigiTimes, Ritek has "secured certification for its blank 2x HD DVD-R" discs, which would enable write speeds double that of its existing media. Additionally, the firm has reportedly obtained certification for blank BD-R discs as well, and while it's certainly late to that party, we'll take all the competition we can get.
Plextor announces PX-B900A Blu-ray PC drive, Blu-ray movie playback included
Plextor has officially announced their first Blu-ray drive, the PX-B900A, including 2x reading and recording speeds for BD-R and -RE discs, 8MB buffer, and compatibility with the assorted DVD and CD formats. The price is set at $999.99, which may seem a bit high compared to Sony's recently announced $750 Blu-ray PC drive, until you consider that unlike the BWU-100A Plextor plans to bundle this with Intervideo's WinDVD BD Blu-ray movie playback software. Other software included is Ulead's VideoStudio10 Plus for Blu-ray authoring, BD DiscRecorder for direct camcorder-to-Blu-ray recording and others for DVD playback and standard file management capabilities. No word on if HDCP support will be required to get Blu-ray playback at all, but we should know for sure in October when it is released. [Via Engadget]
