LG Reveals Upcoming Google Assistant Powered LG ThinQ Speaker, Prior To CES

 

LG has revealed its upcoming Bluetooth speaker called the LG ThinQ Speaker. The key feature of this speaker is that it comes with Google Assistant built-in.

Along with being able to do Google Assistant tasks like asking about the weather, the news, or anything else; the Google Assistant enabled LG ThinQ Speaker will also be able to integrate with LG's line of smart home appliances.

LG has also partnered with Meridian Audio for the LG ThinQ speaker and the device is capable of streaming high quality lossless files.

The LG ThinQ Speaker will be officially announced at CES 2018 along with LG announcing Bluetooth speakers, portable party speakers, and a Dolby Atmos sound bar.


Source: LG

Is This Google’s 2nd Generation Pixel XL, Made By LG

According to Android Police the above image is said to be that of the 2nd generation Google Pixel XL, that is codenamed “taimen” made by LG.

As you can see from the design, this looks a lot like the phone that an XDA member leaked a couple of weeks ago.

According to Android Police's sources, this is the phone that LG has made for Google in place of the HTC made “muskie” that was once thought to be the new Google Pixel XL. It rumored to have a 6 inch LG made AMOLED display with a 2:1 ratio. 

It is also rumored that the new LG made Google Pixel XL phone will sport squeezable sides, just like we've seen on the HTC U11 which will allow you to interact with the phone.


Source: Android Police

Life With Your LG G3 Is About To Get Sweeter

LG USA took to Twitter yesterday, teasing Android 5.0 Lollipop will be hitting LG G3's in the US soon. Specific details outlining the "coming soon" update have yet to be announced. Meanwhile, lucky LG G3 owners in the US can look forward to a sweet treat in the near future.

Source: LG USA Mobile via Twitter

HP To Shut Down WebOS Support January 15

HP recently indicated that it will cease all backend support for WebOS devices on January 15. After that time, WebOS device owners will no longer be able to download or update apps, reset or restore their devices, setup new devices, or retrieve lost passwords. 

According to HP, the web services shut down will not disable existing hardware. HP recommends that WebOS device owners download any apps they may want to keep prior to November 1, 2014. "Shutting down webOS cloud services is part of an orderly end of life program," explained HP. "HP announced the end of WebOS devices over 3 years ago, but the services were kept running to allow customers to continue to have a richer user experience. The user count has dwindled to the point where it is no longer viable to keep the services running." 

HP acquired WebOS when it bought Palm in 2010. HP killed its Palm hardware business in 2011 and has since open-sourced WebOS. LG eventually purchased WebOS from HP, for use in select consumer electronic devices.

Source: HP WebOS Developer Center

Verizon LG G Pad 8.3 Images Leaked

According to the latest tweet from @evleaks, it’s definitely coming soon. In the tweet, Evan posted up a press render of the G Pad 8.3, complete with two Verizon logos and 4G LTE logo on its backside (see below picture). Leaked last month, the tablet stopped by the FCC with Verizon radios in tow.

Source: @evleaks

Nexus 5 In Red Available On Google Play

The Nexus 5 is now available for purchase on Google Play. The model has an entirely red back and a black front, with the exception of the front ear speaker, which is also red. As you would expect, the specifications of the red Nexus 5 are identical to the black and white models.

Pricing is also the same, coming in at $349 for 16GB and 32GB for $399. The Red Nexus 5 is expected to ship within 1-2 business days.

Source: Google Play Store

HP Rumored To Be Prepping Affordable Android Phone

Report's form 9to5Google claims that HP is prepping a new low cost Android smartphone that could be introduced as soon as next week.

This handset is described as being similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and is expected to target prepaid and emerging markets with a $200 price point.

HP hasn't released a new smartphone since the company purchased Palm and its webOS mobile operating system in 2010 and subsequently released a few devices that ran the software, including the HP Veer and HP TouchPad. It discontinued operations on webOS hardware in late 2011, and recently sold webOS to LG.

Source: 9to5Google

Sprint LG G Flex Shown Off In @evleak Image

LG officially introduced us to the G Flex and its curved 6-inch display in late October, and since then the unique device has gone on sale at the three major carriers in Korea. There haven't been any announcements regarding a launch here in the U.S., but the rumor mill has suggested that the curvy handset is indeed planning to make its way to a few different operators in the States. Today another piece of evidence of the G Flex's stateside travel plans has surfaced.

@evleaks took to Google+ today to share an image of what's said to be the LG G Flex for Sprint. The render shows the face of the G Flex, complete with Sprint's Spark LTE spinner icon in its status bar and a "Sprint" network indicator near the bottom of the display. In addition to sharing the image itself, @evleaks claims that the Sprint G Flex's identifies the Sprint G Flex as having the model number "LS995."

The feature of the G Flex is its 6-inch 1280x720 OLED display that curves from the top of the phone to the bottom, a feature that LG says makes the device more ergonomic and offers an improved video-watching experience when compared to traditional displays. The G Flex also features a "self-healing" back that enables the removal of light scratches. When it comes to more traditional specs, the G Flex is packing a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 32GB storage, microSD card slot, 13-megapixel rear shooter and 3500mAh battery.

Source: @evleaks

Nexus 4 Price Drops, Now $199 And $249

Google just dropped the price of the Nexus 4 by $100 for both 8GB and 16GB models. So yes, you can get a brand new off-contract phone for either $199 or $249, respectively.


Source: Google Play Store Nexus 4 (8GB), Nexus 4 (16GB)

LG G2 Officially Announced

LG says that the G2 is designed for humans and that LG put long research into developing it so that it would be best for humans. That was part of what went into the design choices that they made such as the rear power button and volume rocker. They also found that a 5.2-inch display size was the largest size that an average human could comfortably hold. That’s also enhanced with the ultra-thin bezels that LG has incorporated. The G2 is also optimized for next-gen LTE-Advanced networks by using the Snapdragon 800.

The G2 boasts some of the most powerful specs that we've seen to date. It also has some interesting little features and tweaks around it. Let’s take a look at the specs list:

• 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display with dedicated graphic RAM
• 16GB/32GB storage
• 13-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization
• 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera
• 3,000mAh battery
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 24 bit/192kHz Hi-Fi playback
• 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9mm
• Black and white color options

LG has also included some new features in its UI:

• Answer Me — Automatically answers the call after lowering the ringtone when the phone is raised to one’s ear.
• Plug & Pop — Recommends options or related features to choose from when the earphone or USB cable is detected.
• Text Link — Allows information embedded in text messages to be selected and easily saved in a memo or calendar and searched on a map or the internet.
• QuickRemote — Not only can LG G2 be used to remotely control popular home entertainment devices, it can also learn from conventional remotes and be customized to operate multiple devices with flexible layouts and keys.
• Slide Aside — Enables easier multitasking by simply “sliding” open apps off to the side using a three-finger swipe.
• Guest Mode — Protects owner’s privacy by displaying only pre-selected apps when guests access the phone with a secondary unlock pattern.

Jon Rubinstein, Palm Sale To HP Was A Waste

If given the chance to do things over again, former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein would not have sold the company to HP. When asked by FierceWireless about whether he would have done anything differently, Rubinstein said that he wouldn't "have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste."

We're still rather bitter about the abrupt cancellation of webOS, so it's no surprise that the man who dedicated years of his career and his reputation to webOS would also be unhappy with how things turned out. But as we've seen time and time again, Palm was often a victim of circumstance and political carrier games.

The first step down the road to perdition for Palm was their launch partner: third place US carrier Sprint. Said Rubinstein: "We almost had deals with Verizon and with Vodafone, and in the last minute both of those guys decided not to go through with the deal, so we had a deal with Sprint," saying that it was "the best deal we could get at the time."

But all of that is in the past. What's Rubinstein up to these days? As we've previously reported, he's joined the boards of both Amazon and Qualcomm, which Rubinstein says are "uniquely positioned for the future of where things are going." He also spends some of his time helping out some 'small companies'. And, of course, taking time off and relaxing at his Mexican villa from where Ed Colligan lured him away years ago.

And as we've all noticed, a lot of what we love about and was pioneered by webOS has found its way into its former competitors, including yesterday's reveal of iOS 7. Rubinstein listed a number of features, including notifications on Mac OS X, multitasking cards (on, well… everything), Synergy contacts and messaging melding, over-the-air updates, and so much more.

HP To Issue Root Certificate Fix, Ensure Cloud Services Access To webOS

This certificate is responsible for ensuring secure access to HP's webOS cloud services, including backup and the App Catalog, and once it expires, there's no accessing those services.

We've been wondering if or when HP was going to fix the issue, and indeed had heard rumblings that a fix was in the works and due wait for it in the coming weeks. Today we got word from HP that the fix is indeed coming. In fact, it's due today, and it's coming in the form of an update to the the webOS App Catalog.

Updating one app to update a part of webOS isn't something new to HP. Back in 2011 they issued an update to the Maps app on webOS smartphones, that in addition to switching the mapping service from Google Maps to Bing Maps also installed Enyo framework support on the device. Granted, this isn't as much of a stealth update - the sole purpose of this update to the App Catalog is to install a new, later expiring root certificate.

The App Catalog update is for webOS 2.1 and higher devices only. For those running older versions of webOS, you'll have to go into the App Catalog and manually download the HP App Catalog Update app.

Seeing as the update is to replace the certificate that expires on July 23, you'll need to do this before July 23. If you don't, it's still possible, but you're going to have to trick the system by setting your device clock back to before July 23, 2013 and then downloading the update.

Once you've updated with the new certificate things should continue to work for quite some time. In fact, we'd expect a shutdown from HP's webOS servers before the new certificates expire.

LG Officially Announces The White Nexus 4

LG has officially announced the device is launching May 29 in Hong Kong, making its way around the rest of the world in the weeks to follow.

Spec-for-spec, the white Nexus 4 is identical to the original black model. It still comes with a Snapdragon S4 Pro, 4.7-inch 1280 by 768 True HD IPS Plus display, 2GB of RAM, and of course, stock Android. The only way the two models are different is how they will initially be sold. The black Nexus 4 was released first in the US through Google Play, while the white Nexus 4 will be released first in Hong Kong, and then “will roll out globally in select markets in Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East over the next several weeks.”

LG Optimus G Pro Unvailed At May 1st Event

Last week LG announced it will hold an event in New York City on May 1, and today it confirmed the event will be the launch of the LG Optimus G Pro.

The invitation to LG’s May 1 event now includes an image of the LG Optimus G Pro, the manufacturer’s 5.5-inch smartphone. LG already announced the Optimus G Pro in Japan and South Korea, and the phone will finally launch in the U.S. next week with a release sometime later.

Assuming the U.S. version of the Optimus G Pro is the same as the Japanese and South Korean version, the phone will feature a 5.5-inch 1080p True HD IPS+ display and a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor. The international versions of the phone have a 13MP rear-facing camera and a 2.1MP front-facing camera.

While the size of the Optimus G Pro puts it in the phablet category the phone lacks the stylus that’s usually associated with such large phones. So while the phone competes with the Galaxy Note 2 in terms of size it doesn’t have the same input options as Samsung’s phone. That may make the phone harder to use for some, but it’s hard to say without actually holding it.

The LG Optimus G Pro is the company’s latest phone, and the one which will compete against the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One when it comes to U.S. carriers. It has specs similar to both phones (they all use the Snapdragon 600 processor), but is the largest of the three.

The invite gives no indication as the which carriers will offer the Optimus G Pro in the U.S. AT&T and Sprint currently carry the LG Optimus G, so it seems logical that both would carry the phone’s larger sibling.

Google And LG Reportedly Prepping 32GB CDMA Nexus 4 With LTE For I/O

When Google takes the stage during its I/O conference next month, we’re expecting great things: Key Lime Pie, unified messaging, a Nexus 7 follow up and more. But what we won’t get, according to SidhTech, citing unnamed sources, is a Nexus 5, or even an X Phone. Apparently the search giant is planning on introducing a Nexus 4 with more storage and LTE support that’s it in the phone department.

SidhTech’s report claims Google will reveal a 32GB Nexus 4 that will support LTE and CDMA bands for wider availability across the biggest carriers in the U.S. The two biggest gripes you could throw at the Nexus 4 was its storage and lack of LTE, but it appears Google wants to address both issues. But will that be enough to please those in search of a more up-to-date vanilla Android experience?

The Nexus 4 is still one of the best Android options out there, even if it doesn't sport the latest specs. The device certainly wouldn't be a bad candidate to run Key Lime Pie first, and it’ll certainly garner more interest once LTE and higher storage options are available.

Sprint LG Optimus G Gets Some Jelly Bean Love

Sprint has announced the upgrade to Android 4.1.2 for its LG Optimus G. It’ll bring obvious goods such as Google Now, expandable notifications and an updated Android Beam experience, alongside the many other things unique to Jelly Bean.

Alongside that, a bunch of changes specific to the Optimus G have been made. Sprint says you can expect a smoother user interface thanks to the Android framework doing all the heavy lifting for vsync timing, user-installable keyboard maps, an improved camera app, improved voice search, the ability for third-party launches to add widgets without requiring root access, the ability to download the QuickTranslator application from the Application Manager and more.

That’s quite the hefty update, but you’re probably wondering how you can get it anyway. As usual, you can make your way to Settings > About Phone to check for the upgrade, and make sure your WiFi is on and your battery is charged to at least 50% to ensure the best and most safe updating experience.



Source: Sprint

LG Purchased HP's webOS Division

This morning it was revealed that HP is selling its webOS assets to LG - including the source code, personnel, and patents - and that LG intends to utilize those assets to deliver a webOS-powered smart TV in early 2014. LG has no ambitions or intentions to bring webOS to their mobile space as they're perfectly happy with all of the work they've put into Android over the past few years. To be frank, we would have been more than pleasantly surprised to see anybody take up the mantle of mobile webOS development.

And so, the final chapter of mobile webOS began to draw to a close. There's always the work that the fine folks at WebOS Ports are doing bringing Open webOS to devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Asus Nexus 7, but as we've been saying since the full release of Open webOS 1.0 back in September, the open source release is missing a lot in the way of deep features. While Open webOS Professional Edition was supposed to fix that, at this point the only point we can expect to see Professional Edition is in January 2014 when it's running in some form on an LG television at CES.

The team at Palm and HP needed hundreds more working to bring webOS up-to-snuff feature-for-feature with the competition. It's simply wishful thinking to expect that WebOS Ports of any other webOS homebrew project will be able to produce a fully workable port of Open webOS that any sane person would be willing to use as their primary smartphone or tablet.

Moreso than HP abandoning webOS for Android, this purchase of all webOS assets by LG represents a significant turning point for this webOS community. Palm and webOS have changed hands so many times it's boggling to think about - in just the past four years, Palm saw a major cash infusion from Elevation Partners, launched a new mobile platform, got bought by HP,launched their first tablet, saw that tablet get brutally canceled, was split in two,shopped around, open sourced, and now sold to Korean electronics giant LG.

With LG offering no relief to those craving new webOS hardware, it's time to consider more seriously that this may very well be the end for webOS as we know it. There's no guarantee that webOS on LG TVs will have multitasking cards or rich notifications or universal search or Synergy data unification or any of the much-lauded features that made webOS the operating system that we can't help but adore. We've been suckers for webOS for over four years now, and that's not about to change. No matter what happens in the coming years, webOS will always occupy a significant portion of our gadget nostalgia.

Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview Now Available

Canonical has launched a developer preview of the new mobile OS. Designed to play nice with Android development phones, the Linux-based Ubuntu Touch features support for the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. But if you are thinking about moving to the operating system as a daily driver, take note of the “developer preview” tag.

As the build is being released with development for the platform in mind, it does not support the full range of functions  you would get from a fully-baked smartphone experience. The software is described as “very new and unfinished.”

Hit the source link for details and install instructions. 

Source: Ubuntu

Paranoid Android 3 (PA3) Released For Nexus Devices

I'm sure by now you've heard of Paranoid Android. There’s also a good chance that if you own the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, or Nexus 10 you’re either running the ROM yourself or you’ve given it a try in the past.

For these unfamiliar, Paranoid Android’s defining characteristic is what they call Hybrid Engine. Contrary to what many believe, this is not “tablet mode” though that is one of many things that can be accomplished using Hybrid Engine. Rather, Hybrid Engine allows you to select both dpi and layout on a per-app basis. Rather than being forced to modify the look of your entire device, you can optimize your applications to what works best for each and every one.

A new and important feature that has come to light in the recent beta builds, and now sees light in the official release of PA3 is the PIE control system. What this allows one to do is to disable onscreen buttons and use a swipe gesture to access various common functions, thereby freeing up valuable screen real estate. The menu can be seen in the header image above, as well as the video below.

Per-app color, another significant feature in PA3 and recent pre-release builds, allows you set system UI colors on a per-app basis. Want a black system bar for your launcher, but a blue one for Facebook? No problem. Have more eccentric choices in mind? That’s fine too.

The most recent addition is screen calibration for the Google Nexus 4. While the vast majority of third-party reviews have praised the device for its screen, build quality, responsiveness, and overall value; some have been quick to point out that the screen seems under-saturated, especially to those coming from  overly saturated S-AMOLED devices. Rather than trying to offer a simple band-aid solution with RGB calibration, PA3 also corrects for the device’s gamma issues to give it the punch the IPS panel deserves. While you’ll be hard-pressed to find  anyone who says that the Nexus 4 screen looks “bad,” the calibration has been met with much praise thus far, and the team only hopes that these changes are incorporated upstream.

Those eager to get started should visit the link below.


Samsung Galaxy Nexus
LG Nexus 4
Asus Nexus 7
Samsung Nexus 10



Source: XDA Developers

Google Posts Factory Android 4.2.2 Images For Nexus Devices

With the Android 4.2.2 update finally rolling out for most Nexus devices (minus Sprint / VZW Galaxy Nexus), Google has posted factory images of each on the Nexus Factory Image page. These images are useful for flashing your Nexus device back to stock, whether to get an OTA update, or fix that brick you just caused.

These images are for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi and 3G), Nexus 10, and Galaxy Nexus (Yakju / Takju variants). If you want to see what's new in Android 4.2.2, check out our post detailing some of the changes. For a deeper dive, take a look at the developer changelog.


Source: Google Developers