LG Optimus L5 to launch in Europe this month

LG is still trying to grab mind share in the congested world of manufacturers who offer Android handsets. The Korean based OEM will be releasing another phone this month in Europe, which includes the UK, Germany, and France. This latest device will be called the Optimus L5. The L5 will carry low-end specs – like an 800 MHz CPU, 4 GB of internal storage memory (which can be expanded up to 32 GB by way of an Micro SD card), and a 5-megapixel camera. Yea, it’s not very impressive.

Besides the mediocre specs, the phone carries a decent sized screen at 4-inches and has a 9.5mm thick body. LG still has a long ways to go when it comes to being a dominant player in the Android market.

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Sony Water Proof Android Handsets Xperia Acro S and Go

Sony water proof android handsets now outside of japan with Xperia acro S and Xperia Advance. it is gradually revealing more and more about those models.

The company outed two videos that detail the specs and waterproofing of the phones, and will be answering questions about them at the Sony Blog at 10am ET today, so you can head over to the source link and ask what bothers you about any of these two.

For all it's worth, the sony Xperia acro S seems to be a waterproof Xperia S in terms of specs, and the Xperia go is pretty appealing in its flashy color combinations, shown in the video below.

Source | Phonearena

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Motorola Xoom gets Android 4.0 update

It was reported that two Verizon products, the Motorola Xoom and the HTC Rezound would soon be slated for an Android 4.0 update.

New features include the Roboto system font, panoramic shooting, email search, the ability to save web pages for offline reading, and a photo editor integrated in the Gallery app.Customers on the Big Red are now able to update their tablets to the Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

In addition, improvements have been made to quicken the response time for screen rotations, there are more video editing effects, and and you can now launch the camera from the lock screen.

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KloudPad Tablet For Indian Students

KloudPad, a UK based company, has announced its entry into the Indian tablet market with the launch of its first ever 3G Android 4.0 based tablet for India. This low cost tablet, called KloudPad, comes with 3G calling functionality as well as preloaded educational content for allowing students to read and learn as well.

KloudPad is powered by an ARM Cortex-A8 based processor with a processing speed of GHz, supported by 512 MB RAM. It has a 7 inch display screen with 800 x 480 pixels resolution. Its 4 GB internal memory can be expanded up to 32 GB using micro SD card. Users can also enjoy capturing their favorite shots with a rear Camera and can have video chat as well with the front camera. However, the exact nature of the cameras (in terms of megapixels) has not been revealed yet.

On the connectivity side it features WiFi, USB and HDMI options. The KloudPad is powered with Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and has a 4000 mAh battery, which can give 6 hours of battery life.

This new tablet comes in black colour option only. KloudPad Android 4 tablet can be purchased for Rs 9,999 only from slatestore.in as of now, more stores are expected to sell this tab in the days to come.

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Datawind releases commercial version of Android tablet Aakash

Datawind Ltd has introduced the commercial version of its Android based tablet computer, Aakash for US $ 50. British company which is run and owned by Indians eying billions of data users across the world who want to buy their first mobile device for using internet on them. Earlier in October last year, Datawind had introduced Aakash for $ 35 but company says, updated commercial version has more features to offer.

Datawind has already provided 100,000 tablets to Indian students which were designed at its Montreal facility.

there were 750 million users connected to internet in the late 1990s and many other using mobile phones. The figure has swelled to almost 6 billion users making use of mobile phones worldwide and some 2 billion using internet.

Aakash would reach to billions of internet users worldwide because of its affordable price and better quality.

Tablet PCs are being introduced by major global handset manufacturers including Apple’s I pad, Samsung, HTC and Research in Motion but due to their high prices, the penetration of these devices is limited to a certain class.

India with 1.2 billion of population has only 8 percent internet users at the moment. According to Google’s statistics, the number will get tripled in the next 3 years only if people start getting cheap internet based devices.

Combined with global demand, Aakash can turn out to be a gap filler in the global mobile internet based devices. The company is in talks with World Bank in order to declare Aaskash as an educational tool on the steps of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a project that was aimed to provide cheap laptops to the poor students worldwide. OLPC failed eventually due to higher cost for producing affordable laptops.

Critics say that Aaskash is slow in processing and the display is dim with very few applications installed. These are shortcomings which can disturb its growth worldwide.

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Sony Ericsson - The Arc Head Leaked

These images were sent by a tipster to a notable tech site and it seems like the guy had access to the device. The picture seems to be coming from Sony Ericsson’s camp so there’s more reason to believe in the images than ever. 
Apparently, this Android 2.3.5 running handset is said to feature a 4.3 inch LCD display with HD resolution like most new flagships (probably featuring the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine like the Arc and a few other 2011 Xperia handsets). The highlight of the Nozomi however is the 12MP snapper on the back which has been confirmed by the tipster. Also on board will be a dual core Scorpion processor clocked at 1.5 GHz each along with 1GB of RAM. The disappointment however is the exclusion of a microSD card slot for memory expansion (we would rather wait for SE’s official announcement to confirm that). It is expected that the handset will break cover at CES next year which will be host to a bunch of device announcements.

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LG Announces Android 4.0 Roll Out Schedule

LG won back a lot of deprived fans after announcing that the Ice Cream Sandwich update would be rolled out to the Android smartphones under its wing. While other companies too are following suit, there isn’t much info available about specific roll out dates. But customers can finally mark their calendars for the company has now announced roll out dates for eleven Android Gingerbread running smartphones. It should be noted that LG has been quick to respond in the midst of a tiny stir that was caused by the company’s Facebook page.

Well, LG will roll out the update in two waves. The first wave of updates will begin from Q2 2012, and the second wave of the update will begin from Q3 2012. So there’s still a bit of waiting left for the customers, which is quite disappointing.

Handsets like the Optimus 2x, Optimus LTE, Optimus Sol, LG Eclipse, LG My Touch Q and Prada Phone By LG 3.0 will get the update in Q2 (first wave). The rest of the smartphones like the Optimus 3D, Optimus Black, Optimus Big, Optimus EX and the Optimus Q2 will receive the update during the second half of 2012 or Q3.

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Oracle tries to resurrect third patent against Android

Oracle had received a late present in their patent lawsuit against Android, but did their first bit of good patent news in half a year come in time? Up until last week, Oracle had a perfect streak of losses in their patent suit – the United States Patent and Trademark Office had invalidated all but two of the patents in their case against Android


Appeals of final USPTO rulings don’t have a good track record, and at the time Oracle had not succeeded in getting a single rejection reversed on appeal. But their luck finally seemed to change last week with patent #5,966,702. The so-called ‘702 patent is often referred to as the “Gosling patent” after its inventor (and the father of Java) James Gosling.


It should be noted that the patent was not so much “validated”, as much as the USPTO found that the prior art claims made by Google did not hold up on appeal. Whether the patent should have been issued in the first place was not ruled on, but would presumably require a completely new round of investigation by the USPTO to address.


The findings may not help Oracle though, due to the timing of the USPTO’s reversal.
Oracle agreed to drop several patents with prejudice (meaning they gave up the right to ever assert them against Google again), but reserved the right to reinstate the Gosling patent if the USPTO were to overturn its findings prior to the trial. Judge Alsup accepted this stipulation, and in his ruling specified that the trial would officially begin on April 16th.


That means that last week’s reversal by the USPTO came after the deadline to assert the patent. Oracle has filed a brief claiming that their understanding was that they could still assert it up until the patent portion of the trial beings, and Google has naturally enough quoted the judge himself to indicated that this isn’t so, while also pointing out that they dismissed all witnesses they would call on that patent, and would be hard pressed to get their defense together in the next week.

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iPad 2 mistakenly discounted 100$ extra at Apple Store

So, the new iPad is here, meaning that the iPad 2 can already be purchased at a discounted price. If settling down with the "old" version of the tablet is okay with you, $100 is what you will save no matter whether you purchase the device online or at a brick and mortar Apple store.

Interestingly, the West Farms Apple Store in Connecticut has sold an iPad 2 with twice the discount. As the receipt below goes to show, a lucky customer got his very own 32GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G for $529. That is exactly what the Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 with 16 gigs of storage costs at Apple's online store, and $200 less than what the tablet was priced at prior to the new iPad's announcement.

To us this seems to be a mistake on the cashier's part, who most likely applied a $100 discount to an already discounted iPad 2. That said, you shouldn't expect scoring an iPad 2 at $200 off as well. On the other hand, if you get lucky, we would be happy if you share it with us by dropping a comment below.

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Google going to Launch Nexus Tablet with 7-inch design

Google may enter tablet market with 7-inch design.

Wondering when Google is going to jump into the tablet fray? It may happen later this year, a DisplaySearch analyst told CNET.

The Google-branded tablet will have a 1280x800 resolution 7-inch display, according to Richard Shim, an analyst with DisplaySearch. Production is slated for April. The initial production run is between 1.5 million to 2 million units, according to Shim.

By comparison, the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire has a 1024x600 display.

Shim's comments follow a January Asia-based report that said the Google tablet will run Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" and be priced around $199 to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire.

However, Shim said it is not clear how Google will market the device. "I don't know how they plan on marketing it. If it's going to be a premium device, or if it's going to be a Kindle Fire type competitor," he said.

Whatever the case, after Google completes the planned acquisition of Motorola, it will instantly gain ownership of three tablets: the original 10.1-inch Xoom, the 10.1-inch Xyboard (aka Xoom 2), and the 8.2-inch Xyboard. Why Google feels it needs to have a 7-inch device too is not clear.

But the relative success of the 7-inch Kindle Fire could be one reason. Amazon shipped 5.3 million Fires in the fourth quarter, according to DisplaySearch's numbers. Though those numbers are only shipments (not sales), a report from Barclays Capital's Anthony DiClemente estimated Kindle Fire sales at five million units. Only Apple's iPad has exceeded that level of sales and shipments in that short of a time period.

And the small-screen tablet market could get crowded very quickly. A smaller iPad is now in the testing stage, according to a Taipei-based research firm as well as other Asia-based sources.

That Apple tablet, if it becomes a real product, likely won't appear until late this year. Presumably giving Google time to test its design before a smaller Apple tablet hits the market.

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Samsung unveils Quad-Core Processors ahead of Mobile World Congress

Samsung showed their new Exynos chip, which can come in dual-core and quad-core configurations. Frequencies range from 200 MHz to 1.5 GHz, and it’s 32nm part, which is down from 45nm with the previous chip. This means better performance and less power consumption.

The new CPU gets a performance boost of 26% over the current Exynos chip. They’re also promising a 50% improvement of battery life. One has to wonder if these comparisons are based on dual-core or quad-core. Either way, I’m sure we will find out more next week at Mobile World Congress so stay tuned.

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Apple iPad's share 62 percent tablet market this year

Apple will remain king of the tablet market this year but its reign may be shaken a bit by the ongoing flood of Android devices.

The company will carve off a 62 percent chunk of the tablet market this year, according to a report out yesterday from Trend Force. But that will continue a decline from 66 percent last year and 87 percent the previous year.

Though the iPad's market share may be on the downswing, its sales are still headed in the opposite direction. Estimates from TrendForce call for global sales of about 59 million units in 2012, up from nearly 41 million last year and 14 million in 2010.

Certain Android vendors have captured some of Apple's former market share, but they've failed to catch up with the iPad's advancements.

Amazon's low-priced Kindle Fire ignited strong sales during the holiday quarter. But the Fire "still does not quite match consumers' expectations for a tablet PC," TrendForce said. Further, Amazon's orders for display panels have fallen for the first half of 2012, indicating that the Fire won't be a threat to the iPad's dominant lead.

Some tablet vendors have been slowly cutting back on Android to focus on Windows 8 as Microsoft prepares its new tablet-friendly OS. But even here, success is far from assured.

"The makers are counting on Windows users' high commitment to Microsoft Office to spur the sales of Windows 8 tablets," TrendForce noted. "But several issues persist, such as whether or not the ARM Windows 8 tablet is able to release as scheduled, the weight and battery life, and whether the software compatibility and interface design cater to the users' preferences."

With a new high-resolution display expected, the iPad 3 will help Apple hang onto its leading market share.

But since the new panels are more time-consuming to make, TrendForce questions if supply will be able to keep up with demand.

Finally, any mini iPad in the works is still in the testing stage, according to the research firm. If such a tablet does go into production, it likely would surface around the fourth quarter of 2012, just before the holidays kick in. And rather than hurting sales of the iPad 3 in 2012, a mini iPad would provide a boost to Apple in 2013.

Overall, tablet makers are forecast to sell 94 million units this year, a 53 percent jump from the 62 million sold in 2011.

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LG officially announces Optimus 3D Max and 3D Cube

We’ve been hearing about the possible followup to the LG Optimus 3D (LG Thrill in the states) as the Optimus 3D Max. LG just made it official, but if you live in Korea, it will be called the Cube. Although the 3D Max name will be available in Europe, it’s unlikely to bare that name if it comes to the U.S. Maybe the LG Thrill Max?

What makes this an upgrade? Well it’s the first smartphone that can edit 3D videos and photos. It’s also a little thinner (now 9.6mm vs 11.9mm) and it has NFC, which support LG Tag+ stickers. LG’s Tag+ stickers are similar to Sony’s SmartTags in that you can easily change your phone’s settings with a quick swipe.

Throw this one in the bucket of phones that’s releasing with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, while the Ice Cream Sandwich SDK was available 4 months ago. LG does promise an Ice Cream Sandwich update soon, whatever that means. We can expect to see this baby at next week’s Mobile World Congress and should be available in Korea starting in March, followed by Europe. No word on a U.S release at this time. Hit the break for the full specs and pressers for both versions.

Key Specs:

• Chipset: 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor (OMAP4430)
• Display: 4.3-inch 3D WVGA Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• Memory: 8GB Internal Storage, 1GB Internal Memory
• Camera: 5MP Dual-lens
• OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• Battery: 1,520 mAh
• Others: HSPA+ 21Mbps, HDMI connection 2D/3D TV/monitor up to 1080p via MHL, DNLA for wireless connection with TV/PC (3D video also supported), NFC Full Support, LG Tag+

Full press release 3D Max:

LG WOWS THE WORLD AGAIN WITH OPTIMUS 3D MAX AT MWC 2012

More Than Just Glasses-Free 3D, Optimus 3D Max
Pushes the Boundaries of Power Features and Performance

SEOUL, Feb. 22, 2012 – Following in the footsteps of last year’s glasses-free 3D smartphone, LG Electronics will publicly unveil the Optimus 3D Max at the 2012 Mobile World Congress (MWC). With powerful 3D technology and sleeker design, the Optimus 3D Max provides a complete 3D entertainment platform and marks a big leap forward in the ever-expanding 3D ecosystem.

“The Optimus 3D Max was born from LG’s constant efforts to bring user entertainment experience to a higher level,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The introduction of the Optimus 3D last year ushered in a new era for smartphones and Optimus 3D Max is real proof of LG’s commitment to portable 3D entertainment.”

LG Optimus 3D Max is equipped with diverse innovations and offers users with advancements including:

■ True Performance Muscle with Latest Mobile Technologies
LG Optimus 3D Max is a powerful smartphone in both 2D and 3D mode and a pleasure to view with LG’s exclusive brightened display. 3G’s network speed has been also improved to HSPA+ 21Mbps. LG Tag+ offers advanced NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities designed to promote greater user convenience. One of its benefits is automatic setting changes which are possible by creating predefined tags that are customized to certain modes such as car-mode, office-mode or sleep-mode. Depending on location, the predefined tags will automatically adjust various phone settings including Wi-Fi, bluetooth, GPS and sound volume.

Beyond its already innovative features, attendees of MWC 2012 will see some of the future benefits that will be made available through a Maintenance Release or an application available on the LG SmartWorld (www.LGsmartworld.com). Additional features include:
- HD Converter to offer HD quality on a TV connected through MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), when transforming Open GL-based 2D games and applications to 3D and viewing Google Earth;
- Range Finder to calculate the distance between the camera and the subject as well as the dimensions of an object through triangulation;
- Out-focusing Shot to enhance camera quality beyond that of other smartphones through image processing using depth information.

■ True 3D Entertainment Features with Improved 2D-3D Compatibility
Users can convert Google Earth, Google Maps and other road views into 3D using the enhanced 3D Converter. Furthermore, 3D photos and videos captured by the Optimus 3D Max can also be viewed in a single-screen mode in 2D, using the 3D Hot Key mounted on the side of the phone to easily toggle between 2D and 3D. LG also plans to continue expanding video contents, applications and games optimized for the 3D Converter available from the 3D Zone at LG SmartWorld.

■ True Excellence in Design with Slimmer and Lighter Body
The LG Optimus 3D Max’s premium design comes from LG’s commitment to fine details. LG focused on trimming details on the design of the Optimus 3D Max by keeping only the essentials and eliminating everything else. Measuring only 9.6 mm thin and weighing 148 grams, the lean body with metallic and rounded edges incorporates the best 3D features in addition to desirable 2D features. The Optimus 3D Max includes unique 3D-style cubicle icons which users can customize with their own photos through the Icon Customizer.

The Optimus 3D Max will first launch in Korea in March and will gradually roll out in other markets starting in Europe. The device will receive an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich from Android 2.3 Gingerbread shortly after the launch.

Key Specifications:
o Chipset: 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor (OMAP4430)
o Display: 4.3-inch 3D WVGA Display with Corning? Gorilla? Glass 2
o Memory: 8GB Internal Storage, 1GB Internal Memory
o Camera: 5MP Dual-lens
o OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
o Battery: 1,520 mAh
o Others: HSPA+ 21Mbps, HDMI connection 2D/3D TV/monitor up to 1080p via MHL, DNLA for wireless connection with TV/PC (3D video also supported), NFC Full Support, LG Tag+

Full presser for Cube (translated):

LG Electronics’ Optimus 3D Cube (Cube) Launches

In early March, LG Electronics next-generation 3D smartphone “Optimus 3D Cube, (Model: LG-SU870) ‘will be released by SK Telecom only.

“Optimus 3D Cube (Cube) in collaboration with LG Electronics, SK Telecom 3G smartphone with planned premium, MWC (Mobile World Congress) from the previous global mobile-related media, the most pre-qualified products is one of the articles. 

The most noticeable feature phones can decorate the way you want your own ‘My Suit icon’, ’3 D editing freedom ‘,’ LG Tag Plus (Tag +) ‘is equipped with specific functions, such as colorful. 

“I feel like it icon ‘feature jointly developed by LG Electronics and SK Telecom, the first feature phone, smart phone menus and icons typical user through a simple touch yourself or download a picture you can decorate with images freely is a specialized function. 

For example, the application’s icon to the alarm of his image changed to a cute dog or kakaohtok most frequently used icons such as pictures of lovers, etc. can be replaced, via cell phone to express your own individuality young cheungeurobuteo ‘ decorate my phone ‘is expected to provoke a frenzy. 

In addition, LG Electronics’ Optimus 3D Cube (Cube) to strengthen significantly in the funny 3D features can be enjoyed in 3D, 2D games, and general imaging and specific applications, such as Naver Map is available to convert to 3D. 

Together, the world’s first 3D video editing fun memories Would you like to apply lovers, young married couples want to leave your baby growing more expensive camcorders do not have to buy 3D shoot in 3D, look directly edit the phone without glasses, 3D computer and so you can watch 3D TV connected. 

Only aepseutoeoin LG Electronics’ LG Smart World, a 3D-only applications, and 60 kinds of video content starting in the second quarter is expected to provide.

In addition, NFC (Near Field Communications, short-range wireless communication) utilizing ‘LG Tag Plus (Tag +)’ functions. ‘LG Tag Plus (Tag +)’ em, mobile phone sticker on the tag with the Sleep Mode Operation, Office mode, auto mode, auto mode, and change the lives of a variety of environments is a possible feature.

Optimus 3D Cube (Cube) is 9.6mm, 148g of the specification was released to the world’s thinnest, lightest and most of 3D smartphone brightness 520 (2D) / 250 (3D) Nitro is the brightest. 3D Cube on the LG Optimus’ thinnest and lightest 3D mobile phone “field is pushing the Guinness Book of World Records listed.  

LG Electronics, Jong – Seok MC (Mobile Communications) Portfolio Management, “LG Electronics and SK Telecom’s strategic partnerships with both 3D and 3G hit the market,” he said. 

LG Electronics’ Optimus 3D Cube (Cube) is coming on Feb. 27 held in Barcelona, ​​Spain, MWC (Mobile World Congress) is scheduled to be released in the first

[LG-SU 870, Optimus 3D Cube (Cube) Specifications: 
Size: 126.8 x 67.4 x 9.6 
Weight: 148g 
Display: 4.3 inches wide viewing angle (IPS) LCD screen 
Camera: Dual 5MP AF, (front) 300,000 pixels ( rear) 5-megapixel  
Memory: 16GB 
CPU: 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 
the operating system: Android 2.3 version Gingerbread 
Battery: 1,520 mAh 
Others: NFC, LG Tag + (tag stickers 2 sheets support) 
has shipped: .847,000 won

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