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LG's L series go Jelly Bean, but offer few surprises

BARCELONA, Spain--LG did its best to spread its new devices around at Mobile World Congress. It hit the top of the market with the Optimus Pro G, it went midrange with the Optimus F5 and F7, and it aimed a bit lower with the Optimus L7 II, L5 II, and L3 II.

Like the L-series handsets that LG introduced last year, their designs won't stand out and they deliver no surprise features. Also, all of the phones are 3G-only, which sets them apart in an increasingly LTE world.

Inside, they're all running Android Jelly Bean, which I appreciate … Read more

LG has no plans for Windows Phone 8 handsets

BARCELONA, Spain--LG has no immediate plans to sell a Windows Phone 8 handset, CNET has learned.

The Korean consumer electronics manufacturer remains open to using Microsoft's mobile operating system, but doesn't see a huge demand for the product.

"We want to give customers what they ask for," an LG representative told CNET.

LG's reluctance to embrace Windows Phone 8 underscores the difficulties that the platform faces with both consumers and vendor partners. LG was one of the early partners that signed on with Microsoft, releasing the LG Quantum in the first wave of Windows Phone … 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

LG announces Optimus F5, F7 ahead of Mobile World Congress

LG today announced a pair of Optimus F series smartphones on the eve of Mobile World Congress. The two will bridge the gap between the entry-level Optimus L and high-end Optimus G series of phones. Both will run the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and will feature 4G LTE connectivity.

The Optimus F5 features a 4.3-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB internal storage. Juiced by a 2,150mAh battery, the smartphone includes a 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and microSD expansion slot.

The bigger and more powerful Optimus … 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

Qualcomm Quick Charge powers your device faster

Have you noticed that your new smartphone charges up quicker than your old one? You might want to thank Qualcomm and the Quick Charge 1.0 technology, which Qualcomm today announced is in more than 70 Snapdragon-based smartphones and tablets.

The rapid-charging technology can charge your phone up to 40 percent faster than previous generations, Qualcomm claims.

Where other models might take up to 4 hours to charge, a Quick Charge could accomplish the job in under 3 hours. As of today, there are more than 70 devices with support for Quick Charge 1.0, with more on the way.… Read more

LG's Optimus L Series sales top 15 million units

LG's Optimus L Series, which made its debut at Mobile World Congress last year, is selling at a rate of one per second, the handset maker accidentally revealed today in a press release.

According to LG, it has sold 15 million Optimus L devices since last February. The company mistakenly released the news today and had planned to announce the tally on Sunday.

LG has made a strong push for the smartphone market with a growing number of Optimus handsets. The company's L series, which represents the mid-range of its line, has helped boost its standing in the … 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

Let the LG Spirit 4G descend

Save for one handset (the LG Motion 4G), all of MetroPCS' LG handsets have been stuck on Gingerbread.

So when the LG Spirit 4G was released on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (yes, it's not the latest Jelly Bean version, but I'll take what I can get), I was pleased. Not only was the update refreshing, the phone will also be the only other LG device to feature LG's Optimus 3.0 user interface.

On top of that, its current $199 price tag renders it oddly less expensive than some of MetroPCS' midrange Gingerbread phones (like … Read more