LG’s biggest, fastest phone to date, previously known as the Optimus LTE, has made its first landing outside of Korea. In a not-so-thinly-veiled reference to the retina display-beating resolution density, it’s now answering to the name, Optimus Eye. The smartphone’s been leaked in a preview video from The Source, a Canadian retailer which is owned by Bell — who’ll evidently be making the phone available on their network. We also get to see LG’s latest AH-IPS display technology in action, alongside a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and the increasingly standard eight megapixel shooter. No whisperings just yet on pricing or a launch date, but we’d expect these top-drawer specifications to be matched with an appropriately top-drawer price tag when it does arrive. You can eye it up for yourself after the break.

Continue reading LG Optimus Eye: LTE smartphone renamed with a view to landing in Canada

LG Optimus Eye: LTE smartphone renamed with a view to landing in Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• We’re live from CTIA!
• Wilson Electronics debuts the AWS 70
• Live from CTIA’s day one keynote with Dan Hesse, Dan Mead and Ralph de la Vega
• T-Mobile Springboard hands-on (video)
• Motorola announces the LapDock 100 for Atrix 2, Droid Bionic and Photon 4G
• Cadillac unveils CUE infotainment system
• Motorola Atrix 2 for AT&T hands-on (video)
• TeleNav 7.1 for Sprint Android phones: this time it’s personal
• Samsung Stratosphere for Verizon hands-on (video)
• Pantech Pocket for AT&T hands-on (video)
• Samsung Transfix for Cricket hands-on (video)
• Navigon demos MobileNavigator for iOS, WP7 and Android
• The Engadget Mobile Podcast, CTIA edition!
• LG Optimus Slider for Virgin Mobile hands-on (video)
• Kyocera DuraMax for Sprint hands-on (video)
• EcoATM offers instant money for your old phone
• A look inside Verizon’s test car

CTIA Enterprise & Applications 2011 wrap-up: Springboard, Atrix and CUE originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live (er…pre-recorded!) from a single microphone in a San Diego Hotel room at an ungodly sleepless hour are your hosts, Myriam and Brad, fresh off the CTIA floor with heads full of hear and gossip, tied together here on the Engadget Mobile Podcast. Don’t sleep, because they haven’t.

Host: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad Molen
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Daestro – Light Powered (Ghostly International)

00:01:43 – Engadget Distro is ready for download!
00:04:05 – iOS 5 review
00:07:39 – Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, has passed away at 56
00:10:55 – Samsung and Google postpone Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus
00:16:30 – T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II review
00:28:14 – Sprint converts its network to LTE, plans ‘aggressive rollout’ to be completed by 2013
00:35:05 – HTC Radar review
00:37:38 – HTC announces the Sensation XL with Beats Audio, we go hands-on
00:40:14 – CITA 2011
00:43:09 – T-Mobile Springboard hands-on at CTIA E&A 2011 (video)
00:45:20 – Motorola Atrix 2 hands-on at CTIA E&A 2011 (video)
00:50:28 – AT&T starts CTIA off right by introducing five new smartphones to its Android lineup
00:59:23 – Pantech Pocket for AT&T hands-on at CTIA E&A 2011 (video)
01:03:54 – Samsung Transfix on Cricket at CTIA E&A 2011 (hands-on video)
01:05:05 – LG Optimus Slider on Virgin Mobile at CTIA E&A 2011, we go hands-on (video)
01:07:00 – Motorola Spyder to be introduced on October 18, keeps its clothes on in video tease
01:10:22 – Mike Lazaridis apologizes for BlackBerry outage: ‘We’ve let many of you down’ (video) (Update: full services restored)

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 108 – 10.13.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Curiously enough, the prepaid market had as much of a field day at this week’s CTIA Enterprise & Applications as anyone else; we already got our fair share of hands-on time with the Samsung Transfix for Cricket, and shortly afterward beheld our eyes (and mandibles) on the LG Optimus Slider, the latest beauty making a beeline to Virgin Mobile as early as this coming Monday. Aside from the obvious slide-out QWERTY, the Android 2.3.4 device will feature a 3.2-inch HVGA display, a 3.2MP camera and microSD support up to 32GB, and will be available without a contract for $200. Head underneath to take a look at the full image gallery and hands-on video.

Zachary Lutz contributed to this hands-on.

Continue reading LG Optimus Slider on Virgin Mobile at CTIA E&A 2011, we go hands-on (video)

LG Optimus Slider on Virgin Mobile at CTIA E&A 2011, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All it took was a little love from Sony Ericsson and now CyanogenMod’s latest official release includes support for a happy cohort of 2011 Xperias as well as the X8. The same goes for Samsung, which doled out a free GSII and some employment and now finds that the Galaxy smartphones are on version 7.1′s list too. Wondering if your particular Droid, Optimus or Incredible can run the cyan shade of Gingerbread and its attendant perks? Then check the source link for the full roll-call of newly supported devices — but remember, despite the increasingly friendly overtures from manufacturers, installing a custom ROM comes with certain pitfalls and can void your warranty. Got that? Now go and play some juicy FLAC files on that Arc.

CyanogenMod 7.1 brings support for Xperias and 20 other handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s 2D to 3D app converter will finally arrive on the Optimus 3D (AKA the Thrill 4G) this month. In order to play nice with it, apps and games need to be using OpenGL. The converter is packaged inside the company’s maintenance release for the 3D smartphone and will be available on European handsets any day now, followed by a gradual global roll-out over the next few weeks. You can expect to find a few more tri-dimensional nuggets, including 3D video editing and the ability to view 3D video in 2D. LG says that it will also add Dolby Mobile sound and automatic image-stabilization for 2D video-capture. But, we’re more interested in that app converter — we want those furious fowl to really pop out at us.

LG Optimus 3D app converter starts roll-out this month, why settle for only two dimensions? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may not be the biggest phone reveal coming in the next 24 hours, but leaked details had already piqued our interest in LG’s next big thing. The Optimus LTE’s screen rivals Apple’s Retina Display at 326ppi and that high-definition sharpness is slathered on a 4.5-inch AH-IPS display. The sizable 1830mAh battery should be enough to keep the phone ticking over despite these high-end specs, which include a confirmed 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and eight megapixel camera. Will we get to see it on these shores? We’re not sure of its travel itinerary after it reaches Korea, but we’d love to see this and Samsung’s latest LTE wares tussle for our affections.

Continue reading LG Optimus LTE now official: High-speed data alongside a high-definition IPS display

LG Optimus LTE now official: High-speed data alongside a high-definition IPS display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The upcoming battle of the budget Androids just won two new recruits courtesy of Net10. The MVNO is offering up the LG Optimus Net prepaid with a 3.2-inch HVGA display, 800MHz processor, 3MP camera (though Net10′s site wrongly mentions 5MP), Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G and an included 4GB microSD card expandable to 32GB. There’s also a slider version called the Optimus Q, which we’re trying very hard not to confuse with last year’s Optimus Q and which actually looks like a variant of Virgin Mobile’s Optimus Slider. There’s no price tag in sight, but contrary to the saying you probably can afford it.

[Thanks, Dwayne]

Double portion of prepaid LG Android handsets coming to Net10 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: it’s just crazy out there these days, and getting even more crazier each and every day. So crazy was this week in mobile news, in fact, we needed a few extra days to digest it all, but we hope you’ll find it was worth the wait. Enjoy the Engadget Mobile Podcast — now in permanent XXL mode.

Host: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad Molen
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Daestro – Light Powered (Ghostly International)

00:05:34 – Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ update begins rolling out today
00:08:25 – Windows Phone 7.5 Mango review
00:39:07 – HTC Radar 4G headed to T-Mobile in time for the holidays, chock-full of Mango
00:42:30 – Hands-on with HTC’s Amaze 4G for T-Mobile (video)
00:45:45 – Samsung’s Galaxy S II for T-Mobile proves that unicorns do exist (hands-on video)
00:54:30 – AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II review
01:09:05 – Ice Cream Sandwich gets a two-minute tour, courtesy of a lucky eBay shopper (video)
01:14:43 – HTC Explorer now official, we go hands-on (updated)
01:16:42 – HTC Holiday spotted sunning itself on Australian shores
01:17:28 – HTC Hero S coming to US Cellular next month alongside Wildfire S and Flyer
01:18:55 – HTC Runnymede spotted in the wild (updated with backup video)
01:20:26 – HTC announces its next party, Beats Audio and ‘surprise headliner’ in attendance
01:21:02 – Samsung announces Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE handsets for Korean market
01:22:56 – Samsung Focus S snapped in the wild sipping on micro-USB juice
01:23:37 – Samsung’s Omnia W: Mango, 3.7-inch Super AMOLED, 1.4GHZ processor
01:24:18 – iPhone 5 / 4S placeholders pop up at Cincinnati Bell, questionable specs in tow
01:39:43 – Sprint’s LTE build out already underway, new 4G network to launch first half 2012?
01:42:10 – Sprint’s unlimited data plans aren’t going anywhere, CTO confirms
01:44:50 – Virgin Mobile announces LG Optimus Slider, sneakily postpones data throttling until 2012
01:52:20 – Amazon Kindle Fire tablet unveiled: Android-based, 7-inch display, $199 price tag

Hear the podcast

Subscribe to the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
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podcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 106 – 10.03.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

• The top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt’s long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device — until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life]
• Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn’t the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it — plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone’s connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It’s disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed]
• LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we’re still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral]
• Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral]
• Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral]
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity]
• Casio G’Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life]
• Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog]
• T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn’t appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware]
• You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life]
• If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn’t announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog]

Other platforms

• Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango.
• The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral]

Refreshes we covered this week

• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out
• How to force Mango to your phone right away
• Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?

Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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