LG's GW550 WinMo Standard phone bows at CommunicAsia

By and large, LG's announcements at CommunicAsia in Singapore this week have been straight-up rehashes of announcements from earlier in the year -- the GD900, for example -- but there was one diamond in the rough that should get a few people excited. The GW550 is the latest fruit of LG's strategic alliance with Microsoft to produce Windows Mobile phones, offering a 2.4-inch QVGA display, full HSPA with 7.2Mbps on the downlink, a 3 megapixel primary cam with a VGA sensor up front for video calling, and stereo speakers on board; the front cam immediately tells us that we can't expect this phone to drop as-is on AT&T, but we bet LG would just love to put something very similar up against the Jack. Any takers?

Dolby-powered LG GM200 probably sounds better than it looks

Dolby's been making a strong push into the mobile market in the past couple years, and the company's licensing tie-up with LG is starting to pay dividends in the form of this little block of plastic, GSM, and grit, the GM200. The black candybar's claim to fame is that you can use the FM radio without headphones plugged in -- most handsets with radios require the factory headset as an external antenna -- and you've got a supposedly-decent set of stereo speakers to blast the tunes. Similar to Motorola's CrystalTalk, the GM200 will automatically regulate earpiece volume depending on ambient noise, a trick feature that LG probably attributes to its work with Dolby. Otherwise, you've got a 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, EDGE, and the envy of Dolby fanboys everywhere. Oh, what, don't look around you, you know who you are.

Qualcomm adds mirasol display to Inventec V112 now, LG handsets later

Last time we Qualcomm's mirasol display in action, it was still enjoying its black-and-white simplicity. While the ultra-efficient, ambient light-loving technology hasn't gone through that Pleasantville epiphany just yet, a 1.1-inch bichrome mirasol touchscreen has found its way onto Inventec's V112 Smartphone alongside a decidedly more colorful bigger brother. It'll serve to show time, incoming and missed calls, email and SMS alerts, MP3 song information, and other information that doesn't require a lot of space or hue. As for the phone itself, we've got GPS, WiFI, Bluetooth, a three megapixel camera, and no word on pricing or availability. Additioanlly, Inventec has announced an agreement with LG to include use mirasol -- presumably also as secondary screens -- into one more commercial handsets sometime in the future. A great deal for Qualcomm, for sure, but how about a few more details on what exactly those phones will be?

Eyes-on with the well-camouflaged LG GD900

There's not a whole lot to look at with the GD900 slider, but in this case, that's exactly the effect lg was shooting for. The high-design phone was being carefully guarded by plastic and metal not its own at MWC this week, making a true hands-on impossible -- but the good news is that we were able to get a good look at the phone's headline feature. That nearly transparent keypad has a glow applied around its edges to illuminate etched numbers, but with tactile feedback hovering near zero, this is a situation where you've really got to value form over function (and in this case, we just might). Interestingly, documentation by the GD900 says it'll start launching in May, though LG's press documentation claims we won't see it until the second half of the year -- so it's unclear when you'll be able to get one imported. Question is, do you really want people to see your cheek while you're on the horn?

• Verizon's LG Versa likely to launch March 1st

Verizon's LG Versa likely to launch March 1st

We've had our eye on Verizon's crazy lg handset, the VX9600, (or "Versa," in fun-speak), since back when it was still just a doodle, and have expected an imminent launch since we caught those snaps of it in late January. So here it is -- documented evidence that points to a likely March 1 launch. If you've forgotten (there's no way you've done that, is there?) this zany piece of work boasts a sweet QWERTY keyboard module which is detachable, with other modules, including a pair of speakers and an internet module with integrated WiFi promised. No word on pricing yet, but we'll let you know when we hear something.

• LG Incite gets official for South Korea

LG Incite gets official for South Korea

Mark this day down folks, 'cause it ain't often that you see a handset released in the US of A months ahead of South Korea / Japan / elsewhere in Asia. LG's Incite -- the same one loosed on AT&T's network in November of 2008 -- just got official alongside the new Arena today in South Korea. As expected, it's launching with windows mobile 6.1 Professional, a full touchscreen, WiFi, a multimedia player and that all-important 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. It'll be made available in both black and wine red, and if all goes well, it should hit SK Telecom and KTF in the near future for next to nothing.

• lg Arena KM900 gets further detailed
• HTC, Samsung, lg looking to Snapdragon for future handsets?

LG Arena KM900 gets further detailed

We've already gotten a pretty good look at LG's curiously familiar Arena KM900 phone, and we're now starting to get some more details as well, although lg is still managing to keep a few things under wraps for the presumably imminent announcement. Apparently, this one will boast GSM/UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, along with a high-res 3-inch 800x480 display (no word on resistive or capacitive), and some form of mobile TV, although specifics on that are a bit light at the moment. The phone also apparently measures just 11.5mm thick, which makes it a smidgen slimmer than the iPhone and, as we had heard before, it could be out in Europe as soon as next month -- on T-Mobile Germany for starters, it seems.

• LG Arena KM900 touchscreen phone shows itself in print

LG Arena KM900 touchscreen phone shows itself in print

We got a whiff of this one last month courtesy of the FCC, but it looks like LG's new Arena KM900 touchscreen phone is now fully making its way out into the open, with the above image and some specs to go along with it surfacing in advance of MWC. As you can see above, this one bears a little resemblance to the Samsung Omnia, and boasts a 5-megapixel camera (plus a secondary one for video calls, it seems), built-in GPS, WiFi, and what's described as an "innovative S-Class 3D interface." Unfortunately, complete specs are still a bit of a mystery, but the phone is apparently on track to hit Europe as soon as March, and it seems a pretty safe bet that lg will have more to say about this one at MWC later this month.

• LG Cookie: now in pink and silver on Orange
• Virgin Mobile gives the lg Flare a new, pinker veneer

Virgin Mobile gives the LG Flare a new, pinker veneer

Virgin Mobile's just debuted its ultra-cheapo Flare flipper in... you guessed it: pink! Sure, it's the exact same phone otherwise -- Bluetooth, speakerphone, and mobile web access -- nothing too fancy, but Virgin's going to donate $5 for each of these sold to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization. It's available now for just under $29.99. That's cheap!

• HTC's CDMA devices invited to Windows Mobile 6.5 cookout

LG Cookie: now in pink and silver on Orange

LG's Cookie -- which is more formally know as the KP501 -- has just arrived in two more hues on Europe's most colorful carrier. If black just wasn't doing it for you, the touchscreen handset (which obviously resembles the KP500 in more ways than one) is now listed as "Coming Soon" in pink and silver. If you believe Orange's press release, though, it should be available now in stores for ?99.99 ($142) on a pay-as-you-go contract and just ?15 ($21) with a two-year agreement.

• lg CF360 now available from AT&T

LG CF360 now available from AT&T

Buckle up, folks, because your minds are about to be blown. Is it the 1.3 megapixel camera? No. The choice of two exciting trim colors? Nah. Support for HSDPA and microSD cards up to 16GB? Certainly not. Actually, on second thought, your minds probably aren't going to be blown -- but if you were looking for a safe choice to replace that aging CU515 and you don't mind switching from a flip to a slide, the CF360 might just be your ticket to personal wireless nirvana. It's $29.99 on contract after rebate, which leads us to wonder why you'd choose this over a free Shine that's made with higher-quality materials and steps up to a 2 megapixel cam, but who are we to expect carrier pricing to make one iota of sense?

• lg overtakes Motorola for third place in global handset shipments

LG overtakes Motorola for third place in global handset shipments

Half a year ago, Motorola was still clinging tight to the number three spot in terms of worldwide handset shipments, but boy -- what a difference six months makes. According to numbers compiled by DigiTimes, lg Electronics managed to ship just over 100 million mobile phones in 2008, while Moto checked in with "just" 99.9 million shipped. That makes lg the third largest handset maker in terms of shipments, barely beating out Moto and Sony Ericsson who placed fourth and fifth, respectively. As expected, Nokia and Samsung are still holding down the top two spots, but it's the continued slippage of Motorola that's most significant here. You know what they say about being on rock bottom, right? We bet Motorola's wondering if that mantra applies here.

• LG Lotus hands-on
• LG launches canU S1000 with AMOLED display

LG Lotus hands-on

We'd really harshed on this phone prior to its release, because... well, when you're used to flip phones looking a certain way, it looks kinda funny. In the flesh, though, the LG Lotus looks just fine -- once you get past the fact that it's basically a perfect square when closed -- and anyone who does a lot of messaging should probably take note.

LG launches canU S1000 with AMOLED display

While LG's newest canU series set, the S1000, may not be the first to get asked to dance, it is definitely loaded with inner beauty. With T-DMB television, a 180 degree, rotating, 2.8-inch AMOLED display, and web and mail support, the lucky types on Korea's lg Telecom network are bound to smile. Too bad the specs we're seeing are so thin as we're sure there's a pile more goodness here -- violet and silver color choices aside.

• LG's GB110 and GB106 candybars keep it real, real simple

LG's GB110 and GB106 candybars keep it real, real simple

Make no mistake -- lg isn't hoping to earn too many dollars (or too many of any other currency, actually) with the GB110 and GB106, but as Nokia has shown, there are solid deals to be made even at the low-end. The GB106 checks in with a 1.5-inch LCD, FM radio module, speaker, a calculator, stopwatch and a battery good for around four hours of yappin'. As for the GB110, you'll find most of the same specs in a slightly tweaked body, though the inclusion of a VGA camera and support for downloadable ring tones just might sway you over its scantily-featured sibling. There's no mention of pricing / availability at the present time, but we're guessing these are destined for emerging markets first and foremost.

• AT&T's Secret shows back up on LG's site

AT&T's Secret shows back up on LG's site

We already know this one's coming, and the fact that LG's no longer concerned about keeping it off their site suggests that it might be coming sooner rather than later. With any luck, the AT&T-branded version of the CF750 Secret will carry over the key features of its international cousin, namely 3G, a 5 megapixel camera, touch-sensitive display, and a wicked thin body. As always, it would've been nice if we'd seen it... oh, about six frickin' months ago when it launched everywhere else, but we get it, LG. You hate us. That's fine.

• Live from lg 's press conference
• lg Renoir hands-on

Live from LG's press conference

The first conference of the day is LG, everyone's in place expecting Blu-ray, Netflix, HDTVs and ... we'll let you know in just a moment . Hold on ''til things kick off at 8 a.m. PST (11 a.m. EST.)

11:16AM 2 Mobile DTV channels broadcasting here in Las Vegas right now. the slide promises Final standard in 3Q of this year, commercialization in Q4.
11:15AM "can you hear me now" in a phone trailer is always good for a laugh, judging by this crowd. If we believe the video, it will work perfectly, no matter where you are, is that something you'd be interested in? Next up, mobile ATSC tech


11:14AM Prepare for for more Mark Levinson pimping, phones, TVs, HTIB, all tuned personally by Mr. Levinson. The demo phone on screen uses two mics to eliminate background noise
11:13AM Now talking up last year's BD-300 with Netflix Instant Watch, BD-370 and BD-390 and will push this forward with CinemaNow, YouTube and other providers. DivX HD, MKV support is confirmed for 2009.
Yes, we just said MKV.




11:12AM Last year's 47-incher was 105.9mm with 128 local dimming zones of LEDs, this year's doubles the ocntrast ratio and upgrades to 240 local dimming zones
11:11AM 2009 development: TruMotion 240Hz adds Interpolated frames with LED backlight, claims clearer fast motion pics -- we're skeptical


11:10AM "Next big thing is 3D" 3D chipset will be integrated in all TVs, plasma and LCD models will be on display at the booth
11:09AM LG's choosing WirelessHD for its televisions, 60GHz wireless for uncompressed 1080p transmission

11:09AM Wireless HD, 3D, mobile ATSC and more incoming
11:08AM Pretty upbeat intro considering the economy, life and everything, next up is "the father of HD", lifetime Emmy Award winner Dr. Woo Paik, CTO of LG, promising a "sneak peek at advanced tech coming from LG.
11:06AM LED Backlighting, wireless streaming, 120Hz and network connectivity remain a big part of LG's HDTV line: Yahoo, Netflix, CinemaNow content straight to TVs will be a part of the future growth
11:04AM "Last year was a very important year for LG Electronics...sales increased over $13 billion last year..result of a focus on novelty and stylish products that fit into consumers everyday lives" marketing spending and R&D investment isn't going down so expect more Blu-ray + (insert tech here) combos

11:02AM John Taylor's on stage promising a fast paced program, introducing CEO / vietnam vet / humanitarian / general badass Michael Ahn

11:00AM 10:59 a.m.: The voice has mandated all take their seats, the trailers running on conveniently placed LCDs are already touting energy savings and Blu-ray.

LG Renoir hands-on

Though it has been out for some time, we'd not had the chance to really check out LG's Renoir properly -- even though Engadget Spanish has had a chance. Of course, LG's massive booth featured an area dedicated to this 8 megapixel effort that we had to almost fight through to get at this phone. The interface is good, the weight and feel in-hand doesn't come off as $10 plasti-crap, and the touchscreen does seem to get its job done. Crazy presentations aside, LG's Renoir is a really solid effort, color us suitably impressed. Engadget Mobile has the gallery.

• Video: lg Watch Phone hands-on

Video: LG Watch Phone hands-on

So we dropped by LG's booth here in the South Hall at CES and weren't really surprised to see a whole bunch of watch phones in a case that looked like it was just moved out of Jacob & Co. There was a surplus of models dolled up behind glass, but only two out on the floor. lg was being super secretive about the transitions between the various screens, but we did our best to sneak peeks through the fingers on our not-so-generous demonstrator's hand. What we did see looked pretty polished though (which you should know by now) and the transitions looked like browsing music on the iPhone. We were able to find out that the screen is not an OLED. LG went with a TFT with capacitive touch but we were told that it would work through a golf glove -- though we're not exactly sure about this. Be sure to check out the gallery for even more glamor shots and check after the break for video of the device (or the parts that LG would let us see) and prepare to be amazed. Ooh, shiny.

• LG's CTO flaunts GD910, we get it on video

LG's CTO flaunts GD910, we get it on video

LG finally figured out how to do a watch phone that doesn't make us physically ill, and fortunately, the company's CTO happened to be sporting one at the press conference today. Head on over to Engadget to check out the very device that -- let's face it -- will probably be on your wrist later this year.

• HTC's Iolite poses for new picture and gets specced