LG Optimus Big launches in Korea, we want some in the U.S.

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You may or may not remember this device named the LG Big, but we sure do. It looks like a great phone, we mentioned it back in March and it looked good then, and even better now it is launching. With that 4.3″ NOVA IPS Display, 16GB built-in storage and all those other specs we have grown to love on our Android phones, this surely looks nice.

We aren’t sure what processor it will have. We have heard the usual 1 Ghz, but are still unsure if that is single or dual-core, but hopefully it is the latter of the two. LG has been touting their display technology and claims this NOVA Display we also saw in the Optimus Black is some quality stuff. Taking on Samsung and their SAMOLED Display. LG promises better colors, deeper blacks, and better battery life, oh and that it is way brighter at the same time.
This is all good news for LG, that has been hitting Android hard as of late. With phones like the G2x just launching, and the LG Revolution coming to Verizon. LG looks to be getting excited with all this, and I can’t wait to see what else they bring our way.
 

Mossberg Said iPad 2 is better than LG G-Slate.

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The gadget godfather over at the Wall Street Journal is Walter Mossberg. This is a geek of a different color than us normal folks and one review good or bad from Mossberg can make or break a new product on the market. More than one bad review from Mossberg has heralded the demise of the dreams of sales glory for a manufacturer.

Mossberg has laid his hands on the LG G-Slate tablet that we have talked about before. The G-Slate sells for about $750 with no data contract. He noted in the review that the tablet performs pretty well overall. However, the real killer comment for LG was this one, “The G-Slate isn’t as good a tablet as the iPad 2. I’d only recommend it for people who want the higher cellular speeds, or who prefer Android.”
If you don’t care what Mossberg thinks you can get the tablet right now. It’s got nice hardware with a dual-core Tegra processor and Android 3.0 as the OS. The screen is an 8.9-inch unit that is multi-touch compatible and it will show 3D content if you wear glasses. The tablet is Google certified as well and has a 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear camera.
 

G2x and G-Slate Both Have IPS Display [CONFIRMED]

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We’ve just received official word from LG that both the T-Mobile G2x and the G-Slate BOTH have IPS displays. There’s been a bit of debate about this as of late, whether the display on these devices were simply TFT or if they amped it up a few notches to the more expensive and more fantastic in both color and viewing angles In-Plane Switching (IPS.) What does this mean, you might ask? Why should I give one hoot? Because now you know you can watch Tron: Legacy with the BRIGHT lights!

If you’ve been trolling these internets for word on how everyone’s display’s been working, like I have, you’ll notice that there’s two major items being spoken about. First, there’s one thread on XDA that speaks on what I’d like to talk about: “The contrast ratio is terrible on this phone”, and second, a post right here on Android Community made by one of our resident hacksmeisters Cory Gunther: LG G2x Having LCD Screen Bleeding Issues? Quality Control? This first post, the post starter, was more than likely experiencing some irritable bleed:

Forget the bleeding lcd edges , its the horrible contrast on this phone that will probably cause me to return it.
After coming from the inky black Amoled screen on the Nexus s , this is the most disappointing aspect of otherwise top of the line phone. You can’t get a true black on this phone , the best it does is dark glowing gray. In fact anything with a black background looks gray , not total absence of light Black.
I realize that this phone has an LCD screen not an amoled screen , but I never thought the difference would be this pronounced. Example : when I power up my Nexus S the screen is pitch black and when the white Google logo appears, it will appear to floating in space in a dark room. The G2x display will put off it own light, making it very visible in a dark room.

This is a fellow separate from our editor Cory who also has his original G2x unit exchanged and is very satisfied with the result. Inky black, sweet color explosions, and no bleed! The thread on color went on to say, via many satisfied customers:

The blacks on AMOLED will always be darker than the blacks on LCD that uses backlighting. The blacks on amoled doesn’t have light behind it so its gonna be darker, because there isn’t a light source lighting up behind it. This comparison doesn’t make sense. If you compare the GX2 any other LCD display on a phone it will out shine it hands down.

I am coming from a Vibrant and find the G2x display easier on the eyes. Yes the blacks looked better on the S-AMOLED but the colors are more natural on the G2x. However what I find to be most important is text look a lot better on the G2x display than the Vibrants Pentile display. I don’t have to zoom in anymore to read text on webpages like I did with my Vibrant.

What the G2x AND the G-Slate have is LG’s newest IPS technology, heavy duty excellence in an LCD pack. For all the sharpness, brightness, and contrast you’ll love to see: “P-IPS, debut 2010, Professional IPS, Offer 1.07 billion colours (30-bit colour depth). More possible orientations per sub-pixel (1024 as opposed to 256) and produces a better true colour depth.” — wiki Exciting! For some additional physical comparisons to a few other new Android devices, check out the post entitled G2x vs ThunderBolt vs Atrix 4G vs Sidekick!

 [Source Android Community]

T-Mobile G2x lacks quadband HSPA+, so much for AT&T 3G

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The T-Mobile G2x has been a popular device as of late, and ever since we first saw it we reported it as being a quadband capable device, just as the spec sheet said. These specs were even listed right on T-Mobile’s very own site, but we now have new information that sadly proves otherwise.

We have been wondering about this ourselves and have seen it posted around several forums and twitter. People have tried unlocking their G2x phone and testing with AT&T SIM cards and everything. Now it looks like our friends at Engadget have got a response from T-Mobile to put this finally to rest. There is no quadband support.

The T-Mobile G2x fact sheet, attached [PDF link], contains accurate information. The T-Mobile website is incorrect and we’re working to correct it. The G2x supports 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for 2G/GPRS only, and supports 3G/4G UMTS/HSPA+ bands I and IV. The G2x does not support AT&T’s 3G bands. This banding is hardware based.

Not only is this bad news, but it sounds like a pretty major #fail on T-Mobile’s part by including wrong information on spec sheets everywhere. It was just too good to be true when we first saw this considering AT&T is in the middle of acquiring T-Mobile and that would be great for a device to work on both. Sadly it looks like that is wrong even though we, and many others reported it back when we first saw the specs of the G2x. For now, enjoy that shiny new phone as Android 2.3 Gingerbread is “Coming Soon”.

HTC Thunderbolt Battles T-Mobile G2x in Comparison Fight

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We have a comparison battle between Android on T-Mobile and Android on Verizon for your consideration below, a two-part video comparison pitting the T-Mobile G2x in a face off against the HTC Thunderbolt.
The HTC Thunderbolt against the G2x comparison videos come our way courtesy of Aaron Baker over at Phone Dog who digs deep into the comparison between the two Android smartphones over a nice long 28 minutes in total.
Both smartphones came out to play sporting Android 2.2 Froyo, but the T-Mobile G2x offers a 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor and 4-inch touch screen, while the HTC Thunderbolt offers a 1Ghz single-core Snapdragon processor and a 4.3-inch touch screen, while both deliver an 8 megapixel camera.
The T-Mobile G2x can play nice on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ (4G) network while the HTC Thunderbolt plays nice on Verizon’s 4G LTE, but can one of the smartphones out pace the other and come out on top?
Well you should know by now I’m not going to tell you the outcome, but let you skip on down to mash the play buttons to find out for yourself, and feel free to let us know if you agree or disagree…enjoy.

 

T-Mobile LG G2x wait for Gingerbread wont be long

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Now we have some great news, T-Mobile recently tweeted that the wait for gingerbread “wont be long” and that it was “coming soon”. Good news indeed.

There has been a few discussions about possible issues the G2x is facing. We reported about random reboots yesterday, but not all users are having that issue. My G2x has not rebooted once on its own. We also reported about LCD screen bleeding issues. Those might just be extreme cases, and I for one love the G2x.
With recent news of root and even 1-click clockworkmod recovery, the other side of hardware is looking better and better. With T-Mobile announcing Gingerbread 2.3 coming soon, and the CyanogenMod 7 crew working hard to get the G2x on board. Things are moving right along. We are expecting CM7 Nightly builds any time now for the LG dual-core phone. Will you be flashing CM7, or waiting for stock Android 2.3 Gingerbread from T-Mobile and Google?
 

LG G2x and Optimus 2x get 1 click clockwork recovery

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Earlier in the week we told you about the G2x getting 1-click-root and recovery and you can read about that here. The root method is a 1-click program that is as simple as it gets, but the flashing of clockworkmod recovery was a different story. It needed additional files and NvFlash. Now we have ClockworkMod Recovery for the G2x the easy way.

Now available in Rom Manager is a working recovery for both the G2x, and the Optimus 2x as they needed slightly different ones from what I’ve read. No more flashing with NvFlash or any difficult adb commands here. For those that don’t know, Rom Manager is basically the best. It is a UI overlay for things that are scary like flashing a recovery. It does it all for you, and even updates when needed. With a single click.
So for those with a shiny new G2x, go and get Rom Manager from the market, free and Premium available. Then simply click “Flash ClockworkMod Recovery” and the menu will appear like the photo above, and choose your G2x, easy as cake. Only takes but a few seconds. Oh and I took that screenshot using LG’s screenshot feature on the G2x. Now all we need is some Gingerbread, or some CyanogenMod 7. Who wants to bet that CM7 comes first?
 

LG G2x to get Gingerbread update soon

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T-Mobile today confirmed the upcoming Android 2.3 update for LG G2x. Telecom operator insisted that it won’t take long for the update, which seems normal as the device comes with stock Android version.
It would be interesting to see if LG can push the update before the CyanogenMod team releases a stable version of their ROM for the device.
G2x, which is a rock solid Android device, lacks in the software department as it comes with Android 2.2 on-board, and the upcoming Android 2.3 will surely make more consumers want the device.
 

T-Mobile G2x: Gingerbread Coming Soon, Stock Screenshot Capabilities, Early Cyanogen Mod 7 Port Surfaces

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What a nice round of news regarding the T-Mobile G2X this weekend. There’s a lot here so grab some popcorn and stick with me. Firstly, T-Mobile has confirmed that the device will certainly be getting Android 2.3 – we expected as much. And they say we won’t have to wait very long for it either – we expected that, too, considering it’s a stock Android device.
Secondly, if you didn’t know, this thing can take screenshots out of the box. No need to root it and install ShootMe. (Though we’d still recommend going that route as ShootMe is a very sweet app.) Not sure how many of you will find value in this, but it’s always nice to know that it’s there. Simply hold down the power and home buttons simultaneously.
Finally, if you’d rather inject your brand new dual-core smartphone with some CyanogenMod 7, you most likely won’t have to wait long – folks are already working on adapting the ROM to the T-Mobile G2x. Cyanogen hasn’t announced official support just yet, but if the developers responsible for the port can get it stable enough then I’m sure it won’t take long before it sits on Cyan’s official device list. 

Triple threat: Motorola Droid X2, LG Revolution, and HTC Trophy to launch May 12 on Verizon Wireless

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A month ago we told you that Verizon was going to have some nice releases for April and May. It looks like the Motorola Droid X2 and the LG Revolution are on schedule and will be released next Thursday, May 12. The HTC Trophy (WP7) which was originally expected to hit in April, will now be released next Thursday as well.
For those waiting for the Sony Xperia PLAY, you will be happy to know that it has been scheduled for Thursday, May 26th. This phone was also originally scheduled for April, but due to some bugs it was pushed back.
The Droid X2 will be Verizon’s first dual-core Tegra 2 phone. The LG Revolution will be a 4G LTE phone and be the first Android phone with Netflix support.  The HTC Trophy will be Verizon’s first Windows Phone 7 device.
It looks like the Verizon stores will be pretty busy next Thursday.

 

T-Mobile G2x Android 2.3 Gingerbread Preview

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Well what do you know? Looks like someone got their hands on an early build of Android 2.3 Gingerbread for T-Mobile’s G2x. It’s Chris Ziegler of This is My Next and by the looks of it, there’s not a whole heck of a lot of surprises, but increased enjoyability nonetheless. Have a look and let us know if you’ll be backing out of Cyanogen long enough to get yourself the official real deal Gingerbread when the time comes.

As you may already be aware, the G2x comes stocked with Android 2.2 Froyo in a vanilla flavoring. This tasty combination means that aside from a few apps here and there, this version of Android is in the original Google-made state. There’s no custom user interface sitting on top of it – you know what that means? It means a much easier path to getting an update to the next version of Android. This means that the device will have Android 2.3 Gingerbread sooner than later.
Now you’re already essentially able to get Gingerbread if you’re the hacking type by heading over to the CyanogenMod 7 for G2x post from a few days ago. If you’re into the real deal from Google, do press on:
Factoids gleaned from Ziegler at TIMN:

• This update will be Android 2.3.3, not Android 2.3.4 with Google Talk Video Calling.
• Scrolling and touch sensitivity appear to be notably improved.
• Gingerbread keyboard, improved text highlighting
• No Tags app, Nexus S Gingerbread system sounds not present
• Gingerbread UI in menus, status bar, dialer, and in glow at the end of lists – buzz!
• Stock Gingerbread camera app (replacing LG’s custom Froyo camera app)
[Source :Androidcommunity]

Android 2.3.3 Allegedly Previewed on T-Mobile G2x [Video]

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T-Mobile confirmed that their newest phone – the T-Mobile G2X – would be getting Gingerbread “very soon”. If this preview build acquired by This Is My Next is anything to go by then it would appear T-Mobile wasn’t the least bit bluffing. They bring us 7 minutes of footage but it really isn’t anything we haven’t seen on other Gingerbread devices. Just know that it’s pretty damn stable and expect T-Mobile to roll it out sometime this month (hopefully within the next two weeks).
PS: I say “allegedly” in the article title because of how easy it is to theme deodexed Android ROMs and change build.prop files. We trust the folks at This Is My Next (some very trusted names in technology media), though, and we’re fairly certain they wouldn’t go through the trouble of faking this just for content’s sake.
 

Take Screen Shots With Your T-Mobile G2X Without Rooting Your Phone

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Some of you may already know this, especially if you have recently purchased T-Mobile’s G2X and have researched the device beforehand.  However, I figured it can’t hurt to cover the feature again for those who might have missed it.  One of the most sought out and coveted pieces of functionality iPhone users have benefited from for years has now made its way to Android and could possibly be here to stay for future devices.  That’s right, screenshots!  To take a quick screen shot with your T-Mobile G2X all you have to do is simply hold down the power button + home button and wallah!  A full screen shot of your Angry Birds high score has been saved to your photo gallery.  As a blogger and one who performs app reviews, I can’t tell you how convenient this feature will be.  Previously, one had to root their device to obtain the feature and frankly, it just seemed a little redundant for such a small and single feature.  So, there you have it.  It doesn’t get any easier than that.  Let us know what you think of the feature in the comments below.  Do you think it’s a highly coveted function or could you care less?  We want to know.