LG

LG to expand retail stores in emerging markets, WSJ says

Samsung's not the only Korean electronics company expanding its retail footprint. LG also plans to open more stores this year, according to a news report.

LG intends to increase the number of its retail stores in emerging markets to boost its market share in smartphones and build a bigger reach for its consumer electronics, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). The publication, citing LG Global Marketing Officer Ki Wan Kim, said the company plans to grow the number of LG-branded shops by as much as 20 percent above the current level of more than 3,000 stores. … Read more

Apple stays on top in U.S. smartphone market, study says

When it comes to smartphones in the U.S., Apple remains on top, a new study from ComScore says.

During the three months ended in February, Apple held onto its title as the No. 1 smartphone vendor in the U.S. the market tracker said. The Cupertino, Calif., company controlled 39 percent of the market, up 3.9 percentage points from the three months ended in November. Samsung, in the No. 2 spot, held 21 percent of the market, up 1 percent point.

There's some bad news for the other Android rivals, however. HTC, Motorola, and LG all saw … Read more

Episode 33: Sony Xperia Z gets a whole new kind of dunk test

Straight out of the box, the LG Optimus G Pro looks like it's going to be a crowd pleaser. With its 13-megapixel camera, spare battery, and charger, "quad-beat" earbuds, and cute Korean comic book manual, Jeff can't help but hear "Dream Weaver" in his head when gazing into its gorgeous display. It's even big enough to live up to Molly's phablet standards. Plus, the LG Optimus G Pro sports a sparkly back that, once again, prompts our hosts to reference "The Matrix."

The Sony Xperia Z, which made a surprise … Read more

Apple iTV iffy this year because of supply issues, says report

A new report from Asia claims that Apple will not have an easy time getting the very-high-resolution display it needs for the iTV.

That would purportedly be a 3,840x2,160 Ultra HD display, according to a report in Digitimes. That resolution is sometimes referred to as 4K Ultra HD.

The report cites two obstacles for Apple. One, Ultra HD TV makers in Taiwan are booked up already for 2013 orders. That supply is going to China-based TV makers. Two, it's not clear if one Apple's favorite display suppliers, LG Display -- which provides displays for the iPad … Read more

Hulk-strong screens, IR blasters, NFC-everything: Your future phone (Smartphones Unlocked)

Here's the smartphone of your short-term future: it has a 5-inch, 1080p HD screen, an 8-core application processor, and a 13-megapixel camera that does crazy things like simultaneously record through both front and rear lenses. You can use it to change your TV channel, tap it to play songs on your car, and control it without ever touching the screen.

The smartphone of your near future takes your pulse, synchronizes to your scale, and tumbles from your hands without a scratch. Oh yeah, and did I mention that it'll last two days on a single charge?

New production … Read more

Android, LTE, and great call quality for an affordable price

Don't be swayed by the use of "Optimus" in its name, as the LG Optimus Regard for Cricket Wireless isn't out to impress. Its compact design is unassuming, its feature set is mostly entry-level, and it runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. So, in other words, it's about as far from the Optimus G Pro as you can get. Yet, those aren't reasons to avoid this affordable, easy to use, and LTE-ready handset.

The Optimus Regard costs a reasonable $249.99 for Cricket's contract-free service, which places it right in the … Read more

Rumor Has It: Will the iPhone 5S be a killer?

This week, it's all about the specs.

The next iPad Mini and Nexus 7 get release dates, but they'll apparently get something even more awesome: high-res screens. The next Google phone is rumored to do something so crazy that makes both of us go into a frenzy of punning. Oh, and Panasonic is bleeding money. Poor Panasonic.

And rounding out this week's rumors: one Apple analyst is sure that the next iPhone will have a killer feature that will put it ahead of the smartphone pack. What could this killer feature be? Leave us a comment and … Read more

Samsung, LG may battle over eye-tracking technology

Samsung and LG Electronics could find themselves in another patent squabble, this time over eye-tracking technology.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 and LG's Optimus G Pro both will offer an eye-recognition feature that automatically reacts to the movement of the user's eyes.

The Galaxy S4 already comes built with Smart Scroll, which lets people scroll through the screen and trigger certain actions by moving their eyes up and down. The phone also includes Smart Pause, which pauses a video when a person looks away from the screen.

LG will add a Smart Video eye-recognition feature to its Optimus G … Read more

Is this LG Nexus 5 leak the future? Or fantasy?

So, there's a few reasons that some insanely awesome specs for what's purported to be Google's next Nexus phone by LG just popped up less than 48 hours after the introduction of Samsung's new Android flagship, the Galaxy S4.

It could be that someone associated with Google or LG thought it might be a good idea to leak the details in order to take some wind out of Samsung's sails and give us a glimpse at some sweet next-generation hardware that's just a few months off. OR, we're just getting hella-trolled.

So I recommend grabbing Gandhi and heading to the sea to find enough grains of salt to take with this one, but it's still compelling enough to pass on.… Read more

What the Samsung Galaxy S4 means for other Android players

After months of rumors and speculation, and one rather awkward press event, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is now an official smartphone. Indeed, we still have a month or more before it actually arrives, but Samsung has again changed the game for Android.

Or has it? What does the Samsung Galaxy S4 mean for other Android players and how should they react in the wake of the big reveal? As I see it, there are three important lessons to be learned from Samsung and the Galaxy S4.

Go big or go home Watching last night's press event unfold, I came … Read more