LG’s quarterly results show a strong recovery of their Mobile Business
‘Tis the season for quarterly results. Next up, LG who has reported that their whole company has logged a 165% increase in net profit when compared to the same period last yea, raking in 412 billion won or $399.8 million USD. This in large part was thanks to a revival of its mobile business, spearheaded by the intensely popular LG G3 and led to a 16% sales boost over the same period last year, equating to a profit of 85.9 billion won, or $83.4 million USD. Probably the best news for LG is that the profit this quarter ended the streak of three consecutive quarters of losses.
LG was able to ship 14.5 million devices in the quarter, with LTE products making up an even larger part of their sales than last year. When you think about exactly which devices LG launched to achieve this, it’s pretty impressive stuff with the LG G3 and L-series doing most of the heavy lifting. It’s always good to see a company reaping the benefits of creating genuinely brilliant devices like the LG G3 which still stands head and shoulders above the rest of the Android smartphone market, with its market leading Snapdragon 805 processor and fancy volcano-journeying camera. We can only hope that LG continues its march of improvement, as it gradually digs into Samsung’s sizeable market share lead.
What do you think about LG’s quarterly results? Do you think they deserve it? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: LG Newsroom
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Apple Seeds New Builds of Safari 7.1 and Safari 6.2 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Apple has seeded developers with new versions of Safari 7.1 for OS X Mavericks and Safari 6.2 for OS X Mountain Lion as works continues on OS X Yosemite. In its release notes for both betas, Apple is asking developers to test AutoFill for passwords and credit cards as well as general website compatibility and extension compatibility.
Focus Areas
– Please focus testing on the following areas:
– Please test password and credit card AutoFill.
– Please test general website compatibility.
– Please test extension compatibility.
Apple also once again touts support for WebGL, which was included in prior seeds and allows users to view 3D content without the use of plug-ins. Safari 7.1 for OS X Mavericks and Safari 6.2 for for OS X Mountain Lion are expected to be released in the near future. Meanwhile, the company’s public beta for OS X Yosemite launches tomorrow, July 24.
Apple Launching 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 After 4.7-Inch Version to Avoid Competition Between Two Models
Apple will launch the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 several months after the 4.7-inch version to avoid competition between the two models, according to a new report from DigiTimes citing supply chain sources.
The different timetables have been set as Apple does not want to repeat the mistake it made in 2013 when it launched the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c simultaneously, said the sources.
Prior rumors have pointed out that production issues with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 would cause Apple to delay its release a few months after 4.7-inch version, however this newest report claims that isn’t the case for the launch delay. A report from Bloomberg last month suggested that Apple would be launching both versions of the iPhone 6 simultaneously, noting that the company had begun preparing the 4.7-inch model and 5.5-inch for manufacturing.
4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 mockups compared to iPhone 5s
Apple is expected to unveil the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 at a September event, although a report yesterday noted that the company is unsure as to whether it will show off the 5.5-inch version at the same time. The company is said to be preparing between 70 and 80 million iPhone 6 units to meet anticipated customer demand, as the larger screen could cause a massive spike in upgrades from both iPhone upgraders and those switching from Android.
In addition to a larger screen, the iPhone 6 is expected to feature a faster A8 processor, a thinner profile, an improved camera, and Apple’s new iOS 8 mobile operating system.
Samsung’s leaked Galaxy Alpha looks like a smaller, prettier S5
Many have assumed that Samsung’s fabled metal smartphone would be a very high-end device, but some new leaks hint that it could be considerably more modest. Both SamMobile and Tinhte have posted photos of the Galaxy Alpha (shown on the right), a mid-range Android handset that reportedly touts a 4.7-inch screen and that long-rumored, slightly more fashionable metal trim. It’s not certain exactly what’s under the hood beyond LTE-Advanced data, although SamMobile suggests that the internals would slot in neatly between the Galaxy S5 and its smaller, slower mini counterpart. Alongside a previously rumored 720p screen, the Alpha would supposedly pack 32GB of (sadly non-removable) storage and either an Exynos 5 Octa or a Snapdragon 800 for a processor — good enough, but not great.
The real question may not be when we’ll see the Alpha, but where we’ll see it. While the handset could show up as soon as August, there are concerns that Samsung can’t produce the phone in meaningfully large numbers. It may end up being a limited release that ships to just a handful of countries, like the company’s native South Korea (Tinhte‘s shots reveal a Korean “LTE-A” logo). If this is the metal-clad Samsung phone of legend, it won’t necessarily take the world by storm.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: Pocketnow
Source: SamMobile, Tinhte (translated)
LG sells a record 14.5 million smartphones as profits nearly triple
LG has just reported a record quarter for mobile phone sales, showing that it’s taking advantage of a slump from arch-rival Samsung. LG sold 14.5 million handsets over the last quarter, its highest total ever and 20 percent more than last year — with more than a third of those LTE models. It chalked up most of the success to its well-reviewed top-of-the-line G3 handset, along with strong sales of its mid-range L products. LG’s mobile division scooped up KRW 3.6 trillion ($3.5 billion) and put an end to three straight quarters of losses. Home entertainment also performed well, climbing 3 percent on the strength of higher-margin UltraHD 4K sets. All that resulted in an operating profit of KRW 412 billion ($599 million) — not nearly Samsung-level numbers, but at least LG’s are going up, not down.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Mobile, LG
Source: LG
Google Play Store Update Gives Us Material Design! Fleksy adds Languages and Themes! – App Updates
Wednesday is often a good day. Not only is half of your work week over with, but Google likes to update their core apps, so why not make sure you have them on your device? The big update happened yesterday though. The Google Play Store got updated adding some of that beautiful Material Design we are all digging, so if you don’t have it on your devices yet, you go ahead and click that link below and try it out. Fleksy Keyboard also got a nice update. It is my keyboard thus far, so give it whirl if you haven’t already.
App Updates
Google Play Store gets Material Design
Fleksy Keyboard updates to 3.0
HTC Sense Keyboard hits the Play Store
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A new Android hero has emerged: Conan O’Brien mocks the iPhone 6 in his Monologue
Conan O’Brien is a funny man. And now, he also has the respect of the whole Android community after a joke he made on his show last night. There are plenty of rumours floating around about Apple‘s next smartphone, the iPhone 6, which is expected to be slightly bigger, but more of the usual, so when you hear that Conan O’Brien mocks the iPhone 6, you know its public knowledge that Apple’s devices lack a certain level of innovation. Check out the monologue below (the good bit starts at 1:33):
While it’s all well and good to be joke about the iPhone, they do still pose a sizeable threat to the Android platform. Their market share in the world has dipped significantly since the Android boom (which is still booming), reportedly less than 20%, but underestimating them would be a mistake, especially as the Cupertino-based company looks for a way to capitalize and infiltrate Android-held markets and hold onto their fiercely loyal fan base. Although, we can always laugh at their perceived lack of innovation, right Conan?
What do you think of Conan O’Brien’s joke about the new iPhone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: TeamCoco via Phandroid
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Apple to Open New Wuxi, China Retail Store on August 2 [Mac Blog]
Apple has announced on its official Chinese website that it will open its new retail store in Wuxi, China at Wuxi Hang Lung Plaza, which is about an hour’s train ride from Shanghai, on Saturday, August 2 at 10 AM.
Last week, Apple announced that its new Chongqing store is set to open this Saturday, July 26. New Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts plans to have a focus on furthering Apple’s business in China, expecting to oversee the opening of 20 stores in the country through 2016.
The moves are a part of Apple’s larger effort to grow its presence in China, as the company started partnering with the country’s biggest carrier China Mobile late last year and became China’s fifth-largest smartphone vendor in Q4 2013. Apple is also working hard to attract Chinese app developers to iOS. Thanks Jacob!
Google Voice offers web-based calls through Hangouts, no G+ profile needed
The rumor is that eventually we’re going to see Google Voice merged completely into Hangouts, and that’s getting even closer to becoming reality. You can now make phone calls via Hangouts directly from the Google Voice website, no Google+ necessary. As Mountain View’s Alex Wiesen notes on G+, the new feature is listed as an option in the “phone to call with” drop-down box. It seems a bit minor, sure, especially when you consider that Hangouts is already how you make phone calls from within Gmail — but any updates for the oft-neglected service are welcome, right?
Source: Alex Wiesen (Google+)
Here’s what happened at Engadget Live Seattle
Engadget made another appearance in Seattle last Friday, again taking over the Showbox SoDo. This year’s stop in the Emerald City was the second in our series of Engadget Live events, where readers can meet, mingle and try out all sorts of new tech. More than 1,000 folks did just that on a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. Friends were made; photos were taken; and alcohol was… inhaled. Check out the gallery below for a few highlights.
Don’t forget to join us at the next Engadget Live event in Boston on August 22nd, followed by Los Angeles on October 3rd. It all leads up to our flagship Engadget Expand event in New York on November 7th and 8th.
For even more photos from Engadget Live Seattle, check out our Flickr gallery below.
Filed under: Announcements, Meta
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