LG

The the slow pendulum swing toward the smart TV is about to hit WebOS.

LG has teamed up with Gram, the organization established by HP to handle the WebOS project, to create a television that will be running on the open-source operating system, according to a new report from WebOS Nation. That blog reports that LG and Gram have been working closely for several months on the project.

The road to Gram has been a long and hard one for HP. In 2010, the company made the ill-advised decision to acquire Palm for $1.2 billion. After a few product … Read more

Lately, it seems an increasing number of mythical tech devices are becoming reality before their makers actually make them official.

The iPad Mini was a foregone conclusion before Apple finally made it so this week, for example. And now a U.K. retailer is pushing the Nexus 4 into the world before its existence has been confirmed by the officialdom at Google and LG.

Carphone Warehouse is already offering preorders for the next Google Android reference design -- days before it's expected to be announced at a media event -- and is promising delivery on October 30.

Google has … Read more

Boost announced today that it has begun offering the LG Venice, a variant of the LG Optimus L7 and U.S. Cellular's LG Splendor, for $219.99.

The handset has a 4.3-inch screen and runs on the Android 4.0 platform.

Its 5-megapixel rear-facing camera is capable of shooting 720p HD video and comes with an LED flash. A VGA front-facing camera is also included.

As a Boost device, users will get access to Boost Mobile ID, which allows users to customize their phones with preselected apps and widgets, depending on what ID package they choose.

The Venice … Read more

LG Electronics said today it swung a third-quarter profit based largely on the success of its once-ailing handset division.

South Korean electronics maker posted a net profit of 157.1 billion won ($138.5 million) for the three months ended September 30, a dramatic recovery from the loss of 413.9 billion won ($366 million) it recorded in the year-ago period. However, third-quarter revenue fell 4 percent to 12.38 trillion won ($10.93 billion) due to a decline in demand for feature phones.

LG's mobile division recorded a third-quarter profit of 22 billion won ($19.4 million), compared … Read more

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are looking to step up their game when it comes to display quality for their smartphones.

Both Korean conglomerates are planning to added full 1080p high-resolution capabilities to their smartphone screens in the first half of next year, according to Korean news Web site MK News.

Both companies are expected to pack in more than 400 pixels per inch for future displays. That would be higher than the 326 pixels per inch in the iPhone 5's Retina Display. A full HD display is supposed to have 440 pixels per inch.

The report noted that … Read more

Update, October 27: Google's October 29 Android event has been canceled because of Hurricane Sandy. We'll update you with a separate post when we know more.

Google is betting even bigger on Nexus.

The search giant is set to debut the latest version of its Android operating system, known as Android 4.2, at an event scheduled for October 29 in New York. Rather than the rumored Key Lime Pie, it will be known as Android 4.2+, or an updated version of Jelly Bean, according to a person familiar with the announcement.

Google will also be showing … Read more

The display format formerly known as 4K will now be called "Ultra High Definition" in the home, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced in California today.

The CEA said it chose Ultra HD to denote that it has a higher resolution than the existing 1,920x1,080 pixels of full high definition.

To qualify as Ultra HD, a display needs to have a resolution of at least 3,840 pixels horizontally and at least 2,160 pixels vertically, the CEA said. Additionally, the product will require at least one 4K-capable digital input and display 4K content natively without … Read more

You might not have the privilege of being able to pay something like $10,000 for a shiny new OLED TV this year after all.

According to DisplaySearch, a display industry analysis firm, problems with manufacturing will keep both LG and Samsung from releasing their 55-inch OLED TVs in 2012.

"Samsung and LG recently scrapped their plans to mass-produce 55-inch OLED televisions this year as the companies are having serious difficulties in improving manufacturing yield," said an unnamed DisplaySearch official in The Korea Times earlier today.

"Samsung and LG planned to start selling OLED TVs at major … Read more

Google TV is expanding its reach and moving into Korea. The local provider, LG Uplus, is now offering an integrated Google TV set-top box with its television subscription service.

"If you've ever considered moving to Korea to enjoy its kimchi and K-pop -- starting today we have another reason for you," Google wrote in a blog post. "New and existing LG Uplus subscribers can get the u+tv G starting today, bringing live TV and 50,000 on demand titles, now integrated with Google TV apps like Search, YouTube, Google Play and Chrome."