T-Mobile to launch Sony Xperia Z1S, LG F3Q on January 22 – leak
Sony’s latest smartphone bound for the United States, the T-Mobile Xperia Z1S will touch down on January 22. At least that’s what TmoNews is saying today. The smaller, yet equally powerful Sony handset will be exclusive to T-Mobile. Key specifications for the waterproof phone include a 5-inch 1080p HD display, a 20.7-megapixel camera, Snapdragon 800 processor, and 32GB storage.
The QWERTY-packin’ LG F3Q smartphone from T-Mobile is also expected to arrive on January 22, according to the same report. Likely a low-end hardware experience, the device should offer users a screen of around 4-inches. Other specifications being tossed around include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, so nothing too powerful. With that, obviously, should come a rock bottom price. Here’s hoping to something around $250 outright, or less.
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CES 2014, Day 1: You won’t believe what happens next
The sun may be setting on the Las Vegas Convention Center, but that doesn’t mean Engadget’s gone dark. CES 2014′s first day was loaded with new TV announcements, celebrity walk-offs, convertible devices and so, so much more. It’s almost too much to handle, but don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. We’re going to filter out the buzz at the end of each day and leave you with five things you won’t want to go to bed without reading. This is CES, day one.
Curved, on demand
Can’t decide between a flat-panel TV and one of those new curved models? Now you won’t have to: Samsung and LG are both showcasing HDTVs that bend to your will, gently curving from a traditionally flat view to a more rounded one. It’s not the television revolution we expected, but maybe we should have, considering the noise both firms have been making with their flexible smartphones. If television hasn’t blown your mind since the invention of color, check out either or both: You’ll never look at your flatscreen the same way again.
Steam-powered
If you thought Sony’s and Microsoft’s latest hardware were the most powerful gaming machines on the market, think again. Valve’s Steam Machine initiative hit CES 2014 in full force today, introducing more than a dozen new gaming machines from some of the industry’s top PC builders. Unlike the traditional console gaming camp, not all of these devices are trying to one-up the others: Some are lower-powered consoles with meager, but respectable internals, while others are veritable PC gaming powerhouses. With only a scant few Steam Machines actually in the wild, it’s still a bit early to predict if Valve’s play for the living room pays off — but if Monday’s showing is any indication, there’s plenty of enthusiasm.
Intel’s push for wearables
What would CES be without an opening keynote? Bereft of Intel CEO Brian Krzanich’s ambitions for wearables, that’s what. Krzanich took the stage to wax enthusiastic about a future of connected devices, tiny computers and conflict-free microprocessors. The speech wasn’t wishful thinking, either: Intel revealed a homegrown smartwatch prototype during the keynote alongside a smart earpiece it calls Jarvis, and used the event to launch a “Make it Wearable” contest with $1.3 million in prizes.
Triple-Digit Television
It’ll never fit in your living room, but it’s still a sight to behold: Samsung’s 105-inch curved 4K television set. Sammy actually announced this beast late last month, but we couldn’t help taking a look in person. The behemoth is not only one of the largest TVs we’ve ever laid eyes on, but Samsung also claims its the “most curved.” Of course, practicality is a question, and not just because of the unit’s size: This set maintains a 21:9 aspect ratio, making it too wide for most of today’s TV content. Still, it’s just about right for viewing panoramic vistas from the comfort of your freakishly large (and entirely fictional) den.
Split Personality
Being locked into a specific tablet ecosystem can be frustrating, so why not split the difference? That’s the idea behind ASUS’ Transformer Book Duet, a tablet/laptop combination device that can switch between Android 4.2 and Windows 8.1 on the fly. It’s actually ASUS’ second device to ride the fence between operating systems, but the questions it raises are no less interesting for a second iteration: Is dual-booting becoming a standard for mobile devices? The proposition of being able to leap between mobile worlds is certainly appealing enough, though we’re still not sure how we feel about 13-inch tablets.
Filed under: Misc
Fireweb, LG’s first Firefox OS handset shows up at CES
LG’s first-ever Firefox OS handset has already been making the rounds in Brazil, where’s it been since October. And while we haven’t heard much about US availability on the Fireweb (no real surprise there), the handset did show up here at CES, alongside a smattering of other already-announced phones running the mobile operating system. We played around with the handset a bit and weren’t particularly taken with what it was offering up hardware-wise (again, no giant surprise) — the company isn’t exactly offering up its A-List devices for the browser company’s nascent OS.
The shiny back has a decidedly plastic feel (though it certainly brings it in the gloss department). The four-inch display is a pretty uninspired 480 x 320 and while the 1GHz processor isn’t worth writing home about, it does a descent enough job running those HTML5-based apps. At top, you’ll find the power button and headphone jack, with the volume rocker on the left-side and microUSB jack on the bottom. As mentioned above, you can pick the phone up now, so long as you live in Brazil, and thankfully, the $207 asking price won’t cost you an arm and a lef.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Hands-on with LG’s smart TV running webOS (video)
Since LG informed the world that webOS is coming to 70 percent of its smart TVs this year, naturally we were keen to take it for a spin. So, when they offered to let us take it for a spin, and have Director of Product Managment Colin Zhao and Head of Product Management and Design Itai Vonshak walk us through the new UI, we jumped at the chance. And, not only did we get to see it in action, we also learned a bit about the philosophy behind LG’s move to webOS on the big screen.
For folks thinking LG’s version of webOS might favor its prior mobile implementation, think again. While the underpinnings are the same, the card-based UI has been ditched — according to Vonshak “content is king on the television, and we didn’t want to pull the user out of the viewing experience” by dumping them into an all-card view. When you hit the home button on the remote, you’re greeted by a rail of parallelogram-shaped colorful icons at the bottom of the screen overlaid on top of whatever you’re watching. Those icons include a Today recommendation engine (provided by an unnamed third party) that shows content popular with the viewing public, plus any and all content sources available to the TV, be it online video, localized media, live TV, gaming console or media streamer. Naturally, Netflix is red, Hulu is green, Roku is purple, and so on. As you’ll see in our video below, navigate the menu to the left and you’re greeted by panes that show your viewing history. Slide to the right within the menu and you’ll see the rest of your video sources that couldn’t fit on the home screen. Speaking of, that home screen comes with a preselected set of apps, but it’s completely customizable by the user.
Navigating amongst the icons is fast and easy, and the LG TV swapped sources without issue. “We wanted to treat the web like a first class, not second-class citizen,” said Zhao. The aim is to provide an equally enjoyable user experience regardless of where content comes from — and from our limited demo time, we’d say that LG is on the right track. This seamless and simple switching amongst content is one of the three guiding principles in designing the UI. Along with switching, setup and discovery are the other two.
We already mentioned the Today recommendation engine, and it is the main way that LG’s discovery principle has taken form, but it’s not the only method for discovery. When hovering over the icons for various streaming services, the screen automatically populates screen shots from popular content they provide — rolling over Netflix, for example, caused a picture of the cast of House of Cards to fill the screen.
LG has taken an interesting approach in helping customers set up its new smart sets — it’s attempting to make the process entertaining. To do so, LG created a series of cute cartoon shorts featuring a little black avian character called Beam Bird. The system alternates between screens for setting up WiFi connections and streaming accounts and the aforementioned shorts. While we only got to witness a video cut together showing the process, we imagine that the cartoons will definitely appeal to many. And even for folks who aren’t super keen on the idea, Vonshak assured us that the bird will only appear at setup, and they’ve kept the cartoons short enough to avoid user fatigue: “we didn’t want Beam Bird to turn into Clippy.”
We didn’t get to spend a tremendous amount of time using this new version of webOS, but we did see enough to say that Zhao and Vonshak are definitely on the right track. In fact, we’d say its the best Smart TV UI we’ve ever used
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD, LG
LG Chromebase: Handling Chrome OS on an all-in-one (video)
LG’s first foray into Chrome OS is also a first for the Google operating system, debuting in an all-in-one. Not a Chromebox then, nor a Chromebook, but a Chromebase, consisting of a 21.5-inch screen connected to a curved hinge. The 1080p IPS LCD was more than adequate for a session of browsing, typing within Google Docs and, er, taking another look at the new House of Cards trailer on YouTube. The screen is good, but we’re keeping our judgment tempered until we hear a specific price.
With three USB ports to connect to companion keyboards and mice (and something else), using the Chromebase was like using any typical all-in-one. Interestingly, because both are relegated to peripherals here (like a Chromebox) you’ll be able to connect your favorite mechanical keyboard and laser-precision mouse, negating the Chromebook series’ occasional trackpad-keyboard woes. That said, LG’s ‘board and mouse worked fine, with both coated in the same matte finish of the AIO unit. There’s also the two color options planned, with a fetching matte black finish launching alongside the white model sometime in this half of 2014. We’ve got a closer look, on video, right after the break.
Take that Samsung: LG’s got a 77-inch OLED TV that bends on command (hands-on)
Samsung’s probably kicking back right now, shades on and cocktail in hand, thinking it’s pretty cool with its 85-inch HDTV prototype that can transform from flat to curved on a whim. LG, however, isn’t at CES to watch Samsung score touchdowns from the sidelines, announcing its own 77-inch OLED set that goes from flat to curved on command. All LG needs now is a press conference, subsequent celebrity meltdown, and the two companies are even.
Update: And we just got an exclusive first look. It’s (unsurprisingly) gorgeous. LG’s calling it the first bendable UHD OLED TV — now remember, Samsung’s wasn’t (it looked like LED) and it was a little larger, but it’s a more slender mechanism that does the bending. We were told it’s a combination of “water and gears” that makes it work, but we like how it maintains the finer silhouette. It’s coming to the US sometime between the second half of this year and the start of 2015.
LG’s been working on it for over a year and a half: it moves 7.5 cm to bend, making it eight centimeters narrower in total once at full curve. You can also choose the degree of curvature — in fact, LG told us that the tech can bend even further, but wouldn’t tell us the limits here. Next up for the company: fully flexible TVs and transparent sets. Roll on CES 2015.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG
Source: LG
T-Mobile confirms upcoming availability of LG G Flex
T-Mobile on Monday announced that the LG G Flex will be coming to the Uncarrier’s network in the future. As to exactly when remains unclear. Also uncertain, the price. Yes, this press release merely confirms that the curved smartphone is headed to T-Mobile at some point. The G Flex is a 4G LTE smartphone with a 6-inch OLED display, 13-megapixel rear camera, and 3500mAh battery. The key features of this model are that it features a curved display, curved battery, and a self healing back. In addition to the standard fare of Android apps and services, the G Flex offers a number of LG-exclusive details such as KnockON, Slide Aside, Qslide Function, QuickTheater, and Dual Window.
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AT&T schedules G Flex for Q1 2014
AT&T, like T-Mobile, has officially confirmed that the LG G Flex is coming to its network in the near future. Unlike T-Mobile, AT&T at least has a vague idea as to when it will be here. Indeed, it’s slated for the first quarter of the new year. Unfortunately for us, pricing is unclear for Ma Bell.
AT&T continues to stay ahead of the curve in growing its device portfolio and giving customers the most advanced smartphone technology…We’re excited to add LG’s futuristic G Flex…Its curved form factor and enhanced audio and visual experience is a great addition to our strong line-up of Android devices.
Key specifications for the curved LG G Flex:
- Processor: 2.26 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm® Snapdragon 800 processor
- Display: 6-inch, HD (1280×720), true HD P-OLED screen (Real RGB)
- Memory: 2GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC ROM
- Camera: 13MP rear-facing, 2.1 MP front-facing
- Battery: 3,500 mAh (Embedded)
- Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
The post AT&T schedules G Flex for Q1 2014 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Netflix confirms it will stream House of Cards in 4K this year, posts full season two trailer
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings just crashed LG’s CES 2014 press conference (we’re sure he was invited) to announce, officially, that House of Cards will be one of the first shows available in 4K later this year. Already shot and mastered in 4K, the show is a natural fit, although it seems viewers will need to use the Netflix players embedded in their Ultra HD televisions to stream this show in the highest quality possible. We’re going to ask Netflix how it plans to fit all those pixels through our skinny internet connections when we get a chance, but for now HoC fans can bite into a new season two trailer after the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG
LG’s curved G Flex phone comes to AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile later this quarter
There’s no doubt that the LG G Flex is one of the more unique Android devices we’ve played with recently, thanks to its curved display, self-healing back and uncanny ability to change its shape. Until now, you’ve only been able to get it in a couple Asian countries or through an online importer, but it’s obviously wowed execs in the US wireless industry — AT&T has formally announced its intent to carry the G Flex as part of its lineup. In addition, LG just revealed at its live CES 2014 event that the handset will come to Sprint and T-Mobile in the same time frame. The specs will largely be the same as the Korean version, although LTE compatibility in the US is something that we weren’t able to enjoy in our initial review. None of the carriers are ready to talk specifics about price or availability yet, but AT&T and LG told us that we could expect it sometime in the first quarter of this year; T-Mobile will have more details to share in the coming weeks. As for how much it’ll cost you, we wouldn’t count on it being cheap at first: After all, the Korean version goes for more than $900 (unsubsidized) right now.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T, LG
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