You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Two Galaxy Notes and two Optimus Vus later, LG's ready to tackle the giant-sized smartphone niche, this time without the category's defining accessory: a stylus. The Optimus G Pro, part of the company's performance line, was a surprise when we first laid eyes and hands on it: it's a 5.5-inch embodiment of lessons learned, not just from LG's past endeavors, but also from Samsung's. That the device would ever make it out of South Korea and into the US was an uncertainty. And by entering the market now, the G Pro risks coming off as a stopgap between the Note II and III, as well as LG's own flagship G line.
Yet, LG found a way. It paired with AT&T to bring the G Pro, with its Snapdragon 600 processor and 1080p display, to the States as an exclusive. For $199 on a two-year plan, subscribers get an attractive package: LTE, NFC, 32GB of storage (expandable by up to 64GB via microSDXC), a gargantuan 3,140mAh battery and dual 2.1MP / 13MP cameras with the option for dual-recording. So, aided by some competitive pricing and top-shelf specifications, the G Pro reads on paper like a boss. But the window for that dominance is short. So while we wait for Samsung to attempt a three-peat in the category it created (a Note III could debut by summer's end), let's examine the G Pro and its 15 minutes of fame.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T, LG
LG's flagship Optimus G Pro, due to launch on AT&T on May 10th, might just make its way to Sprint later this year -- and possibly with an upgraded processor. A User Agent Profile on Sprint's website reveals a 1080p, Android 4.2.2 handset called the LS980, which lines up with AT&T's model number (E980) and also corroborates an earlier listing at the Bluetooth SIG. Curiously, the UAP mentions Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 800 ("M8974"), in contrast to the existing G Pro's Snapdragon 600 processor. Then again, there's only so much you can tell about future products from XML files like these. It could be an upgraded Sprint G Pro variant, but the reference to a totally new chip has us (and Android Police) thinking it could also be a full-fledged Optimus G sequel, which has already been rumored and possibly leaked. Either way, it's nice to see evidence of a top-tier phone maker using this cutting edge Snapdragon, especially after the comedy of ZTE's Grand Memo.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint, LG
Via: Android Police
Source: Sprint, Bluetooth SIG
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Earlier today, AT&T made the Optimus G Pro official as an exclusive on its network, giving subs an alternative to that other 5.5-inch handset, the Galaxy Note II. To LG and AT&T's credit, the G Pro's remained mostly unchanged in its transition to the US market, retaining the same 1080p HD IPS display, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB RAM, 2.1-megapixel / 13-megapixel rear camera setup and 3,140mAh battery of the Korean-only model. The only major changes to the handset's internals are in its LTE bands, made to now run on AT&T's network, and inbuilt wireless charging. Oh and it still doesn't feature a stylus, but you'll hardly miss it.
Fans of the glossy white G Pro we reviewed back in March will be disappointed to know that the AT&T variant will only ship in black -- at the carrier's specific request. That restrictive color choice and the carrier's familiar globe on back thankfully appear to be the only two intrusions AT&T's made to the G Pro. It still evokes a sense of solid craftsmanship, despite the overall use of plastics. And, given that it's just slightly more compact width-wise than the GNote II, the G Pro actually feels better in the hand and doesn't confer a sense of instability or slipperiness so often encountered with Samsung's same-sized smartphone.
We've already seen this one leaked and detailed -- and reviewed the non-AT&T variant ourselves -- but the carrier's now finally gotten official with its latest high-end smartphone: the LG Optimus G Pro. If this is the first you're seeing of it, though, you're looking at a phone with a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS display (which translates to 400ppi), along with a 13-megapixel camera (2.1 megapixel front-facing), LTE connectivity, a 3,140 mAh battery, 32GB of storage and Android 4.1.2 with some of LG's customizations. As we noted in our review, that puts it up squarely against the Samsung Galaxy Note II, although LG's decided to forego the stylus here. Look for this one to be available (exclusively on AT&T, incidentally) starting May 10th for $199.99 on the usual two-year contract.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T, LG
There's not much surprise left to LG's Optimus G Pro reveal set for next Wednesday in New York. We've already seen the device slip through the FCC and recently had a previewed glimpse of the potential hardware. But thanks to a trusted source, we now have more insight into the the upcoming AT&T variant's specifications. Based on the official doc we had a look at, LG's managed to keep this US model mostly in line with its global sibling, porting over the same 5.5-inch form factor, 3,140mAh battery, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor paired with 2GB RAM, a healthy 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSDXC to 64GB), 2.1-megapixel front-facing / 13-megapixel rear cameras, NFC and WiFi a/b/g/n. What has changed is the actual screen technology used: the AT&T G Pro employs a Full HD IPS panel as opposed to the True HD-IPS+ in the original. Additionally, and unsurprisingly, the device's radios have been tweaked, with the AT&T G Pro now supporting the carrier's flavor of LTE (700/1700 MHz), HSPA+21 (850/1900/2100 MHz) and quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz).
Though it would be nice to see LG bump this up to a more current version of Android -- namely, 4.2.2 -- the AT&T model will likely ship with the more dated 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Continuing further down the software track, carrier bloat looks to be at a minimum as only two automobile-specific apps are mentioned in the document: AT&T DriveMode and Navigator. Aside from that, LG's own software suite makes the transition, bringing along QSlide 2.0 (a multiwindow feature), Dual Recording (for the picture-in-picture effect), Tag+ for NFC, VuTalk (a note sharing app), QuickMemo, Notebook and the ability to preset the Home Key's LED. That enough of a preview for you? Stay tuned for formal unveiling next week.
[Image credit: @evleaks]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T, LG
Want a glimpse of what LG may have in store for the US market come the first of May? Chances are this latest render (pictured above) from @evleaks could very turn out to be AT&T's Optimus G Pro variant. From the looks of things, not much has changed design-wise since we reviewed the 5.5-inch global model, with the removable, high-gloss backplate still sporting that sub-surface pattern first introduced on the Optimus G. Even the arrangement of the rear camera, flash and speaker appear to have remained the same -- the only noticeable difference is the AT&T globe situated none too subtly below. Whether or not LG's reworked its internals remains to be seen, but with the event now less than a week away, we'll have all the answers soon enough.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T, LG
Source: EVLeaks (Twitter)
LG's just shed some much-needed light on its May 1st New York event. Turns out the "genius" the company will be celebrating stands for Atlas Genius -- as in the band -- and the star of this fete: the Optimus G Pro. We've already seen and very favorably reviewed the global model of LG's performance flagship (for the G's successor, you'll have to wait until Q3) and now it looks like the US is in store for a potential carrier-branded version of its own. If it arrives internally unmolested, we're looking at a 5.5-inch 1080p True HD IPS+ display, Snapdragon 600 and a 2.1-megapixel / 13-megapixel camera setup capable of dual video recording. We'll be on-site for this stateside debut, so stay tuned for the full monty.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, LG
While the biggest question concerning LG's 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro -- when will it ship in the US -- remains officially TBA, the company has posted a video preview (embedded after the break) of the software update it's sending Korean early adopters this month. There's also no launch date for the "Value Pack" upgrade listed, but the video does give a clear demonstration of things like Smart Video that recognizes when the viewer looks away using eye tracking technology, Dual Camera using the front and back cameras at the same time for stills (it previously did this for video), and Pause & Resume recording that brings Vine-style seamless video cuts. Check out the video to experience it for yourself, we'll see if LG's phablet can beat the Galaxy S4 -- and, presumably, the next Galaxy Note -- to market in the US with these features.
Update: We've got the English press release now, which details all the new features mentioned above plus a few more that are getting upgraded, and reveals the update will start going out to users on April 12th. Check out the full text after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: LGMobileHQ (YouTube), LG Newsroom Korea
