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LG Optimus G review: a quad-core powerhouse with Nexus aspirations
More Info LG Optimus G: hands-on with Korea's latest powerhouse LG Optimus G for AT&T hands-on LG Optimus G for Sprint hands-on You've heard it before: the more things change the more they stay the same. It wasn't that long ago that we reviewed LG's flagship Optimus 4X HD, the world's first quad-core HSPA+ handset. Despite representing the company's best engineering and design effort to date, it wasn't quite able to match the competition's global offerings -- Samsung's mighty Galaxy S III and HTC's lovely One X. Today, just a few months later, quad-core LTE superphones are the state of the art. Samsung's selling the global Galaxy Note II, HTC's just announced the One X+ and LG's betting everything on the Optimus G -- the first handset to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro together with an LTE radio. The Optimus G is a pivotal device for the Korean manufacturer, especially in the US, where rival Samsung is massively popular and LG's success has been hampered by a series of forgettable products (hello, Intuition) and a lackluster track record for software updates. It's so critical that LG even invited us to spend some quality time with the Optimus G at the launch event in Seoul last month. In the US, LG's partnering with Sprint and AT&T and there's strong evidence that Google's upcoming Nexus will be based on the Optimus G. So, does the company's latest powerhouse measure up to the competition? How different are the US versions from the Korean model? Does LG finally have a winning formula with the Optimus G? Find out in our review after the break.
Samsung pegs LTE Galaxy S III for South Korea in July, quad-core quite possibly intact (update: yes!)
Remember that dream version of the Galaxy S III that melded the Exynos 4 Quad, LTE-based 4G and 2GB of RAM all in one ultimate device? It now looks much closer to reality. Just as the 3G version is landing on the country's shores through SK Telecom, Samsung is sending word that the Korean LTE version is due in early July -- and Chosun claims it should have the best of all worlds in terms of performance. There should even be DMB TV tuning and a 500-title Video Hub for local movie lovers. We're anxious about just what that combination could do to battery life and the price, neither of which were mentioned up front. There may be good reasons why the US versions run on the dual-core Snapdragon S4, after all. Still, if the Korean LTE version doesn't have to make any sacrifices and is just a few weeks away from stores, it'll be hard not to turn a deep shade of green watching our friends in Seoul get what could easily be the better deal. Update: The company has since piped up and confirmed to The Verge that the Korean LTE version is, in fact, quad-core. The LTE sits on a discrete modem chip where it's normally more tightly integrated on the Snapdragon, however -- and that means a potential knock against the runtime given that the 2,100mAh battery hasn't been beefed up.
Pantech Vega LTE gets official for South Korea, dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and 4.5-inch HD display
Pantech holds no punches in its home nation, where the company's latest handset, the Vega LTE, has just become very official. In addition to 4G support, the phone features a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 4.5-inch display with a whopping 1280 x 800 resolution. Take a moment to savor that last part. Gingerbread is at the core of this large-and-in-charge beauty, which also includes an 8 megapixel auto-focus camera that captures video at 1080p, an LED flash, a 1.3MP front-facing shooter and 16GB of built-in storage. An 1830mAh battery powers the slab, which measures just 9.35mm thin and weighs 135.5g (4.8oz). Rounding out the internals, users will benefit from A-GPS, 802.11n, NFC and terrestrial DMB -- that last one is specifically for the home crowd. With specs like these, we can only hope a domestic version makes its journey across the Pacific. If you're looking for some mental exercise, a translated PR follows the break.
Samsung Galaxy Tab goes WiBro, yo
Making fun of WiBro -- the Korean moniker for what's otherwise known as IEEE 802.16e mobile WiMAX -- never gets old. Fortunately, Samsung just gave us another reason to "pose hard" with the announcement of the WiBro- and T-DMB-equipped Galaxy Tab now available from the Korean operator KT for 900,000KRW or just a bit more than $800. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same 7-inch Android tablet that's about to get an 8.9 inch big brother on March 22nd. Hey Sprint, you seeing this? [Original image via ImSoGangsta.org]
Cowon V5 HD set for South Korea debut on January 1
Cowon has finally made its latest and greatest PMP official, and the spec sheet does not disappoint. Mixing appealing curves with a 4.8-inch display, the V5 HD offers 720p video playback that can be channeled out via HDMI or Composite outputs. On the software front, there's the usual litany of wide-ranging file compatibility and basic apps -- cortesy of Windows CE 6.0 -- as well as a world clock, RSS reader, Flash games, voice recorder, and an optional T-DMB tuner. We still don't know what's doing the dirty work under the hood, but you won't be wanting for storage, with integrated memory options up to 32GB being augmented by SDHC expandability. Battery life is rated at 10 hours of video or 45 hours of music, and the Korean landing date is January 1 with prices starting at 299,000 KRW ($256). Until then, you can check out more pictures after the break. [Thanks, The DarkSide]
Motorola's ROKR ZN50 touchscreen slider could be a winner
Right around this time last year, we actually had lofty hopes that Motorola would get its handset business in gear and shock us all with an ultra-potent, completely refined smartphone. Here we sit today, still waiting. Still, we can't pass up an opportunity to throw Moto's hardware design team a bone, as the ROKR ZN50 is downright sexy from any angle. The music-centric, full touchscreen slider packs a 3.2-inch panel (427 x 240 resolution), automatic screen rotation, shake to switch tracks, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, Bluetooth stereo headset support, SRS WOW HD audio tech and a battery good for 30 hours of audio playback. There's also a T-DMB TV tuner, 4GB of inbuilt memory, a microSDHC card slot, 3.2 megapixel camera, an e-dictionary and support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA. Sadly, it seems as if the phone is being reserved for the Korean market, but seriously, can you imagine this hitting North America with Android loaded on? Motorola: you're this close.[Via Unwired View]
Video: iriver B30 taken for a spin around the box
Time for a break from all the MID, smartbook, and netbook action from the Computex show for a glimpse at the latest from Korea's iriver. The B30, like most iriver devices, starts with elegant hardware. iriver then slips in a UI and physical controls that may or may not be new to its user base. While we appreciate iriver's dedication to innovation, a bit of consistency would be appreciated, especially since none of the UIs have quite reached perfection. So take a look at the B30 after the break -- you feeling those white boxy outlines and rotation delays as the display moves between portrait and landscape? Korea-only huh? Fine by us.
iriver's T-DMB-packin' B30 portable media player emerges
Check it, North Americans -- yet another PMP that'll never arrive here in this form. The T-DMB-equipped B30 just popped up over on iriver's Korean website, complete with an FM tuner, 2.8-inch QVGA display, a microSD expansion slot, 4/8/16GB of inbuilt memory, white / black / silver color options, USB 2.0 connectivity, a user-selectable equalizer and a list of supported file formats too lengthy to cover in this space. Furthermore, we're told that the battery is good for 40 hours on audio and 5.5 hours with video, and while a ship date has yet to be revealed, we're expecting 'em to go for around $155, $183 and TBD from least capacious to most.[Via PMP Today]
E-TEN's V900 gets handled, unloved
Bad camera, poor battery life, a dodgy d-pad, ugly color -- is there anything good to say about the most well-spec'd glofiish in E-TEN's range? Well, yes: with support for not one, not two, but four mobile TV standards under its belt, you'll have a hard time finding a WinMo set out there that's friendlier to telly on the go. Plus, the V900 rocks a flush VGA display and tri-band HSDPA, which are "good things" last time we checked; you're just going to have to put up with flimsy build quality and a host of software and hardware niggles to get 'em. At $700, it's hard to swallow the thought of buying a device this heavily panned in a review, but if you absolutely must be able to switch between DAB and DVB-T with aplomb... well, your crappy phone has arrived.
Cowon's S9 with 3.3-inch AMOLED touch-screen kills with style
Taste that? It's the sweet nectar of want for Cowon's new S9 Curve. This 3.3-inch media player features an AMOLED capacitive touch panel display that spreads 16 million colors across 480 x 272 pixels. Inside you'll find a 500MHz dual-core CPU, T-DMB digital television tuner, Bluetooth, FM radio, TV-out, and G-Sensor accelerometer. All that and nearly two days (40 hours) of music playback from a single charge. No price yet but we expect to hear more later this week as the big European IFA show kicks off in Berlin.%Gallery-30372%[Via CNET Asia]
EU edict be damned: Germany looking more and more like a DVB-T house
The problem with selling licenses for spectrum -- any kind of spectrum -- is that there's an implicit assumption that the investment a company's going to make into buying the airwaves and building out the infrastructure necessary to take advantage of it is eventually going to pay off. For the winners of Germany's DVB-H license, though, the economics simply don't make sense; the country's carriers stone-cold gave up on the concept once they lost the license bid, instead turning to bundling DVB-T receivers to steal free signals designed for plain ol' TV reception. The winning bidder, Mobile 3.0, had intended to sell users on packages costing a handful of euros a month -- but "free" is a pretty powerful word, so even if there's a marginal battery performance disadvantage with the DVB-T setup, it's going to be virtually impossible for any pay service to fight it, especially when carriers are putting zero effort into making sure DVB-H tuners are on board their handsets. As best as we can tell, T-Systems' DVB-H trial wrapped up in December, so yeah, that pretty much spells the death of the so-called standard in Bavaria. What say you, EU?[Via mocoNews]
Ask Engadget HD: What's the best USB HD tuner?
There are HD junkies, and then there are HD junkies. You know, those folks who can't leave on a business trip without packing in a USB HD tuner to catch some OTA goodness once they arrive. Here's to you, latter guy / gal: "I travel quite frequently on business, and while some hotels I end up in have HD programming, many still do not. I'm considering picking up an OTA TV tuner that I can just plug into my laptop's USB port, but there are just so many options. Any help out there on which performs the best and which comes with the nicest PVR software?" We're going to assume this fellow is in search of a TV tuner that works here in the US (ATSC), but feel free to chime in with DVB-T, etc. options as well. Oh, and be sure to signify whether your recommendation only works on Mac or PC if that is indeed the case.Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
JATY's multifaceted DR7200 navigator doubles as breathalyzer
Believe it or not, JATY is far from being the first gadget maker to think of stuffing a breathalyzer into something completely unrelated (like a wristwatch), but this do-it-all navigator really has included everything save for the kitchen sink (and an N64 emulator, but you get the point). Specs wise, you're looking at a 7-inch touchscreen, 533MHz CPU, WinCE 5.0, 64MB of NAND Flash / SDRAM, an SD expansion slot, built-in GPS / T-DMB receivers, USB connectivity, integrated speakers and support for MP3, WMV, OGG, AC3, MPEG1/2/4, DivX, XviD, AVI and JPG formats (just to name a few). Chances are you'll never see this on US soil, so you're looking at a flight to Seoul in addition to ???296,000 ($294) in order to procure one.[Via Tech Digest]
Samsung to release T-DMB-packin' YP-P2 in South Korea
When we asked you to list the things you'd change about Samsung's YP-P2, a number of you yearned for mobile TV. Granted, you'd have to set up shop in South Korea for your dream to be fully fulfilled, but Samsung's definitely making it possible. The YP-P2 DMB will arrive packing an obligatory T-DMB mobile TV tuner for youngsters and hipsters alike to find their favorite program when those hundreds of albums grow stale. We're hearing that the unit will feature a 3-inch touchscreen along with Bluetooth 2.0 and your choice of black or white motifs. Price wise, you'll be laying down ???239,000 ($231), ???309,000 ($299) or ???389,000 ($377) for the 4GB, 8GB or 16GB version.
TG Sambo rolls out web-browsing, T-DMB-packing PMP for Korea
Korean manufacturer TG Sambo has seen a few of its products released 'round these parts, but it looks like that won't be the case with its latest PMP, at least as long as it packs some of that mythical T-DMB mobile TV we keep hearing about. If that doesn't preclude you, however, the unit certainly looks to be decent enough, with it boasting a 4.8-inch WVGA touchscreen, built-in WiFi for some supposedly full-fledged web browsing, 16MB of flash memory, and Windows CE 5.0 for an OS. No word on a price, unfortunately, but you can at least get a good look at its 15mm-thick form factor by hitting up the read link below.[Via Slash Gear]
iriver's P10 PMP finally to see the light of day?
We've been drooling over iriver's P10 ever since June, but it looks like CES might finally be the PMP's time to shine. Iriver has one of its trademark teaser sites up for CES 2008, and the P10 is up in all its glory. Among other interesting specs, the player runs on a 1.3-inch hard disk drive, sports T-DMB digital TV, a 800 x 480 4-inch LCD, 600Mhz processor and TV out. The P10 controls with iriver's bezel touch tech, but it's unclear if there's a touchscreen here -- seems unlikely. Still no word on price or when this thing is going to hit the market, but it seems like it's just around the corner.[Thanks, Calvin P]%Gallery-12728%
HyOn's D5 navigator sports dual-DMB tuner
We'll admit, HyOn's D5 sure looks a lot like the Xent X3, but unlike its predecessors, this fancy navigator rocks a dual-DMB tuner. That's right kids, this Korea-only unit sports a single integrated DMB module that supports both T-DMB and S-DMB, and if that wasn't enough to get you in a tizzy, it also features a 800 x 480 resolution LCD, a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, dual 1.5-watt speakers and an integrated antenna to pull in those DMB waves. Thankfully for those of us pouting about not having a residence in Seoul, this thing costs a whopping ???490,000 ($520) in 2GB form or ???530,000 ($563) for 4GB, so it's not like you'd buy one even if you could. Okay, so maybe you would.
HyOn's Xent X3 PMP handles GPS, T-DMB
Another day, another fabulous conglomerate that we Americans will probably never see in our homeland. On the docket today is HyOn's multifaceted Xent X3, which features a seven-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, support for MPEG1/2/4, DivX, XviD and WMV formats and an internal T-DMB module for snagging TV on the go. Additionally, this WinCE 5.0-powered device includes a SiRFstarIII GPS receiver, an SD expansion slot, 128MB of RAM, built-in speakers and a 500MHz Alchemy Au120 processor. Sadly, we've no idea how pricey this thing is, but we're sure it'll be readily available in locales lucky enough to support it.[Via NaviGadget]
LG lets loose WiBro-equipped LG-KC1 in Korea
We've known this gem was looming, but word on the street has the LG-KC1 finally hitting the hands of eager South Koreans. Amongst the niceties are a potent 806MHz Marvell Monahans CPU, 512MB of NAND Flash ROM, 128MB of SDRAM, WiBro connectivity, T-DMB mobile TV, integrated Bluetooth, a two-megapixel camera, and a 2.8-inch QVGA screen to boot. Unfortunately, it looks like this otherwise fantastically spec'd device is still running Windows Mobile 5 from yesteryear, and of course, the chances of it ever making it to US soil in the near future are essentially nil. Regardless, feel free to click on through for another picture if you enjoy the tease.
ZIO intros LOOK LK7200 GPS unit
There are few more crowded markets than the GPS business in Korea, but ZIO looks to be taking a crack at it nonetheless, with it recently introducing its LOOK LK7200 GPS unit. Apart from its obvious redness, however, there appears to be little to distinguish it from the vast array of similar units competing for Korean drivers' attention. Of course, that doesn't mean it's lacking either, with it boasting the standard 7-inch widescreen display, SiRFStar III GPS chipset, and integrated T-DMB TV tuner, along with the usual line-up of PMP functions. Look for it to set you back 319,000 won, or about $345, with a slightly less colorful version also available for the same price.
