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T-Mobile G2x lacks quadband HSPA+, shatters dreams
Ever since we first saw it at CTIA, T-Mobile's been advertising its lovely G2x superphone as a quadband HSPA+ capable device. Based on the published specs in press releases and even on T-Mobile's own website, there wasn't any reason to believe that the G2x wasn't compatible with AT&T's 1900 / 850MHz 3G bands, in addition to supporting T-Mobile's 1700MHz "4G" (AWS) flavor and Europe / Asia's 2100MHz standard. This made perfect sense -- especially in light of AT&T's plans to acquire T-Mobile -- until people started purchasing and unlocking the handset. Reports quickly came trickling in that the G2x was unable to connect to AT&T's 3G network, something we verified after unlocking our review unit. That's when we decided that perhaps this was a restriction in the baseband software rather than a hardware limitation, so we reached out to T-Mobile for comment, and received the following statement: The T-Mobile G2x fact sheet, attached [PDF link], contains accurate information. The T-Mobile website is incorrect and we're working to correct it. The G2x supports 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for 2G/GPRS only, and supports 3G/4G UMTS/HSPA+ bands I and IV. The G2x does not support AT&T's 3G bands. This banding is hardware based. This is obviously unfortunate news, and is clearly a major faux pas on behalf of T-Mobile. It's particularly disturbing since we were so certain of the G2x's quadband 3G support when we discussed it in our last mobile podcast. Oh well, you live and learn, eh?
T-Mobile G2x getting Gingerbread 'sooner than you'd expect,' may not be a quad-band handset
We found the T-Mobile G2x to be a gem of a phone, blessed with both a speedy dual-core chip and a near-complete lack of bloatware to keep you from enjoying its raw muscle, but it's hard to deny it would be better still with some crumbly Gingerbread toppings. If you feel the same way, then join us in celebration of some joyous news -- T-Mobile tweets that Android 2.3 is coming to the G2x "soon." The carrier's official Twitter feed adds that Gingerbread was already being tested on the device even before launch, but unfortunately doesn't dish on a potentially more somber situation -- we're hearing (and have found in testing) that the G2x may not actually be a quad-band HSPA+ handset, and we're having trouble getting an unlocked version to connect to AT&T's 3G network. We're currently awaiting comment, and will let you know what we hear. Update: T-Mobile has confirmed that the G2x is not a quadband HSPA+ device as originally advertised, and that the hardware only supports 3G bands I and IV (2100 and 1700MHz).
PSA: T-Mobile G2x and LG Optimus 2X include two-button screencap function (video)
Taking screenshots on Android has always been an ordeal akin to an emergency visit to the dentist -- you know you have to do it but you just don't want to. The convoluted process involves either installing the Android SDK on a computer, enabling USB debugging on the target device, and running ddms, or rooting the specimen and firing up one of the many existing (and potentially shady) screenshot apps. In contrast, taking screenshots on other platforms is often simply a matter of pressing the right key combination in the right order, like holding the sleep / wake button and then clicking the home button in iOS 4. Well it looks like the folks at LG have decided to grace both the T-Mobile G2x and its Optimus 2X sibling with a rather simple yet nifty bit of code that lets you take screenshots by simultaneously pressing both the power / lock and home buttons... Huzzah! Now let's just hope Google borrows this idea and makes it a standard feature in all future Android versions. Take a look at our demo video after the break. [Thanks, redman12]
T-Mobile G2x review
It's only been a few weeks since the Optimus 2X crossed the desk of our European review bureau as the first known dual-core smartphone in the universe. Now LG's wunderkind has made its way across the pond and landed on US soil to be reborn as the G2x on T-Mobile. While the hardware remains the same elegant Tegra 2-infused slab of glass, metal and plastic, the software has been liberated from the shackles of LG's UI customizations into a serving of vanilla Froyo -- the exact same approach T-Mobile took when it introduced the Desire Z as the G2 without HTC's custom Sense skin last fall. Unlike previous G-series phones, the G2x ditches the physical keyboard for a 4-inch WVGA display with HDMI output and an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video capture. Beyond the transition from messaging-centric device to multimedia powerhouse, what else is different about the hardware? Is plain Android a vast improvement over the lackluster software that shipped on the Optimus 2X? How does the G2x fare against T-Mobile's current flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G? Find out in our full review after the break. %Gallery-121708%
HTC Sensation versus the rest of the dual-core world: smartphone spec sheet smackdown
We got to feeling a bit curious about how exactly HTC's latest Android superphone, the Sensation 4G, stacks up against its fellow dual-core competition, so we did what every geek does in such situations, we compiled a chart. Included in this list are the finest and brightest Android handsets from each of the major manufacturers that have gone dual-core so far: the Galaxy S II, the Atrix 4G, the Optimus 2X / G2X, and HTC's own EVO 3D. As it turns out, there are quite a few commonalities among these phones (besides the benchmark-crushing performance). They all boast screens of either 4 or 4.3 inches in size, the minimum amount of RAM among them is 512MB, the smallest battery is 1500mAh, and yes, they all have front-facing video cameras. Basically, it's the future of smartphones, reduced to a stat sheet. As such, it must also come with the warning that specs aren't everything, and user experience will most often depend on the software available on each device and on the preferences of the human holding it. With that proviso fully digested, join us after the break for the data.
T-Mobile G2x now available online for $200, hitting stores April 20th
T-Mobile's Android roster is growing in number and sheer benchmarking virility today with the launch of the LG-produced G2x. This handset runs bone stock Android (Froyo today, Gingerbread in the future) atop a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 system-on-chip, and just like its international twin the Optimus 2X, eschews the physical flair and focuses on being the best damn 4-inch smartphone that it can be. It costs $199.99 on a two-year contract and can be bought online today or in stores starting April 20th. Also scheduled for general availability on that date is the QWERTY slider-equipped Sidekick 4G, though that sleepyhead is missing out on any early web availability -- it's probably too busy adjusting its tricked-out Android skin and checking that its magenta accents are all spotless. Links are below, whether you're feeling inquisitive or acquisitive. [Thanks, Matt]
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.
T-Mobile's 4G Mobile Hotspot going on sale April 13?
Well, well. Android Central got a hold of a leaked document revealing that T-Mobile's 4G Mobile Hotspot, the first of its kind for the carrier, is slated to go on sale April 13th. We're inclined to believe it, since T-Mo just confirmed that the LG G2x, also named in the doc, will indeed go on sale April 15th. Alas, if you've been waiting for more info about the pricey, Honeycomb-powered T-Mobile LG G-Slate, you can keep holding your breath: all we know is that it's coming "soon."
LG's dual-core Optimus 2X superphone now available from Expansys
The world's most adored across-the-pond mobile retailer has just received its first batch of LG superphones, a gem by the name of Optimus 2X. As you well know by now, the company's playing this up as the planet's first dual-core smartphone, and while we'd hoped that the Tegra 2-based device would be everywhere by now, at least it's sticking to its scheduled release date over in Europe. Those interested in picking one up can get a SIM-free version headed their way for £449.99, while a free-on-contract affair can be had with T-Mobile, Vodafone and a host of others. Your credit card's been awful naughty of late -- dish out a little punishment by visiting the source link below. [Thanks, Robert]
T-Mobile G2x from LG hands-on (video)
We reported the rumors, we spied it on the show floor at CTIA yesterday, and T-Mobile finally announced it this morning. Well here it is now in the flesh: the G2x from LG. The hardware looks pretty much identical to its sibling, the LG Optimus 2X that we reviewed recently, but instead of featuring a custom UI, the software is plain Froyo (Android 2.2.2). Another major difference is the inclusion of "4G" support, which is missing from the Optimus 2X. Tegra Zone comes pre-installed, along with the usual T-Mobile add-ons like WiFi calling. Overall, the G2x made a very strong first impression, and we're looking forward to getting more in-depth coverage soon. Take a look at our gallery below, and hit the break for our hands-on video. Update: It turns out the "4G" radio in the G2x is quadband (2100 / 1900 / 1700 / 850MHz) but strangely, it's limited to 14.4Mbps downlink speeds. Apparently, this also applies to the T-Mobile G-Slate. We're reaching out to T-Mobile to check if the G2x radio is HSPA+ or merely just HSPA.
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%
LG Optimus 2X goes on sale in Korea, teases white version for February
No big surprises here, unless you count that snowy white number up above. Yep, LG's not only stolen a march on Motorola in introducing the world's first dual-core smartphone, it's also about to beat Apple to the white handset punch as well. The 1080p-recording, Tegra 2-wielding Optimus 2X is now available in its home market of South Korea and, if LG stays true to its roadmap, should be filtering through into Europe before this month is out. We don't know if its white variant will ever escape the clutches of Korea (and we sure hope it does), but it should be making its bodacious debut over there in February.
LG Optimus 2X 1080p video surfaces, captures a slow day at the docks
Since we reported that the Tegra 2-based LG Optimus 2X was slated to hit Korea and Europe this month, we've been dying to check out its 1080p video recording capability. Lucky for us, someone in Greece has uploaded a video to YouTube that was apparently recorded on the smartphone, and the results, well, decide for yourself. While we're impressed by the video quality (digital zoom excepted) the subject matter leaves something to be desired: a shaky camera slowly pans a port full of docked fishing boats. Sure, we'd like to see some more action, but this sample still has us excited about getting our hands on our very own Optimus 2X. HD video after the jump.
NVIDIA talks up the beginning of a new era, Tegra 2 'super phones'
NVIDIA's press conference at CES has just concluded and we were on site to hear what Jen-Hsun Huang and company had to say to the world. The Green Team's CEO wasn't timid in talking up the revolutionary nature of this year's CES, describing it as the harbinger of a change on a par with what we experienced way back in 1995 with the introduction of Windows 95. Unsurprisingly, Huang's vision of how we're going to leap into our ultra-modern new era involves NVIDIA's Tegra 2 hardware, a chip which is "less than the size of a dime and can leap tall buildings." Jen-Hsun sees the future of mobile computing in devices that move beyond phones with enhanced capabilities, or smartphones, to an entirely new category: "a computer first and a phone second." Tegra 2 announcements will be "sprinkled throughout the week," but the LG Optimus 2X did get a proper announcement and demo, including a quick game of Angry Birds with the phone hooked up to a HDTV via HDMI and the feed also being played on the giant projector screen alongside that. Biggest game of Angry Birds ever? Probably. %Gallery-112766% NVIDIA's calling these new machines super phones, not an entirely new or innovative name, but it conveys the point rather well. A highlight quote was also provided from LG's VP who joined Jen-Hsun on stage -- he described the motivation for putting the Optimus 2X and its internals together as "beauty outside, but monster inside." Adobe's Shantanu Narayen also hit the stage, to talk Flash. Just to thwart any misguided expectations of the rich web media format's oncoming demise, Shantanu told us that Flash Player 10.1 had the fastest adoption rate of any version in the software's history. A cool 120 petabytes of video was streamed last month, says the Adobe President and CEO, with the implication being that the vast majority of that came through Adobe's pervasive format. The Unreal Engine 3-based Dungeon Defenders also got a demo, neatly illustrating Jen-Hsun's point about Tegra 2 offering "console-like gaming." The game was shown playing on a PC, a PS3, and an Optimus 2X. All three had smooth frame rates, shockingly enough, but the a significant quote from the developer was that his team "didn't have to scale anything back" when porting the code to Android. NVIDIA closed the event on the bombshell that it's working on Project Denver, a high performance ARM CPU intended to challenge Intel and AMD in the personal computer and supercomputer realms. Somebody's playing for keeps! %Gallery-112765%
