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LG considers leaving the mobile business
LG's CEO says that it's time to make a 'cold judgment' about the company's ailing mobile division.
LG won't release a foldable smartphone anytime soon
As Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola rush to release their foldable smartphones, one notable company is sitting out the trend. LG says it's scrapping plans to release a bendy handset, reports The Korea Times, and will instead launch a 5G version of its flagship V-series brand, along with an LTE G-series lineup, at MWC later this month. The announcement comes just weeks after the company posted its fifteenth straight quarter of mobile losses.
LG's mobile division is getting a new CEO, too
A few days ago, it was rumored that Samsung was planning to replace its head of mobile in a bid to reverse slumping smartphone sales. Now, local rival LG is doing the same thing, albeit for a very different reason. CNET is reporting that current chief Dr. Jong-Seok Park has been suffering from health problems that mean he'll step into an advisory role for the company while Juno Cho (pictured, left) from LG's holding company replaces him. It's a good time to be taking over, since LG's mobile arm recently recorded record high sales and doubled profit -- giving Cho plenty of time to pick out the furniture for his new office. [Image Credit: Photo/Judi Bottoni / AP]
LG starts Optimus LTE Ice Cream Sandwich rollout on two Korean carriers
LG said it would start delivering Android 4.0 upgrades to its Optimus LTE (SU640) phones this month (as part of a wider upgrade plan) and now it has officially begun. Assuming you're a Korean customer on LG U+ or SKT obtaining the update should be a simple affair of downloading it from the site or via LG's support tool, however other regions and flavors have yet to be confirmed. There's also no word yet on the other Optimus phones but now that new UI 3.0 has started to flow their arrival shouldn't be far off.
MetroPCS announces Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G, LG Connect 4G handsets
MetroPCS whipped out a pair of new smartphones at CES today, with the Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G and the LG Connect 4G. Powered by a 1GHz CPU, the Gingerbread-coated Galaxy Attain (pictured at left) features a 3.5-inch display, 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter, and a three megapixel camera 'round back, along with an LED flash. The latest addition to Samsung's growing Galaxy family is also the latest 4G LTE-enabled to hit MetroPCS's roster, and it'll be available "for a limited time only" at $200 (on a $50 or $60 plan). As for the Connect 4G, it becomes MetroPCS' first dual-core offering, on the strength of its 1.2GHz processor. The device also features a four-inch display accompanied by a Corning Gorilla Glass screen protector, boasts a five megapixel rear-camera and supports 720p HD video recording. No word yet on pricing, but MetroPCS plans to bring the Connect 4G to market sometime next month. For more details, check out the full press releases after the break.
LG Optimus EX gets official in Korea, sporting 1.2GHz Tegra 2 chip, 700 nits of brightness
So, about that LG Optimus EX we saw last week -- it's now gone official in South Korea and it's looking slightly more alluring. Announced yesterday, this Gingerbread-coated handset is the first to ship with NVIDIA's revamped 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, which means it'll support 1080p video, much like the Galaxy S II. It also boasts a four-inch LCD with 480 × 800 resolution and a full 700 nits of brightness, along with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of onboard storage, a five megapixel camera and front-facing VGA shooter. Available in either black and silver or white and gold color schemes, the EX is slated to launch on Korea's SK Telecom at an unspecified price, though plans for an international release remain unclear. As soon as we find out, however, we'll be sure to let you know.
LG posts Q4 results, 2010 profit down 93 percent, cellphone sales down 15 percent
Nokia isn't the only one with bad news today. LG has posted its Q4 results and is taking this time to look back on what can only be described as a dismal 2010 overall. Fourth-quarter revenues were up 9.4 percent over the third quarter, but still resulted in a 246.4 billion won loss -- that's about $226.3 million. LG Home Entertainment sales were actually up almost 16 percent but still posted a loss thanks to cut prices and stiff competition. LG Mobile, meanwhile, saw an eight percent increase in sales over previous quarter, thanks to "strong" performance of phones like the Optimus One, but compared to 2009 sales are down 14.7 percent, a 15.2 percent drop for handsets alone. Looking for some cooler news? Air conditioning sales are up 50 percent!
LG releasing Windows Mobile 7 phone in September and Android 2.1 in April?
First LG flat-out says on public record that Windows Mobile 7 is bound for 2010, and now we've gotten apparent word that the company has narrowed said release window to September of this year -- at least as far as its own devices are concerned. That comes via high-profile French tech blogger Eric of Presse Citron, who while attending a LG Design Lab tweeted (both in French and immediately after in English) that LG Mobile will release a Windows Mobile 7 device in September and an Android 2.1 device in April, first in the US and then Europe just after. The tweets are now gone, but WMPoweruser managed to catch both via Google cache, while we have corroborated just the French one by similar means. So, misheard claims from the company or accidental slip-up of NDA'd secrets? MWC is starting to look more and more interesting.
