On Thursday, reports surfaced suggesting LG was laying off 30% of its mobile business workers overseas. The firm denied the rumors on Friday, however, stating “We are always looking at opportunities to improve the performance of our mobile business but no decision has been made as to any job reductions,” according to Reuters. Korea Economic Daily said on Thursday that LG was letting go of 30% of its mobile employees in an attempt to turn around its struggling mobile business, and LG said the report was simply “speculation.” The article also said the Korean-based company had plans to begin domestic layoffs in the near future.

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LG has cut 30% of its overseas mobile staff as a result of the division’s recent poor performance, Reuters reported on Thursday. Korea Economic Daily broke the news and noted LG’s layoffs mostly included employees in the purchases and mobile marketing departments, and in unprofitable groups. LG said the Korea Economic Daily report was speculation, but the Korean news outlet noted that LG is planning to layoff members of its mobile business team in Korea, too. LG’s mobile business grew during the second quarter of this year but the division still failed to turn a profit. The mobile arm reported a $49.8 million loss on sales of $3 billion last quarter.

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AT&T announced the Impulse 4G on Wednesday, an Android 2.2 (Froyo) smartphone that will be available beginning on September 18th for just $29.99 with a new two-year contract. Despite its budget-friendly price, the Impulse 4G offers solid specs. It is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p video, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 3.8-inch touchscreen with a WVGA resolution. The Impulse 4G is Huawei’s first smartphone for AT&T, and Huawei’s U.S. president of devices Cui Jiangao said the company is committed to working with AT&T to offer more devices in the future. Read on for the full press release from AT&T.

Suffering from Smartphone Envy? Upgrade to Impulse 4G™ Without Breaking the Bank

Feature-rich Android smartphone available for $29.99 from AT&T

Working 9 to 5 during the summer season can make anyone reluctant to spend that hard-earned money.  Now, smartphone customers can have a cutting edge smartphone at an exceptional value — the Impulse 4G™ from AT&T*.

Key Facts

• Beginning Sept. 18, the Impulse 4G will be available for $29.99 with a two-year contract through AT&T stores, online at att.com and through select national retailers.
• The Impulse 4G from AT&T offers unbeatable value for those wanting to take advantage of the capabilities of an Android™-powered smartphone at a lower cost.  The Impulse makes it possible to surf the web, watch videos, check emails and stay engaged with social media from a phone at an affordable price.
• Impulse 4G includes a 3.8” touchscreen and the ability to record HD video.

Appearing in AT&T TV spots starting Sept. 18 and notably AT&T’s first smartphone from Huawei, the Impulse 4G doesn’t skimp on features despite its unbeatable value.  Running the Android 2.2 platform and sporting HD video recording, a full touch screen and 5-megapixel camera, Impulse 4G meets mobile needs and can be paired with a Data Plus plan, with 200 MB of data for just $15 dollars.

Device Specs and Key Features

• 3.8” Capacitive WVGA Touchscreen
• Operating System: Android 2.2
• 5MP Camera with auto-focus, flash, and 720p HD video record
• Wi-Fi with access to AT&T’s Hotspots
• GPS Navigation
• Dimensions: 120mm x 65mm x 11.6mm

Quotes

“Smartphone sales are exploding as consumers realize the value of having the Internet and a wide array of apps available at their fingertips,” said Avi Greengart, Research Director for Consumer Devices at Current Analysis. “However, the economy is challenging, and some consumers simply can’t afford a flagship smartphone. The Huawei Impulse 4G from AT&T is priced like a budget smartphone but brings a much larger display and higher resolution video recording than other Android phones at this price point.”

“These days we’re all looking for ways to get the most for our money and the Impulse 4G from AT&T does exactly that,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.  “The Impulse 4G gives consumers another option to enjoy the benefits of a smartphone at an exceptional value.”

“This is an important milestone for Huawei,” said Cui Jiangao, President of Huawei Device USA. “As we introduce our first smart phone for AT&T, we believe the Impulse 4G will allow consumers to experience the best of AT&T’s applications. We are committed to working with AT&T to create influential devices that will provide user-friendly mobile experiences.”

Gingerbread is lurking deep in the recesses of your Honeycomb, Android tablet. According to a report filed by mobile blog Pocketables, the interface you’re presented with on your Honeycomb tablet can be changed by adjusting your tablet’s perceived screen density. On a rooted Dell Streak 7 running Android 3.1, the default interface experience is the new Honeycomb UI — complete with updated widgets, homescreens, and controls. By changing a single line, thereby tricking that tablet into thinking its pixel density is 170 instead of 160, the Gingerbread layout is presented upon reboot. What does this mean for you? Nothing… but it is pretty cool to see in action. Hit the jump to see a video demo and let us know what you think.

[Via Engadget]

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A report filed by UK publication The Register details a scary weakness in most Android handsets currently being sold. The aforementioned vulnerability would allow attackers to collect and use digital tokens stored on a handset after a user authenticates to a password protected service. “The weakness stems from the improper implementation of an authentication protocol known as ClientLogin in Android versions 2.3.3 and earlier,” reads the report, quoting research from the University of Ulm. “After a user submits valid credentials for Google Calendar, Twitter, Facebook, or several other accounts, the programming interface retrieves an authentication token that is sent in cleartext. Because the authToken can be used for up to 14 days in any subsequent requests on the service, attackers can exploit them to gain unauthorized access to accounts.” Google has issued a patch for the ClientLogin protocol with Android 2.3.4 and Android 3.0, but, as The Register points out, only 1% of Android devices are currently running the updated code.

What’s scary is how easy and effortless the exploit can be. “To collect such authTokens on a large scale an adversary could setup a wifi access point with a common SSID of an unencrypted wireless network, e.g., T-Mobile, attwifi, starbucks,” reported researchers. “With default settings, Android phones automatically connect to a previously known network and many apps will attempt syncing immediately. While syncing would fail (unless the adversary forwards the requests), the adversary would capture authTokens for each service that attempted syncing.”

Google has yet to issue an official comment on the matter.

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We’ve just scored some hands-on time with Samsung’s latest Android tablet, the new and improved Galaxy Tab 10.1. Officially unveiled at Mobile World Congress, the device was re-announced  — with new and improved specifications — at CTIA in March. The tablet that we fondled is a “Limited Edition” Tab, complete with a white alien-engraved backing made just for Google I/O attendees. Our first impressions? Thin. Like, really thin. And the Galaxy Tab 10.1, in case you haven’t looked at the pictures yet, is absolutely gorgeous. Darkened chrome bezel, textured polymer backing, nearly perfect weight… it’s all there. The device we have is running Android 3.0 but we’re being told that it will be updated to the just-announced Android 3.1 in the “new few weeks.” Having handled the original Tab 10.1, we’re definitely happy that Samsung took some extra time to refine the design before pushing it out to market. We’ve got a handful of images waiting for you in the gallery linked below, so have a look for yourself and let us know what you think.

Are you dead-set on acquiring T-Mobile’s G-Slate Honeycomb tablet? Listen up. According to information garnered by TmoNews, you can chisel $100 off the device’s price tag by acting early. Here’s how it’s done: call T-Mobile at 1-866-464-8662, select option”3″, and reference promotional code “GSLATE100.” If you complete your tablet purchase using the above method before April 27th, T-Mobile will slash an additional $100 off the tablet’s $529 window sticker. Not a bad deal.

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Over the weekend, Bloomberg filed a very brief report stating that electronics manufacturer Sony will soon test the Android-tablet waters. Citing statements made by the company’s CEO to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the publication writes: “Sony Corp. plans to release a tablet computer by the end of summer [...] the tablet will run Google Inc.’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb software, and will be sold in the U.S. market first.” The company, through its partnership with Ericsson, has plenty of experience with Android handsets. Whether or not Sony can break into the highly-competitive U.S. tablet market will be the $1 million question.

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According to intel acquired by blog Mobile Review, LG has been tasked with producing a pure-Google, Nexus tablet for the Mountain View-based Android maker. Details are scarce (and unconfirmed), but the site states that the device will be used as Google’s base for development, run the latest tablet-optimized operating system — Honeycomb (Android 3.0) — and should be ready in “mid-summer or early autumn.” It is important to keep in mind that this device could be an engineering prototype used by Google internally for Android tablet development. Either way, it is an exciting and juicy rumor.

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According to blog TmoNews, T-Mobile will release the G-Slate tablet and G2X smartphone next month on April 20th. The blog notes that the two LG devices should be given firm release date on the nation’s fourth largest provider next week at the CTIA Wireless conference in Orlando, FL. The LG G2X will be a T-Mobile branded Optimus 2X and the G-Slate is the Honeycomb device we saw announced at CES back in January. We know the G-Slate will be sporting an HSPA+, 4G radio, but details on the G2X are still unknown.

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Via a blog post today, foursquare founder Dennis Crowley announced an updated version of his company’s software that will be available to users “late tonight.” Reminiscing about his company’s past, present, and future, Crowley admits that he and his team have not been able to “expand the foursquare experience as much as they hoped to” over the last year. But that all changes today. Focusing on discovery, encouragement, and loyalty, foursquare will deploy several new features to its iPhone and Android applications (version number 3.0). Through a new “Explore” tab, users can input what it is they are looking for, getting recommendations from 4sq based on what’s around and where friends have visited. The company will try to encourage users to continue to explore their world with a revamped leader board. “You’ll see that we’ve replaced our old leader board (and its simple points system and Sunday night reset) with a sliding 7-day barometer of you and your friends,” writes Crowley. “Check-ins now trigger points for dozens of different types of actions.” Loyalty will be addressed by offering merchants additional ways to reward “swarms, groups of friends, regulars, newbies, or everyone.” Merchants will gain access to the new controls later this week. In closing, Crowley writes, “we’ve got really ambitious plans for the rest of the year and we’re excited to let you play with three big new pieces of the master plan.” Foursquare notes that an updated BlackBerry client is due out later this week — though it will not include many 3.0′s features — and that it is “working hard” on its Windows Phone and Symbian apps.

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The latest, cost-effective rumor surrounding the Wi-Fi Motorola XOOM is sure to pique the interest of the few penny-pinching readers. Blog Droid-Life is reporting that Sam’s Club (of all places) will be selling the Wi-Fi XOOM for a cool $539. This undercuts the $599 price tag Motorola Mobility’s CEO, Sanjay Jha, slapped on the device just two weeks ago. A 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet with 32GB of storage, and host of other high-end features, sounds pretty good to us – especially at $539. Thoughts?

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Earlier today, mobile browser maker Skyfire announced the release of Skyfire 3.0 for Apple’s iPhone. The full-point, browser upgrade packs improved video support for Adobe’s Flash protocol, Twitter and Facebook integration, a new OneTouch Search feature, content recommendations from social network friends, and an integrated Facebook “Like” button.

“Skyfire 3.0 for iPhone makes for the most compelling mobile browsing experience to date,” said Jeff Glueck, Skyfire’s CEO. “This latest iteration leverages the cloud to not only streamline playback of rich multimedia – including Flash video – but also to seamlessly integrate your social graph into the browser.”

The Skyfire web browser retails for $2.99 in the App Store — version 3.0 is a free upgrade for all current Skyfire owners. Hit the jump to see a video of the new code in action.

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For a very brief moment, PC World UK was displaying a pre-order advert for the Wi-Fi Motorola XOOM — complete with pricing — on its website. What’s the bottom line, you ask? £449.99 (that’s around $730USD at today’s exchange rate); the XOOM being hawked by Verizon Wireless currently retails at $799. The Wi-Fi only XOOM has the same specs as the tablet currently being sold here in the States, sans a cellular radio. Hopefully, when this second XOOM leaps across the pond, it will be priced for slightly less than $730. What do you think an appropriate price for the Wi-Fi XOOM is?

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The day hath cometh. The world’s first Honeycomb (Android 3.0) tablet has officially hit the streets and is ready for purchase. You can run to your local retailer and pick yourself up a shiny, new XOOM for $599 with a signed two-year contract or $799 contract free. Interested parties can read our thoughts on the Moto’s first tablet here, and if you go and pick one up for yourself… be sure to swing back by and let us know what you think! Happy XOOM’ing.

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