LG has updated its website to include the follow up to last year’s Optimus smartphone, simply named the Optimus 2. The device features a 3.2-inch display with Android 2.3 and an 800Mhz processor. Additionally, the Optimus 2 sports GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a microSD slot, a 3.2MP camera and a 1,500 mAh battery. Interestingly enough, it looks like the device will run a stock version of Gingerbread. There has been no word on a release date, but the Optimus 2 will most likely be marketed as a budget-friendly entry-level smartphone that may make an appearance at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Read

German gadget news site BestBoyZ has gotten its hands on one of LG’s upcoming mid-range handsets, the E730 Optimus Sol. Originally codenamed “Victor,” the device is equipped with a 3.8-inch AMOLED display and a 1GHz processor. The Optimus Sol runs Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) and is loaded with LG’s custom Optimus user interface on top. It is unclear when the Optimus Sol will hit the market but rumor has it Vodafone will offer the device in black and silver when it finally launches. Hit the jump for two more images and a full hands-on video.

Read

The LG Optimus Black may finally make its way to the United States this fall, according to a leaked internal roadmap obtained by BriefMobile. Sprint could be prepping to launch the device, model number LS865, on October 2nd. It will also offer the Samsung M930, which is expected to be the successor to the current mid-range Samsung Transform handset, as well as a new Franklin USB mobile broadband device. If Sprint does launch the LG Optimus Black, also known as the P970 abroad, it could be shadowed by Samsung’s forthcoming and more powerful Galaxy S II handset. The Optimus Black packs a 4-inch 800 x 480-pixel resolution NOVA screen, a 1GHz single-core processor, a 5-megapixel camera, and more. Read on for the leaked roadmap image.

Read

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, LG CEO Koo Bon-Joon said it would be difficult to turn around the company’s current struggle in the handset business during the second quarter. LG reported poor handset sales during the first quarter of the year — phone sales were down 9.2% year-over-year and 14.3% quarter-over-quarter, and shipments were down 10% year-over-year. Gartner also recently noted that LG’s share of the mobile phone market dropped two percentage points to 5.6% year-over-year. LG’s CFO has said that the firm is banking on the success of its Android-powered Optimus smartphones.

Read

“4G” can mean a lot of things these days. For some carriers, it started out as marketing speak that did little beyond confusing customers. For others, 4G represents a next-generation network that might help ease the strain of a new breed of data-hungry smartphone users that have brought a nationwide 3G network to its knees. But while certain carriers were busy lobbying the International Telecommunications Union or launching crafty marketing campaigns, Verizon Wireless launched the fastest cellular network U.S. consumers have ever seen. On May 26th, Verizon released the LG Revolution and gave its subscribers their third 4G smartphone option. Does LG’s first 4G LTE phone address the shortcomings of Verizon Wireless’ earlier offerings? Read on for the full review.

The Inside

Reviewing Froyo phones isn’t getting any easier thanks to the countless offerings that have launched over the past year. While Google has since released two new versions of Android, Gingerbread and Honeycomb, new Froyo devices are still being pushed out to market more than one year following the build’s unveiling at Google I/O in May 2010. There is a reason for this, of course: building phone software is expensive.

Android might be free and open source, but R&D, engineering and testing are most certainly not free. Manufacturers like LG, HTC and others used Froyo as a base when building their custom UIs and making other tweaks to the Android OS. To carry these designs forward to new builds of the Android OS is a very costly and time-consuming process. After the major investment made in Froyo, it seems as though cell phone makers have slowed down the development cycle with Gingerbread, especially with Google’s next major version of Android — Ice Cream Sandwich — looming on the horizon. This will be the build that unifies tablets and smartphones, merging the best of Honeycomb and Gingerbread into a single universal OS. Manufacturers have likely already begun porting their respective UIs to Ice Cream Sandwich, so devoting time and resources to Gingerbread is a double-edged sword.

LG’s Optimus UI on top of Froyo is tricky business. On one hand, it does its job fairly well and provides several nifty widgets that can be placed on any of the phone’s seven home screens. On the other hand, it often reads like a cheap, cartoony Sense UI knock-off. The app icons within the Optimus UI in particular are a bit too bright and cheery for me, and the stylized widgets are also not to my taste. To be clear, this is a cosmetic qualm and the issue certainly doesn’t impact function.

LG has included widgets that will take care of just about any need the typical smartphone user might have — from checking the time and weather to controlling music playback or viewing live stock quotes — and there are plenty of third-party widget options to fill in the blanks. The utility is definitely there, but styling is still an important factor that should be considered; this is a gadget you’ll potentially be looking at day in and day out for years to come. As far as my taste goes, I would place LG’s Optimus UI in between Samsung’s TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense, which still wears the crown by a long shot.

Where function is concerned, the LG Revolution can definitely keep up with the bulk of modern Android smartphones currently on the market. It doesn’t have a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, but its 1GHz Snapdragon CPU has yet to give me any real problems during typical usage. I did find that it slowed a bit under extremely heavy strain, but this is expected of any Android device at this point due to the free rein developers have with background processes. Again, however, bogging is most definitely the exception to the rule with LG’s Revolution, and most functions free of any real stuttering. There is some UI slowness at times, but this is an issue with Android and it can be seen even on the fastest dual-core smartphones on the market today.

Verizon Wireless users will be excited by the fact that data continues to come and go during voice calls, though the calls themselves will not be overly exciting. Call quality is mediocre at best, though the ear speaker volume is more than sufficient. I found the audio quality with speakerphone enabled to be sub par, and the distortion was simply unbearable with the volume turned up above approximately 60%. Callers on the other end of the phone weren’t impressed with call quality either, so I would definitely recommend investing in a decent Bluetooth headset if you intend to pick up a Revolution.

The Outside

When it comes to build quality, LG is hit or miss. Some of its devices feel like cheap toys that climbed out of the bottom of a cereal box, while others — like the G-Slate tablet, for example — feature top-notch materials and a solid build that can rival any device on the market. Thankfully, the Revolution falls into the latter of those two categories. The phone is a bit hefty at 6.06 ounces, but I like a phone that has a substantial feel. The front of the device is smooth glass that is noticeably devoid of an oleophobic coating, the bezel is a hard black plastic that feels very solid, and the back sports a smooth, slightly rubbery feel that greets the hand perfectly.

The top of the Revolution is home to a power/lock button and a 3.5-millimeter audio jack, and the bottom of the phone sports only a microphone. The left side features a covered microUSB port for charging and connectivity to a PC, while the right side is home to a volume rocker and an HDMI-out port.

The back of the phone features a second microphone for noise cancellation, which is accompanied by a black chrome strip down the center of the device. This strip holds LG, Verizon and “4G LTE” logos along with a 5-megapixel camera and an LED flash. A second camera is located on the face of the phone to facilitate video chats, and the four standard capacitive Android buttons are located beneath the display.

LG’s Revolution sports a 5-megapixel camera while the HTC ThunderBolt and Samsung DROID Charge feature 8-megapixel shooters. Anyone who owns a camera phone can tell you megapixels mean precious little in terms of the quality of the resulting images — I would take the 5-megapixel camera from Apple’s iPhone 4 or even 2-year-old Nokia smartphones like the N82 or N95 ahead of any currently available 8-megapixel cell phone camera. In the case of the Revolution, the images captured by its camera are at least on par with the ThunderBolt and DROID Charge, if not marginally more clear. Low light images are pretty bad, as they are with 99% of camera phones, but the Revolution’s camera performed quite well in daylight and in well lit rooms.

The Upside

Speed, speed, speed. The biggest benefit of the LG Revolution over the majority of smartphones on the market is undoubtedly the 4G LTE network behind it. I regularly saw data speeds between 10 and 13Mbps down and 5Mbps or more up. Latency generally fell between 65 and 80 milliseconds, which is also quite impressive for a mobile network, especially considering latency was very consistent. This performance is far better than land-based broadband service from many ISPs. In fact, it’s even better than services offered by some of the country’s top Internet providers. I use Time Warner Cable, for example, and while my download speeds of up to 30Mbps far exceed Verizon Wireless’ LTE, my real-world tests of Verizon’s 4G upload speeds were over 10 times faster than by cable Internet, which is capped at a laughable 500Kbps.

What am I supposed to do with all that speed? Good question. Having access to this kind of speed on a mobile phone has limited utility in the real world for the time being. It can still definitely come in handy, however. The LG Revolution ships with a Netflix app that I’ve not yet been able to trip up a single time. I have started to stream movies while downloading giant email attachments, for example, and I couldn’t even get the Netflix app to choke for a fraction of a second. There is also a YouTube app, a link to download Bitbop, Slacker Radio, a link to download Blockbuster’s app, a link to download Rhapsody and several V Cast media apps on the device, just begging users to stream as much media as possible.

Then there’s the mobile hotspot function, of course, which supports up to eight concurrent connections while covered by 4G. Here is a test I performed yesterday evening with a MacBook Air tethered to the LG Revolution via the integrated mobile hotspot feature:

“Faster than 88% of US.” Enough said.

Of course don’t expect the mobile hotspot feature to take you very far unless you have a charger and an outlet near by. Also, I found that it sometimes took me quite some a while before I was able to move data once connected to the Revolution via Wi-Fi. Even while I could send and receive data on the phone itself, connected devices such as my laptop, a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a BlackBerry PlayBook were unable to send or receive data until they were connected for about 90 seconds. Then, other times, I was able to connect to the Internet just fine within a few seconds of negotiating an IP address.

The Downside

Just as I would place the Optimus UI between HTC and Samsung’s competitive offerings, battery size is another area where the LG falls squarely in between HTC and Samsung — the revolution’s 1,500 mAh battery sits directly between the ThunderBolt’s 1,400 mAh battery and the DROID Charge’s 1,600 mAh offering. To the end user, this hardly matters. What does matter, however, is a smartphone’s ability to manage battery life and perform its various functions without leaving the user worried about having his or her phone die. In this regard, the LG Revolution fails miserably.

With 4G enabled, I could barely get the Revolution to idle for a full day without running out of juice. With regular usage, the phone would cough and sputter by the early afternoon and with heavy usage, I was lucky to get a few hours out of the Revolution. In a day and age where people rely on their smartphones more than ever, this is simply unacceptable.

For reasons unknown, Verizon and LG have chosen not to give users a simple way to enable and disable 4G LTE. I can understand that 4G is novel for Verizon and it wants users to bask in the glow of its blistering data speeds, but when that glow only lasts a few short hours per charge, common sense needs to be exercised. I use a third-party app called “LTE Switch” to enable and disable LTE on my Revolution review unit, and it works like a charm. The device needs to reboot every time you switch LTE on or off, but I was able to get just about a full day of usage out of the phone when I disabled LTE often. I shed a tear when subsequent speed tests rang up at below 1Mbps down, but whenever I needed a boost I just fired up LTE and let the Revolution soar.

My only other major issue with this smartphone is the display. The giant 4.3-inch display consumers can’t seem to get enough of on Android phones just so happens to be my least favorite thing about the Revolution’s hardware. It’s bad. The size is great, the backlighting is sufficiently bright, the resolution is decent at a now-baseline 480 x 800 pixels… but the panel itself just doesn’t do it for me. The viewing angle is terrible, colors are very washed out and graphics just don’t pop compared to more modern displays.

Also — and this may be an issue with the UI as much as it is with the screen — color gradients are particularly terrible on the Revolution’s display. On a better screen like one of Samsung’s offerings or Apple’s Retina Display, colors fade very smoothly from one to the next on UI elements, and this really enhances the look of the graphics. On the Revolution, this effect cannot be pulled off. Gradients that fade from black to dark gray, for example, render as horizontal or vertical bars that are aligned in progressively lighter colors. The transition is not smooth and seamless, as it should be on a modern smartphone display.

The Bottom Line

Every time we mention Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network here on BGR, we write about how ridiculously fast it is compared to the competition. At this point in time, it really has no rival. Those looking for a new smartphone who value blazing fast data speeds above all else really have three choices, and they’re all Verizon phones. LG’s Revolution is the newest of the three, and while it can’t match the gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus display on the DROID Charge or the sleek and stylish Sense UI on the ThunderBolt, it easily features my favorite design and build of the three devices. The Revolution also features the same Android 2.2 OS as the Charge and the ThunderBolt, so it is essentially just as capable.

The trade off with an LTE phone, of course, is battery life. There’s just no way to sugar coat it… battery life on the LG Revolution is abysmal, just like it is on the ThunderBolt and the DROID Charge. Those seriously considering any of these smartphones should be prepared to purchase several additional wall chargers and a car charger in order to have access to power as often as possible.

A healthy portion of T-Mobile’s 2011 device roadmap has purportedly been revealed, shedding light on a few previously unknown smartphones. Not much information is available surrounding the previously unknown devices beyond a codename and some speculation, but T-Mobile subscribers should find a morsel here and there to get excited about. Hit the break for the rundown.

• June 8th: HTC Sensation 4G, Samsung t589 Gravity Touch 2, Samsung t759 Hawk / Exhibit 4G (Gingerbread, 3.7-inch full touchscreen), Huawei E587 Wayne (HSPA+ mobile hotspot with a theoretical 42Mbps ceiling)
• June 15th: Samsung t499 Tass (U.S. version of the Galaxy mini, possibly launching as “Galaxy Suit”)
• June 29th: Samsung t379 Triumph (possibly launching as Gravity 4)
• July 6th: HTC Doubleshot (will launch as the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide)
• July 15th: HTC Marvel (U.S. version of the Wildfire S)
• July 27th: BlackBerry Monza
• August 17th: BlackBerry Bold 9900
• August 31st: BlackBerry Apollo
• Huawei S7 tablet to launch some time in August
• September 14th: LG Flip II
• September 21st: Nokia Panda (Nuron 4G; 3.2-inch full touchscreen, 14.4Mbps HSPA, 5-megapixel camera, Symbian 3.1)
• September 26th: Samsung Hercules (T-Mobile’s version of the Infuse 4G)
• November 2nd: LG Maxx, LG Maxx Q
• November, December: Huawei U2805, Samsung Jamong (cheap flip phone), Samsung Dumont, LG Gelato (Should launch as Optimus II), Samsung Bresson, Samsung G-Infinity (possibly a G2x sequel for the holidays)

Read

LG officially announced the long rumored LG Optimus Big on Friday, making it the Korean firm’s largest Android smartphone to date. The Optimus Big runs Android 2.2, sports a 4.3-inch Nova Display, and is equipped with an HDMI-out port, a 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and a 1,500 mAh battery. The NOVA Display is the star of that spec sheet though, and we loved the rich colors and deep blacks when we first saw it on the Optimus Black. The Optimus Big will make its debut on Korea’s LG U+ on April 28th and there’s no word if this beast will swim itself to the United States — but we’d welcome it with open arms if it did.

[Via Pocketnow.com]

Read

Budget Android handsets are poised to takeoff in 2011, a new report from Digitimes suggests. The firm states that it expects 20 million to 25 million entry-level Android handsets  – defined as devices priced below $150 – will be sold globally in 2011. That figure is up from the 2.5 million to 3 million that were sold in 2010. Digitimes suggests that chips designed in China and Taiwan will drive white box OEMs to create budget-conscious handsets that will be attractive in emerging markets. An estimated 10 million to 13 million of those handsets are expected to be sold in China alone. Digitimes is known for having a mixed track record, but we do know that Android handsets — such as LG’s Optimus — were priced in the $100 range on many U.S. carriers. Similarly, last night Boost Mobile announced its new $179.99 Samsung Galaxy Prevail handset, which will be an attractive option for prepaid buyers.

Read

LG may soon be chasing HTC in the phones-with-massive-displays market. According to some leaked images and specs, LG has a new phone codenamed “Optimus Big” up its sleeve. The Optimus Big — as its name implies — sports a large 4.3-inch screen, a single-core 1GHz processor, a T-DMB TV tuner, and LG’s super bright and sharp NOVA display. Little else is currently known about the phone, although we can tell from the images that it at least sports a forward-facing camera for video chats. It also very likely runs some flavor of Android and appears that it could swallow the iPhone in one bite. If this thing ever makes it to the United States, and we doubt it will, we hope it comes amped up with some 4G and dual-core goodness. [Via Phone Arena]

Read

T-Mobile customers looking to get in on some trippy googly-eyed 3D action may not have long to wait. The FCC has just passed through a device called the LG P920, also known as the LG Optimus 3D. This new version features support for the AWS/PCS/WCDMA/HSPA bands, suggesting it could launch on T-Mobile in the United States. As a refresher: the Optimus 3D runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) and features a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of on-board storage and two 5-megapixel cameras on the back for recording 3D and HD video. The Optimus 3D offers support for HSPA+ networks, so if it launches on T-Mobile we’ll likely see it tagged and glittered up with 4G branding. After all, AT&T just announced that it’s going to offer the LG Optimus 3D as the LG Thrill 4G “in the coming months.”

Read

The CTIA Wireless conference is just around the corner, and in preparation for the three day extravaganza, the Wireless Association is starting to make its final preparations for the event. Part of these preparations include listing the finalists for conference awards, and the “Phones/Smartphones” category has yielded some interesting information. The first three finalists include the HTC ThunderBolt, Motorola ATRIX 4G, and LG Revolution. The final two candidates included on the list are two, unnamed LG handsets simply listed as “LG Mobile Phones.” What could these mysterious handsets be? PCMag, the discoverer of the mysterious device listings, suspects that one of the devices could be T-Mobile’s version of the Optimus 2X — the unannounced but expected Optimus G2X. If we had to venture a guess as to what the second device might be: we would assume that it is a version of the company’s dual-core Optiums 3D handset we saw at Mobile World Congress. Which carrier the handset will land on is, however, anyones guess. BGR will be roaming the halls of the Orange County Convention Center to bring you all the CTIA news as it breaks, be sure to keep your browser locked here during the week of the 21st!

[Via PCMag[

Read

Today is officially the first day of Mobile World Congress and for our first stop on the show floor, we decided to hit up LG (great booth placement, right by the entrance). LG had a host of goodies to showcase, but the device we decided to spend the most time with was the company’s yet-to-be-released smartphone, the Optimus 3D. The new, Android 2.2 handset boasts a 4.3-inch, 3D screen that does not require glasses and, to be honest, looks quite nice. The device features a dedicated 3D button which will bring you to LG’s 3D-interface — giving you access to the camera and guide along with all the 3D content on the device. We could belabor you with more details, but a picture (and video) is worth 1,000 words, no? Hit the jump to check out a quick our clip and a gallery of the LG Optimus 3D.

Via a Korean press release, LG let it be known that it will be announcing the LG Optiums Pad tablet at Mobile World Congress (MWC) this month. The new tablet should be the European variant of the recently announced G-Slate; the spec-sheet of the G-Slate is as follows: NVIDIA Tegra 2, dual-core processor; 8.9-inch, WXGA display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution and 3D capabilities; 32GB of internal storage; 6,400mAh battery; front-facing camera; full 1080p video playback; HDMI-out port; and Google’s Honeycomb (Android 3.0) operating system. We’ll be making the trip across the pond to bring you the latest and greatest from MWC as it happens. Make sure to keep it locked on BGR from February 14th to the 17th for all the news.

Thanks, DPS!

Read

It looks like the folks at LG have gone and hired themselves a mediocre video-production company and that guy who does voiceovers for MMA commercials. The company has put out a short video teaser, touting its “triumphant return to the smartphone market”, the “world’s first dual-core, multichannel” smartphone, and “something bigger” that is coming our way at Mobile World Congress. We’re not sure if this “something bigger” is the LG Optimus 3D or perhaps a new, tablet offering. Regardless, the short clip is awaiting your scrutiny after the break. Let us know what you think.

[Via Android Central]

Read

LG continues to pedal is low-cost Optimus handset to carriers, complete with an alphabet-soup of surnames. So it comes as no surprise that today, via a press release, pre-paid wireless carrier Virgin Mobile USA announced that it would be offering the LG Optimus V handset effective immediately. The device, which has a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3G, and Wi-Fi, will retail for $149.99 and can be paired with one of Virgin’s affordable unlimited data plans (which start at just $25). The phone, which can be purchased at RadioShack or at virginmobileusa.com, will also be able to leverage the carrier’s Virgin Mobile Live streaming music service; the second phone with such capabilities.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

LG Optimus V™ Joins Virgin Mobile USA Offering “Optimal” Experience for No-Contract Customers

Virgin Mobile Celebrates Valentine’s Day with Launch of LG Optimus V To Make Your Sweetheart Swoon

WARREN, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Virgin Mobile USA continues to enrich its handset lineup with the introduction of LG Optimus V, expanding its selection of Android handsets. Rolling out at Radio Shack stores and at www.virginmobileusa.com beginning today for $149.99, LG Optimus V creates a unique user experience that will keep people connected and in-the-know while on-the-go. LG Optimus V will become available in other major retailers throughout the month as well.

“More than 44 percent of smartphones purchased in the third quarter of 2010 were Android based with the iPhone coming in second1,” said Bob Stohrer, vice president-Marketing, Virgin Mobile USA. “With LG Optimus V on Android, Virgin Mobile customers who crave constant connectivity get a highly functional device with a high-resolution 3.2” touch screen paired with an affordable monthly plan and no annual contract.”

“Users get the best of both worlds with LG Optimus V,” said Tim O’Brien, vice president of LG marketing. “Bringing an easy-to-use blend of applications and sleek design, LG Optimus V delivers the features users want with the efficient performance capabilities they deserve.”

Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk plans start at just $25 dollars a month for 300 minutes of voice and include unlimited messaging, IM, email, social networking and web access. For those who talk a bit more, the $40 plan offers 1,200 minutes of voice and for heavy gabbers, the $60 plan offers unlimited voice minutes each month.

Top handset review websites have described the LG Optimus S™, “as the best Android phone available,” “affordable yet full-featured,” “impressively quick and with [all of] the functionality most consumers need.” LG Optimus V, similar to the LG Optimus S, gives Virgin Mobile customers full integration of social networking apps, Microsoft Outlook Exchange e-mail and advanced messaging capabilities. In addition, Optimus V users also have access to more than 100,000 applications currently available on the Android Market™.

LG Optimus V also comes with a 3.2-inch touch-screen display, 3G and Wi-Fi capable, a 3.2 MP camera and video, and preloaded applications, including popular social apps such as YouTube® and Google Talk™. Additional features include:

• Swype, a faster and easier way to input text on any screen, with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard. The patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods—at over 40 words per minute
• Contact and calendar sync via ActiveSync
• Android Web browser
• Full integration of Google Apps™ such as Google Maps™, Gmail™ and Google Navigation™
• Document file viewer
• Built-in music player

Optimus V is the second Virgin Mobile phone to offer Virgin Mobile Live, an online music stream of performances by past & present Virgin Mobile Festival artists including studio tracks, exclusive Festival performances and more, for free!

The launch of LG Optimus V also marks Virgin Mobile’s new handset packaging that is more eco-friendly. The green packaging is now composed of 100% recycled plastic and uses almost 50% less plastic. The design of the outer box has been revised to more clearly highlight the device, its features and Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk Plans. “The new packaging will provide a better customer experience in opening the package as well being kind to the environment,” said Stohrer.