Filed under: Cellphones

Certainly no secret up until now, the VX9900 (aka the enV), successor to the VX9800 (aka the V), predecessor to what will surely be dubbed the VX10K (aka the Flying V), is now officially out — November 27th, as stated. It can be had for as little as $150 with two year agreement and rebate, and features that fat QWERTY keybord, tiny ass bezel-tastic display, EVDO, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP, OBEX, AVRC, microSD slot, WMA support, and all the V CAST support you’d ever want. Online now (big surprise), ready for ordering.

[Thanks, Tyler and Michael]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

After raising eyebrows by having no Blu-ray plans to show at its dealer show in Orlando a few days ago, LG finally announced its new BD100 Blu-ray player at the Best of Stuff show in London yesterday. The BD199 player shown previously was cancelled abruptly, and for a moment LG seemed ready to replace it with a dual format HD DVD / Blu-ray player, but the company later backed off those plans. The BD100 will include HDMI, component, composite, coaxial, and S/PDIF outs, whether 5.1 audio output via analog is included is unclear. 1080p Blu-ray playback and DVD upconversion is definitely part of the package, plus DivX, WMA and MP3 compatibility. LG officials refused to commit to a price or launch date, only that it would be “competitively” priced. Whether that means competitive in Australia, relative to the Toshiba HD-E1 HD DVD player (£499) or the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player (£1000) — both were also on display at the show — is unknown.

[Via Cnet UK & Stuff Mag]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Stop trying to type faster, watch TV for hours, or organize the largest water balloon fight: there’s now another way to get a Guinness world record holder in your home, as LG has just announced it is going to begin mass producing its record-setting 100-inch LCD. The 6-million pixel 1,920 x 1,080 display won’t come cheap though — while a final price has not been decided, the manufacturing costs alone are expected to be over $150,000 US. But anyway, how can we be satisfied with a 100-inch LCD HDTV featuring a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 92% color gamut and 5ms refresh time when we know Mark Cuban is just going to come over and start bragging about his $70,000 103-inch 1080p plasma from Panasonic? While sneaking in and watching Oxygen Network until the logo burns in on his precious plasma would be nice, we’ll probably just wait for the first price drop and save everyone some pain and suffering.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

It hasn’t even been a week since we first spotted the new LG C1 XNote, but already the first reviews are starting to trickle in (sort of). See, we came across what is supposed to be the first Korean review of the LG C1 XNote, however, we’re pretty sure that there must be something lost in Google’s translation, because this “review” doesn’t exactly pull apart the nitty-gritty of this tablet. Whatever though, it sure does have some brilliant photos. Here’s what we were able to garner from the review: the LG C1 XNote has an nVIDIA Geforce 7300 Go, HSDPA, a 10.6-inch screen, a SD and CompactFlash card slot, and a USIM slot (all stuff you could find on the spec sheet). If any of our readers who understand Korean can perhaps help us out with some more info that we missed out on, you know how to find us. In the meantime, check out one more snapshot that we snagged of this bad boy on the next page.

[Via Slashgear]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones

LG keeps the hotness comin’ with this new looker they’ve dubbed the Shine. Otherwise known as the SV420/LV4200/KV4200, this wispy thin 13-millimeter slider is their second Black Label series premium phone and features a new shiny metal design LG hopes will supplant Chocolate in the lustful hearts of consumers. Going brushed aluminum where it counts, the Shine delivers a 2 megapixel Schneider-Kreuznach shooter with flash, a media player with enough room for 1GB of MP3s (and more via expansion judging by the pics), Korea’s M-Bank monetary service, and a 2.2-inch QVGA display which goes all mirror-like when off. Oh, and it’s apparently coming to SK Telecom’s 3G June network. Will it be as successful as the Chocolate? Time will tell but it sure caught our attention. Expected in Korea first just like the Chocolate, only this time LG, let’s try to be a bit quicker on the global launch, eh? More pics and snaps after the break.

[Via AVING]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Ok, this is just getting silly now. We’ve patiently watched the LG VX9900 make its way from the mouth of our own Boy Genius and onto Verizon’s Backup Assistant page. We then peeped it wee and splayed, caught in the wild, in a hurry, and finally with a bit more clarity. Now, we’ve got these apparent press shots, again, from the coffers of Howard Forums. We promise, no more until Verizon ups and releases the damn thing. Be sure to click the read link for all the pics.

[Thanks, Sam K and Sunny]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones

We hate to see a nifty technology like FOTA (firmware over-the-air) getting such a bad rap early on in the game, but in the same breath, our mommies always told us “measure twice, cut once” — and we think that’s an imminently appropriate adage in the aftermath of Sprint’s recent attempt to re-up Fusics already in the field. It seems the firmware update, pushed just a couple days ago to customers’ handsets, quickly and efficiently bricked each and every one of them. The whole situation is a full order of magnitude more frightening than Nokia’s similar experience with the E70, seeing how Nokia’s update was optional and at least required the user to manually perform the upgrade. Naturally, Sprint’s pulled the bogus firmware and is offering a free replacement to affected customers, but it’s still a shame that they’ve cost Fusic owners a trip to the Sprint Store.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Ok, you know the drill by now. HowardForums has a purported shot (on left) of the thinner, sexier successor to the VX9800 communicator, the LG VX9900 we first trolled from the FCC (pic on the right) back in May. We’re still hoping for this QWERTY clam to roll on Verizon sometime this month as reported by our own Boy Genius or sometime between September 29th and October 13th according to the rumor jockeys ridin’ the HoFo. Hell, let’s just say any day now and leave it at that mkay?

[Thanks, Scott and Sunny]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Cellphones

Overwhelmed with all the latest Chocolate intel? Does your sweet tooth still want more? Well here you go. Roc A Fella was able to smuggle out some marketing photos today and let us tell you, she’s quite a sweet phone. Expect external music controls (yep), Bluetooth 2.0. microSD, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and V CAST music (1.2). Word on the street is that this one just may come out this month. As we eagerly anticipate the newest edition to Verizon’s lineup, we’ll just have to wait and see as more details surface.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

If you need to store 25GB of data on a single disc, and you need it done (relatively) fast, LG’s GBW-H10N offers up single-layer Blu-ray burning at a currently unprecedented 4x speed. Sure, there’s a few other options out there, but this 3-in-1 offering sports a write speed that’s twice as quick as the BenQ BW1000. As tough as these things have been to actually locate, the fine folks over at HardwareZone were able to get their hands on a unit and give it a good once over. The burner performed essentially as advertised, but the speediness came with a tradeoff — while you can burn a myriad of formats ranging from CD-R / RW, DVD±R / RW, DVD±R DL, DVD-RAM, and BD-R, you won’t be able to make use of those super spacious 50GB dual-layer BD-R discs. While the 4x label may be the primary selling point, the biggest boon was said to be its compatibility with a smorgasbord of media; many first-run Blu-ray burners have been annoyingly picky, but playing nice with basically every brand of media is quite a nice perk for the LG. By garnering a “very good” rating, the GBW-H10N proved to be a satisfactory solution for those who can live without BD-R DL capability, but your time should probably be worth a good bit of money (upwards of $700) before you pull the trigger on this one.

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

As part of its “extensive” coverage of this year’s International Meeting on Information Display in Korea, AVING has a brief write-up on a 42-inch LCD monitor from LG that can switch between 2D and 3D modes at the touch of a button. And by “brief write-up,” we mean just that; it’s literally a one line mention of the HD-capable set, with no explanation as to how it performs this amazing feat. We suspect that the company has been working with Philips and implemented its WOWvx 3D technology, which provides auto-stereoscopic images without the need for those silly-looking, 50’s era blue and red glasses. There’s a good chance that this monitor will be on display again at CES, though, in which case we promise to provide you with the full deets (or at least a post containing a little more of the technical jargon that you love).

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV

So we’re not sure if this is the same Vista-focused product that the company was supposedly working on with Microsoft, but Samsung has just revealed a new 22-inch widescreen LCD known as the CX223B/W that should go nicely with the upcoming OS. Available in black or silver, this monitor features a pretty decent 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, and most importantly for HD fans, an HDCP-enabled DVI port (though HDMI seems to be missing). The lack of info on other important specs such as contrast or brightness makes us think that the display is not scheduled for an impending release, a notion that’s only further supported by the lack of any pricing details. If you can’t wait for the CX223BW to start shipping in the US, there’s always that LCM-22w2 from Westinghouse to keep you occupied for the time being, and both Dell and LG are expected to drop new 22-inch models in the near future as well.

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Filed under: GPS

It looks like LG is poised to muscle its way into yet another product category -- in Europe, at least -- with the new LN710 in-car navigation system. Running on Windows Mobile CE.Net 5.0, the SiRF Star III-powered model features a 300MHz processor, 4-inch, 320 x 240 pixel display, 64MB RAM / 32MB ROM, and an SD slot for loading up maps from the included CDs -- not too bad, but nothing that Garmin, TomTom, and friends will lose any sleep over. It's not exactly clear who's getting this model or when they'll be getting it, but we did see it on a German website for about $467 (including a 1GB card; packages with 256MB, 512MB, or 2GB cards will also be available), so that should give you some idea of the pricing structure.

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Filed under: Cellphones

It's laid so bare at this point it's almost kind of an open secret, but contrary to what we'd heard earlier (which was a week off), we've got launch dates and prices for Verizon's LG VX8500 Chocolate phone. Starting July 31st you'll be able to snag the phone online, and come August 7th you can get it in stores. The price? Not too terrible: $359 without contract, $249 with 1 year, and $199 for two years committed to the carrier. Might be a little more than we'd originally expected, but outside the Q you're not likely to see a sexier EV-DO device on Verizon for a little while yet.

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Filed under: Handsets, LG, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

It’s laid so bare at this point it’s almost kind of an open secret, but contrary to what we’d heard earlier (which was a week off), we’ve got launch dates and prices for Verizon’s LG VX8500 Chocolate phone. Starting July 31st you’ll be able to snag the phone online, and come August 7th you can get it in stores. The price? Not too terrible: $359 without contract, $249 with 1 year, and $199 for two years committed to the carrier. Might be a little more than we’d originally expected, but outside the Q you’re not likely to see a sexier EV-DO device on Verizon for a little while yet.

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Filed under: Portable Audio

If we didn't know any better we might say LG's new MFFM20 smacks of a little post-Rio-inspired design, spiced with a dash of Sony n' Ilo. Wherever this 512MB or 1GB device got its asymmetrical design cues from, the little shiny OLEDtastic player supports PlaysForSure, and has a 20 hour battery life. Not much else to see here, as expected, but for those whose eyes it caught, know that it appears to be heading for Euro release before landing ashore in the US -- that is, if it ever heads here.

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Filed under: EV-DO, CDMA, Misc

Remember the news that a Korean government-appointed panel had recommended revocation of LG Telecom's right to 3G on the 2GHz band? Well, it happened. Interestingly, investors think this is great news for the company, pushing its stock sharply upward on the news -- possibly because the technology for which the license was issued has failed to become a commercial success. LG Telecom now looks to instead deploy EV-DO rev. A on the more widely-accepted 1.8GHz band, but at any rate, Korea takes their 3G deployments seriously -- per regulation, the government is now pressing for CEO Nam Yong's removal.

[Via Mobile Magazine]

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Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, LG, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

In what's likely the first salvo of a forthcoming big-ass marketing blitz, Verizon has gone live with its site promoting the VX8500, their carrier-exclusive rendition of LG's KG800 "Chocolate" phone. The first Chocolate and its siblings are fairly ubiquitous now in Europe and Asia, but we've yet to see any of them stateside, so Verizon would probably like nothing more than to see the VX8500 spark RAZR-like pandemonium when it drops in the next few months. The site's being coy about specs for now -- in fact, the only thing you can do is look at the phone and sign up for a release notification -- but as we previously reported, the phone looks to be packing a 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD slot, and a handful of physical changes (like the circular d-pad) that should make it more music-friendly than the original.

[Via phoneArena]

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Cingular releases its first HSDPA phone with the LG CU500 flip. The CU500 has a swiveling 1.3 megapixel camera, music keys, microSD, stereo Bluetooth and weighs 105 grams.

The phone has a pretty average talk time of 3.5 hours, but it’s the first phone to use the new HSDPA network, so quit complaining. But, the HSDPA is only available in select markets for now, so check your area before plopping down for the LG.

The phone isn’t on the Cingular website yet, but we’ll update when it is. – Jason Chen

Product Page [LG]

LG CU500 Launched for New Cingular 3G Service [Mobiledia via Phone Scoop]

Even though I blasted Verizon earlier today, I am happy to announce that they will be officially carrying the line of LG Chocolate phones that have been making waves overseas.

The Verizon LG Chocolate page doesn't have much information besides a nifty interactive rotatey phone model and a "Tell me when it is available" link, but a previous rumor about the Verizon availability suggested an October 7 release. Given that there is already a product/teaser page up for this phone, lets hope it is sooner. Thanks, Chris. – Travis Hudson

Edit: We got a hot tip straight from an insider's mouth. The anonymous tipster dropped a solid date, August 7. Be prepared, be very prepared. Thanks, T.

Teaser Page [Verizon Wireless]

Filed under: Handsets, LG, Cingular, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

The handset itself might not be anything spectacular in terms of specification, but one aspect of LG's CU500 clamshell makes it extraordinarily interesting: it's North America's first retail HSDPA handset. A little private investigation on our part (meaning we called a few stores) reveals that the phone officially drops in Cingular's 3G markets tomorrow, but several persistent individuals have managed to get stores in the Boston and Atlanta areas to part with their units a day early. HowardForums has a rather active thread heralding the news, which you can read after you give your local store a call, eh?

[Thanks, The Bullfrog]

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Filed under: Peripherals

The LG FINGER mouse is a rather self-explanatory product: it’s a tiny mouse shaped like a severed human finger. You push the top part of the button to left-click and the bottom portion to right-click — pretty simple. About the only thing this mouse has going for it — besides its disregard for handedness — is the fact that you could stuff it in a pocket for use with your PDA or UMPC; other than that, it looks fairly uncomfortable to maneuver, and sporting a wired mouse is like totally passé. We don’t know what it costs and we’re not sure where it’s available — our guess is Korea only — but we doubt folks will be lining up to get their, um, fingers on these things anyway.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

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Filed under: Features, LG, Pantech, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile

Field report tidbits from Engadget’s mobile insider, the Boy Genius.

The Boy Genius dropped another one on us folks, check out this excerpt from a recent Verizon product timeline. Pantech will be launching a Windows Mobile 5 clamshell device — running Pocket PC, suprisingly — come September 4th, the PN-820 we saw in the FCC. That should also be the same day they launch the VX9900, also spotted in the FCC, “big brother to the VX9800 [aka the V] hybrid device with a thinner, sleeker look and feel.” Amen to that, because our major complaints with the V had to do with its thickness and unappealing looks. Oh, and to top it off the LG VX8500 Chocolate phone will apparently have Verizon exclusivity for the life of the handset in the US — though we’re not necessarily sure if that means Chocolate phone exclusivity, or merely CDMA Chocolate. Stay tuned.

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Filed under: Handsets, LG, GSM, GPRS

LG is really running with the checkerboard keypad theme these days as details are beginning to emerge on the KG99, a candybar with fairly obvious Chocolate roots. No word on whether the phone falls into LG’s Black Label category, but at 95 x 52 x 9.9mm, it seems chic enough for the task. Specs are unconfirmed at this point, but the phone is reported to sport triband GSM (sorry yanks, no 850), a 220 x 176 display, microSD slot, Bluetooth, and an FM radio. Now granted, as a fashion phone, we may not be the KG99’s target demographic, but the specs still feel a bit weak to us — we’re going to wait a few weeks and see what else is in the checkerboard pipeline.

[Via Slashphone]

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Filed under: Handsets, LG, Sprint-Nextel, EV-DO

If you’re thinking about picking up LG’s Fusic (otherwise known as the LG550) you might want to block off some time to read Phone Scoop’s incredibly thorough review. The handset, which is available now from Sprint, gets high marks for design and advanced features like excellent battery life, A2DP and an FM transmitter, but is hurt by the fact both music players (one for songs purchased from the Sprint Music Store and one for everything else) can’t multitask, so if you need to check your texts, you’ll have to do it in silence. The review goes on to admit that even with interchangeable faceplates and a very familiar scroll wheel, the Fusic is geared more toward the occasional listener than the audiophile, so don’t go making a spot in the junk drawer just yet.

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