LG Accused of Selling Defective Optimus 2X (G2X) Handsets

Popular consumer electronics brand, LG has an impending court trial in the U.S District Court for Southern District of California in the wake of large scale defects being spotted on the T-Mobile’s version of Optimus 2X (G2X). Being sued at the Californian court, LG’s smartphones were found to randomly freeze, or shut down causing a lot of inconvenience to the users. These defects, the complaint stated occurred even when a call was on. If that was not enough, then the screen’s poor display qualities were exposed too making watching videos a hellish experience. As per the consumer complaints, the smartphone’s back light bled into the screen, thereby exposing its faults. The errors have been spotted on the T-Mobiles USA version of the prestigious Optimus 2X for a cool $250.

Defective?

Shockingly so, according to reports, these issues haven’t cropped up in a day. They have been around since the very beginning and LG too is aware of it, only that instead of addressing the issue, they chose to ignore it. Now, although a complaint has been filed solely under Terry Horvarth, it voices the displeasures of several other irate consumers. The complaint is a detailed account of Terry’s ordeal that began just days after he purchased his smartphone. Strangely, the problems persisted even after Terry got his model replaced. 

So either LG has to face a humiliating court trial or compensate the users - a number which is easily in thousands - in an out of court settlement, neither of which is going to help its image in the market.

LG Optimus 3D Not Getting Gingerbread Update Till October

Seems like there is some bad news as well as good news for LG Optimus 3D owners. The bad news is that the smartphone will not receive the 2.3 Gingerbread update until October.  Whilst this might infuriate Optimus users, there’s a reason for this delay. A pretty good one too. The wait might just be worth it as LG are planning to give the usual bunch of features brought by Gingerbread with one important addition – apps running OpenGL for graphics can be switched from 2D to 3D.

Currently, the phone works on the Froyo OS 2.1 and supports 3D up scaling for pictures and videos, with an additional ‘depth control’ that helps customize the ‘amount’ of the third dimension that the user can see. However, there is an absolute lack of 3D content on the Android Market for the Optimus 3D.  

LG Optimus 3D

For those that are hoping to buy the Optimus 3D, here’s a quick spec sheet- 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, 1GHz, ARM Cortex-A9 processor, twin 5 megapixel rear cameras, 1080p video, front facing camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth 3.0.

Our word of advice to Optimus 3D users. Patience. LG’s desire for converting 2D to 3D on the fly for applications and games might just be the thing that gives the LG Optimus 3D that much required edge over its competitors.

LG Optimus Pro and Optimus Net Now Official

After a glimpse of what the LG’s new touch-and-type phone would look like, the Korean company has made the Optimus Pro official. Alongside the Pro, LG also announced the Optimus Net, a full touchscreen phone for Internet junkies on a budget. There's no word on the Indian pricing just yet, but be sure to keep an eye on online stores as these are bound to pop up sooner or later for pre-order.

Some stiff competition for Sammy's Galaxy Pro

Both the handsets will launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and pack 800Mhz processors with LG’s own Optimus UI 2.0 running over Gingerbread. The Optimus Pro will go up against eitherNokia’s E6 or Samsung’s Galaxy Pro depending on the pricing. The phone features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen and a full QWERTY keypad, 3MP camera with VGA recording, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a 1500mAh battery.

The Optimus Net will have a larger 3.2-inch touchscreen and pretty much the same internals as the Optimus Pro. Both phones will be launched in a total of 30 countries, starting with Europe. 

LG Optimus PRO C660 Surfaces in Italy

Mobile manufacturers these days seem to concentrating on touchscreen plus QWERTY keypad based devices. LG has joined the likes of Nokia, Huawei and Motorola. The LG Optimus Pro C660 is available now in Italy according to Italian website androidworld.it.

According to the website the Optimus pro sports a 2.8-inch screen, EDGE connectivity, 1500mAh battery, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 3Megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. There are no details of the processor yet.

Some of the pictures available on the website show that the phone has a regular candybar design and is another phone in the plethora of smartphones available in the market today.

Pictures courtesy: Androidworld.it

LG Optimus 3D’s Video Recording Bumped up a Bit

When we had a hands-on with the Optimus 3D, the smartphone could record 720p 3D videos at rate of 30 fps. However, in standard definition video capturing, it could record 1080p videos at 24 fps. Now the Optimus 3D’s launch was delayed, and there seems to be a valid reason for that.

Better frame rate for video capturing

GSMArena says that the frame rate for capturing Full HD 1080p videos has been bumped up by a few frames. Now, the smartphone can record 1080p at 30 fps which is not a very big rise, but is definitely quite a bit to change at the last minute. It looks like ever since the smartphone was announced, LG was working on tweaking the video performance of the Optimus 3D.

Many companies usually end up boasting about such achievements. And strangely, LG hasn’t done that. Does it mean that they’re working on some other update, as well and are planning to announce these updates together? Time will tell. Let’s hope the other update is a little more significant.

LG is Rolling Out Gingerbread for The Optimus One

After a lot of waiting, it looks like the Optimus One will get some Gingerbread love after all. The last we heard about the handset getting an update was in May, when LG’s Facebook page told us about the update being rolled out. It has been a good two months since that announcement, but nevertheless it’s good to know that the smartphone has started getting updates, after all.

Gingerbread love coming soon...

Even this announcement was made on LG’s Chile Facebook page stating that peeps in Russia and Romania are getting the updates and it will gradually release in other countries, such as Chile. India has not been mentioned anywhere, so we can only wait and hope that it comes out sooner than later. From what the post on FB says, the rest of the smartphones like LG Optimus 2X and Optimus 3D will be getting the update, as well.

The update is bound to bring some improvement amongst which there is availability of new apps in the Android Market, an improved battery life and an improved system performance. If by any chance you’ve got an update to your smartphone, do let us know about it.

LG Optimus Black P970 Launched in India for Rs. 19,900

It was less than 72 hours ago that we reported LG's Optimus Black being up for pre-orders at a really affordable price. Now, LG has officially launched the smartphone and it looks like the MRP stays the same at Rs. 19,900, which definitely makes it worth a consideration for those with a 20k budget for a smartphone with speedy specs.

Great specs at a superb price

The Optimus Black P970 runs on Android 2.2 aka FroYo (which can be upgraded to Gingerbread), and is powered by a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor. LG has also loaded the device with Optimus UI 2.0 and their Gesture UI 2.0. The smartphone has LG’s new display technology called the NOVA display which is encased in Gorilla Glass. Here’s a detailed list of specs that the Optimus Black boasts of:

• 4-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen at 800 x 480 pixels resolution
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS support
• EDGE/GPRS
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, EDR
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
• 2 megapixel front-facing camera
• 2GB internal storage with 512MB RAM
• Memory expandable to 32 GB via microSD slot
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• 3.5 mm audio jack

The Optimus Black’s camera also has features like geo-tagging with face and smile detection, as well. It can also record 720p videos at 30 fps. The Optimus Black supports a pretty wide range of media formats with MP3, WAV and WMA for audio and XviD, DivX, H.264, H.263 and MP4 for video. The smartphone has SNS integration and comes pre-loaded with the regular bunch of Google’s apps like YouTube, Picasa Google Talk, and more.

With these specifications and features, we kind of wonder whether it will rank better than the Optimus 2X, which has a few differences like a Dual-core set up and more memory. The Optimus Black is available for Rs. 19,900 at all mobile phone retail stores, but we suggest you wait for our full-fledged review on this smartphone so stay tuned.

LG Announces the 'Genesis' - a Dual Screen Android Phone

LG has officially announced the ‘Genesis’ smartphone on its US website and we bring you the latest details.

Start of something new

The Genesis is powered by Qualcomm’s 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and will run on Android 2.2 aka Froyo. The USP of the Genesis is the fact that it has two displays. The external screen measures in at 3.5-inches while the internal screen is 3.2-inches. Both screens have touch capability and have a resolution of 480 x 800. It also has a QWERTY kepad with a D-pad for those who prefer proper keys over a screen.

Other features include a 5 mega pixel autofocus camera with flash, 430MB of internal memory (expandable to 32GB), a SDcard slot, Bluetooth 2.1 DLNA media sharing capability and the ability to turn to generate a Wi-Fi Hotspot. The battery is 1500mAh and according to LG, it will deliver a talktime of 2 hours 30 minutes and a standby time of 17 days and 12 hours.

The thing that is worrying us is that having two screens is definitely going to put a lot of stress on the battery and having a 1500mAH is not going to help it in anyway.

LG's New Optimus Might be the Nexus 3 Smartphone

For all you Android loyalists who aren’t really bothered about keynotes of any sort, here’s something to feast your eyes on. While what you’re going to see is just a teaser pic, you’ll nevertheless be delighted to know that this smartphone from LG which belongs to the company’s Optimus range is touted to be the Nexus 3.

LG joins the Nexus?

Apparently, this picture has been leaked by an LG employee in Indonesia, and appeared on a forum. It is said to be quite reliable. Earlier, there was a rumour doing the rounds of a leaked image that was touted as the next Nexus. While those were just rumours, the similarity between that smartphone and this one is quite obvious so there’s a big likelihood that LG is manufacturing the Nexus 3.

If you look at the history of Nexus smartphones, Samsung had made the Nexus S and the Nexus One was HTC’s brainchild. That kind of leaves us with LG who should be working on the next Nexus. Anyway there’s nothing more than a picture available for now, so stay tuned for more updates on this smartphone.

must watch LG GD910 Watch Phone

As mobile technology progresses, we’re making handsets smaller and smaller and as testament to that LG’s GD910 watch phones stands true. If you ever wanted to play spy or Dick Tracy, the super cop, this is one gadget you have got to have, even if it does cost you an arm and a leg. Take a closer look. 

Form Factor
The GD910 is a lightweight watch phone at just 84g. Its 1.4-inch touchscreen (capacitive) is very responsive and just large enough to be comfortable to use. The 128 x 160 pixel resolution also makes it clear to view in all lighting conditions. The leather strap is fully adjustable, so it can fit all forearms. It comes with a box full of accessories that includes a charger, USB cable, SIM card remover and of course the Bluetooth headset for calls with its own charger. 

A VGA camera is located just above the display. On the side is where the call Take and end keys are placed and in between is a return key. The rear can be easily unlocked to slip in the GSM SIM card. The device sports 2GB of internal memory so you can easily carry your music with you while on the go. The best part about the device is that it’s IPX4 certified water resistant.

The bundled Bluetooth headset was quite comfortable to use and had no issues with voice clarity (incoming and outgoing). It uses a Micro USB port for charging and has a power/lock key slider that’s quite handy. 

Features and Performance
Interface
It runs on a Flash UI that’s smooth and easy to navigate. It offers a variety of watch interfaces including analogue styles. Swiping through the menus and accessing settings is a fluid process. Response time is immediate with no lag at all. You can also customize the menus to various styles that you find comfortable. One would assume that typing messages on the small screen would be a problem, but it isn’t. It’ll take no more than a couple of minutes or less to get used to and you’re fingers will be flying across the screen. 

Media
The handset offers an image viewer as well as a music player. The biggest problem with the music player is that it will play through the built in speakers and is quite loud, but if you’re looking for privacy, you’ll need a Stereo Bluetooth headset. Audio playback is not supported via the bundled mono headset. This is a concern as it would involve a further investment of at least Rs. 3000 (min). However, audio quality was not bad at via an A2DP headset. A set of EQ presets are also included to help enhance the audio and you can also create a playlist of your favorite tracks right on the device. There’s no video support of nay kind. 

Display
Form Factor	Ba
Screen Resolution	128 x 160
Number of Colours	256K
Display	TFT
Type
Input Type	Touchscreen
Memory
Internal	82
Maximum capacity	No
Extendable Memory	No
Memory Type	No
Resolution
Sensor Resolution	VGA
Zoom
Digital Zoom	No Information
Camera Features
Video Recorder	No Information
Audio Features
FM Radio	No Information
Connectivity
3G	Yes
A2DP	Yes
Dual Sim Support	No
WAP Enabled	No
Interface
WiFi	No
Connection Options
USB Connector	No
EGPRS or EDGE	Yes
GPRS	Yes
Battery
Type	Li Ion
Capacity	510
Talk Time with Standard Battery	120
Standby Time with Standard Battery	247
Weight	84
Multimedia
Music Player	Yes
Music Format	MP3
Email and Messaging
Email Client	No Information
Type of Email Account Support	No Information
Additional Features
MMS	Yes
Dual Band	No Information
Tri Band	No Information
GPS	No
Java Type	No
Network
Quad Band	No Information
Sound Settings
Ringtone Type	MP3
Dimensions
Width	39
Volume
Volume
More Features
Unique Feature
After Sales Service
Warranty Period	1