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LG overhauls Android phones from top-end to low-budget

BARCELONA, Spain--LG Electronics overhauled its Android product line today, with the flagship Optimus G Pro leading the way.

The company divides its Optimus line into four categories: its G series for deep-pocketed early adopters, the F series with the mission of "4G LTE for everyone," the lower-end L series, and the Vu tablets.

The company announced the Optimus G Pro specifications last week, and now it's showing off the "phablet"-size device with its mammoth 5.5-inch screen. Soon it and its smaller Optimus G sibling will be joined by more in the line. … Read more

AT&T, General Motors to sell 4G LTE-connected cars next year

BARCELONA, Spain--General Motors cars rocking their own 4G LTE connection will hit the road next year.

AT&T and GM's OnStar service unit struck a deal to bring millions of connected cars to the market, starting with the 2015 fleet, which comes out late 2014. GM said most Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac cars will get wireless connections.

It's the latest win for AT&T, which has been particularly aggressive in going after the connected car business, a lucrative one in which the company believes it can eventually generate a billion dollars in revenue. Furthermore, the … Read more

Global allies give Mozilla's Firefox OS a mobile foothold

BARCELONA, Spain--Laying the groundwork for its nascent Firefox OS, Mozilla has won over a sizeable list of allies including LG Electronics and China Unicom, and the first phones with the browser-based operating system should arrive in the second quarter of the year.

Mozilla announced today at the Mobile World Congress show here that it's persuaded 18 mobile network operators and four mobile phone makers to back its open-source mobile operating system. That's not enough to unseat the incumbent powers of Google's Android and Apple's iOS slayer, but it is enough to ensure Firefox OS at least … Read more

New LG ad: iPhone 5 is broadly inadequate

When it comes to the smartphone industry, it's difficult to get a broad view.

The intensity of entrenched positions makes it resemble Congress. And respect is in even shorter supply than intelligence.

I was, therefore, moved when Apple Insider pointed me to a new ad for the LG Optimus G Pro.

It appeared to be a deep and respectful homage to the iPhone 5 ad in which Apple shows off its panoramic capabilities, as Jeff Daniels intones at his most amiable.

You know, the one with lots of kids and Daniels saying, "Cheeeeeeeese." (Embedded below, should you … Read more

North Korea readies mobile Net service, but not for residents

Just one month after North Korea relaxed restrictions on tourists' cell phone use, the country will soon allow foreigners to access the Internet via mobile devices.

3G service will be operational within the country's borders by March 1, but North Koreans won't have access to the mobile Internet, according to the Associated Press. Koryolink, a 3G mobile provider partially owned by the North Korean government, on Friday began informing foreigners living in Pyongyang that they will soon be able to subscribe to monthly data plans.

The move comes a few weeks after North Korea announced it would allow foreign visitors to use cell phones within the country, … Read more

Sprint's 4G LTE quietly pops up in San Francisco, New York

Sprint has quietly flipped the switch on its 4G LTE network in some areas of San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., suggesting an official launch may be close at hand.

While confirming a report that first appeared in The Verge, a company spokesperson did not specify which sections of the cities would have access to the speedier network.

"During a pre-launch phase, customers with 4G LTE-capable devices may begin to see 4G LTE coverage in these areas and are welcome to use the network even before it officially launches," Sprint representative Roni Singleton told CNET today, … Read more

LG's 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro to reach U.S. in Q2

After some earlier teasing, LG Electronics fully detailed its Optimus G Pro Android phone today, a high-end model with 5.5-inch screen, LTE networking, and a quad-core 1.7GHz processor.

LG often sells its phones first in its home market of South Korea, and it looks like that's the plan for the Optimus G Pro, too. But it'll arrive in other areas, too, including North America and Japan in the second quarter of 2013, LG said in an announcement a week ahead of the Mobile World Congress show. That's where the South Korean company will show off … Read more

U.S. Cellular readies for 4G LTE expansion

U.S. Cellular may not be the nation's largest carrier, but that won't stop it from extending its 4G network.

The regional provider announced this morning that by the end of 2013, it will take its 4G LTE network to cities in three new states -- California, Nebraska, and Kansas -- and will also add new markets in some states where it already has a presence.

If you live in the following states, keep an eye out for a switch from 3G to 4G service in the coming year: Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, … Read more

LG debuts Optimus G Pro ahead of Mobile World Congress

LG, seemingly unable to keep a secret, today teased a 5.5-inch version of the Optimus G Pro.

Presumably arriving in late February at Mobile World Congress, the handset aims to take on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

A teaser image posted on an LG Facebook page provides an early glimpse of the larger, yet familiar design. Although the official details for the 5.5-inch handset are light, early rumors suggest that a quad-core 1.7GHz processor, 2GB RAM, and a 13-megapixel camera are in order. For all practical purposes, the new phone looks to be a larger take on … Read more