LG announced today they are going to expand sales of the LG Optimus G into 50 new markets this month. The new markets will join the United States, Canada, Korea, and Japan, all of which already have access to the device. LG hopes the Optimus G will be considered an “ultimate premium 4G LTE smartphone.” While the device does sport some nice hardware, including a Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor, we did not find it was enough to land atop some other leading phones in the U.S. market. Still, buyers have been receptive to the Optimus G as indicated by their recent announcement that they had sold 1 million units. Google also thought enough of the Optimus G to use it as the base for the Nexus 4.

Check out the full press release from LG after the break.

Optimus G to be Available in Over 50 Markets, Expanding LG’s LTE Leadership

SEOUL, Jan. 22, 2013 — The Optimus G, LG’s most premium and powerful 4G LTE smartphone, will begin its global roll-out into over[j1] 50 countries this month. The Optimus G has already been launched in the United States, Canada, Korea and Japan to very favorable reviews and LG is aiming to build on the excitement already generated to launch the device in other LTE markets.

“As 4G LTE availability expands on a global scale, we will leverage our strong LTE technology and expertise to offer consumers the best 4G experience through our devices,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With the latest Jelly Bean OS and improved software, Optimus G will make a strong case for the title of ultimate premium 4G LTE smartphone.”

Since the launch of Optimus Glast September, the smartphone has been enthusiastically received by audiences as one of the most advanced 4G LTE devices currently available. Optimus G has been receiving accolades from consumers and industry thought leaders alike for its powerful performance and thoughtful user experience. Optimus G’s unrivaled power originates from its innovative hardware design which includes Qualcomm’s advanced Snapdragon™ S4 Pro Quad-Core processor. The device also delivers blazing fast data transfer speeds using today’s 4G LTE telecommunication network.

“LG’s long history of LTE know-how is evident in the DNA of the Optimus G,” said Dr. Park. “As such, we hope consumers will take a deep, hard look at Optimus G when deciding which smartphone will give them the best 4G experience.”

The Optimus G will be available starting at the end of January in Singapore followed by other markets worldwide offering 4G LTE service.

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While HTC certainly isn’t happy about this tidbit of news, we know that you all will be: the mysterious HTC M7 smartphone that we have been harking about is finally out in full view and ready for us to drool over– despite us seeing another possible rendering recently. As you can see, the render above highlights the device’s sleek and jet black design… which is something that we were already expecting before. In addition, the display and Sense (5.0) UI seems to match up not only in the overall design and layout, but the iconography as well. The great thing is about this design is that while HTC is expected to launch the smartphone in various markets around the world, there should be minimal cosmetic differences of the smartphones— save for items like carrier tramp stamps branding.

All in all if this rendering is indeed legit and the real deal, it appears that HTC will more than likely have yet another hit on its hands. We just hope that the world is ready for another hit when the time comes.

source: HTC Source

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Coinciding nicely with a recent overhaul and a slew of functionality improvements, Facebook for Android has received yet another update today. This time users can expect support for voice messaging and quicker image rendering. Facebookers can now also share their friends’ stories directly on their own timelines, something that previously could only be done through the desktop site. Grab the full update from the Play Store via the download link below.

Play Store Download Link

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The Nexus 4 has been pretty hard to come by and, if LG is to be believed, Google’s terribly inaccurate sales predictions are the biggest reason. According to Cathy Robin, head of mobile communications for LG France, demand has been 10 times higher than what Google expected. LG and Google have played a blame game of sorts but it’s hard to fault LG too much if Google did, in fact, give drastically lower sales estimates. Robin said the estimate was based on sales numbers for previous Nexus phones.

It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback and point to things like price and an enhanced consumer awareness of Android as factors that differentiate the Nexus 4 from its predecessors, but to miss the mark by so much is almost unGoogle. This phone came off the heals of Samsung’s Galaxy S III‘s great success. In the minds of many consumers, this was the next big Android phone. It launched at about half the price of other top tier phones. Yeah, I think there’s going to be a bit of a demand. If the Nexus 4 doesn’t make it back to the Play Store, at least we have Qualcomm’s X phone to look forward to.

Source: CNET

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LG certainly has lofty sales goals for 2013– and it appears that its Optimus G smartphone sales are certainly helping the Korean brand achieve those goals. According to Korean news agency Yonhap, LG has sold 1 million smartphones since its original launch late last year— despite not being available in China and Europe yet. While the number somewhat pales in comparison to what the Galaxy S III well… continues to achieve, LG certainly has a good start with the Optimus G and will probably end up getting a solid Optimus G sales’ figure by year’s end.

source: The Next Web

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A few days ago information about the Sony Xperia Tablet Z (SO-03E) leaked. Why they didn’t show it at CES is anyone’s guess. We were thinking that it would show up at Mobile World Congress at the end of February, but it looks like it NTT DoCoMo in Japan will announce it next week on January 22. They will also display it in the DoCoMo Smartphone Lounge from January 23 through January 27.

The leaked specs include a 10.1-inch 1080p display, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, a 6,000 mAh battery, NFC, and it’s supposed to be only 6.9mm thick. There will be an LTE version and like the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL, it’s water and dust proof.

source: xperiablog

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In December we reported on an exploit that had been discovered in Samsung’s Exynos chips. We have not heard of any malicious activity related to the security hole, though it became a popular vector for rooting devices. After looking into the issue, Samsung has started the process of issue a fix for the vulnerability. The devices and networks include:

• Sprint Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch: Sprint’s update FL24 will push out to customers over the course of the next month and will receive Sprint’s Connections Optimizer as part of the update.
• T-Mobile Galaxy Note II: The T-Mobile version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II is getting an update dubbed T889UVALL4. T-Mobile is pushing this out over-the-air or users can manually update via Kies.

There are other devices on several carriers that have the same chipset and are vulnerable to the exploit. We anticipate seeing patches and updates rolling out for these devices over the next several days as well now that the ball has started rolling.

source: Android Central

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CES 2013 came and went without a peep from LG regarding the Optimus G2.  Now we’re hearing the launch of LG’s next flagship phone will be delayed until fall 2013 after Google releases the next version of Android, presumably Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Then there’s the rumor LG will release a quad-core device, being called the GK, at Mobile World Congress in February. The GK, running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and equipped with a 5.5-inch HD screen, would compete with Samsung when Sammi brings the next Galaxy phone to market, hopefully the Galaxy S IV.

We’re happy to see LG making moves to be a player in the mobile device market but I think the Korean manufacturer could do more for its image by correcting Nexus 4 production issues rather than release a stop-gap phone before the G2. A new LG phone would be a hard sell over a Samsung device after all the off and on again reports regarding LG’s first Nexus.

Source: CNET

» See more articles by Rudy Rivapalacio