LG - 18/45 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Nov

LG Optimus L9 Arrives On T-Mobile, Available From Wirefly For $50, Or $80 Directly From T-Mobile

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Optimus L9, T-Mobile

Sure, it's not a Nexus 4, but not everything can be a flagship, right? If you're shopping around on T-Mobile and you want to save a bit of money, the LG Optimus L9 has arrived to give you another option. Starting at $80 (after mail-in rebate) on T-Mobile's website, or $50 via Wirefly, this mid-range device still nets you a decent 1Ghz dual-core processor, a 4.5" qHD display and a relatively beefy 2150 mAh battery.

Here are the specs:

4.5" qHD display with Gorilla Glass 2
1GHz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
4GB storage
2,150mAh battery
Android 4.0

It's not going to win you any super nerd cred, but for the price it's not a bad piece of hardware.

Nov

[Update: Price And Release Date] Sprint Announces Mid-Range LG Mach - 1.2GHz Dual-Core Processor, QWERTY Slider, And ICS

Posted by Cameron Summerson in LG, Mach, News, Sprint

Update 11/1/12: The Mach will come out on November 11th for $99.99:

Sprint's on a roll here lately with the 4G LTE device announcements. We already know the company is getting the powerhouse Note II, as well as its first LTE tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, and LG's newest flagship, the Optimus G.

Of course, they want to cater to the needs of all customers. We all know there's a market for QWERTY sliders, and the newest member of Sprint's smartphone family brings just that to the table. Dubbed the LG Mach, this is a solid mid ranger with a seemingly outstanding form factor:

4" 800x480 display
1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon MSM8960 processor
1GB RAM
8GB built-in storage, microSD card slot
5MP rear shooter, VGA front camera
QWERTY slide-out keyboard
4.64" x 2.56" x 0.48", 5.92 ounces
1.700mAh battery
Android 4.0

Unfortunately, there's no word of when the Mach will be available or how much it'll cost, but we'll let you know as soon as the information is available.

Nov

Initial Impressions Of The Nexus 4 - Raising The Bar For Design, Materials, And Build Quality

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Jelly Bean 4.2, LG, Nexus 4

Last Updated: November 14th, 2012

Finally. Since Hurricane Sandy flooded out New York and canceled Google's press event, we've been trying everything we can think of to get a review unit. Late yesterday we got an email back from an awesome Googler (thanks!), and I immediately flew out the door to go rescue a Nexus 4 from New York. We got one! Mission accomplished!

I have a million things to work on now: a full review, a bunch of GTKAs, and teardowns of everything. First, though I figured I'd quickly show off the new Nexus:

For starters, the build quality and materials are amazing. As soon as you pick it up you know you're holding something that is built with more love and thought than a Galaxy Nexus or GSIII.

Nov

LG Nexus 4 System Dump And New Wallpapers Available For Download

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus 4

The Nexus 4 may not be officially available until November 13th, but that didn't stop someone from yanking the system dump and uploading it for all the world to enjoy. Devs can grab the file now and start tinkering away with the goodies found inside the 291MB zip.

For those who may not be interested in grabbing the entire thing and only want some visual goodies, though, we've pulled the new wallpapers from the dump:

Nov

LG Viper On Sprint Finally Getting An OTA Update To Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Sprint, Viper

It's hard to believe that any high(er) end phone released within the last six months shipped with Gingerbread, but sadly, that's the case. Sprint's first LTE smartphone, the LG Viper, was one such device. Thankfully, the company is now pushing out an OTA update that will bump the Android version up to 4.0. It may not be the latest and greatest that Google has to offer, but it's still a huge improvement over Gingerbread.

Sprint's full changelog basically highlights some of the many features that ICS has over GB, so it's unclear if the OTA brings any other enhancements to the table (because a massive OS upgrade isn't enough, right?):

To see if the update is available for your device, head into Settings > About Phone > System Updates.

Oct

Creatives At San Francisco-Based Autofuss Release Gorgeous Promo Video For Google's Nexus Family

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Google, Nexus 10, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Videos

If you thought Google's official Ask Me Anything video was a good promo for the new Nexus family, wait till you see this. A design studio called Autofuss (based in San Francisco) has created their own promo video for the Nexus 4, 7, and 10, that does a great job of showing off the new line. Take a look:

Not only is the thirty-second spot a pixel-perfect promo in terms of style, polish, and overall concept, but it stays true to Google's own Nexus branding, art style, and features copy that feels right at home in a promo made for Google.

Oct

Thinking Of Leaving Verizon Or Sprint For The Nexus 4? Several GSM Carriers Compared (Pre- And Post-Paid)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Carriers, News, Nexus 4

The time has finally come: after spending the biggest part of a decade with Verizon Wireless, I'm moving to a GSM carrier. This isn't just because of the Nexus 4, though - I've been debating on making the move for months now. However, Big Red delayed the inevitable change when they turned on LTE in my area.

Still, I'm sick of being tied down to CDMA carrier, and the recent Nexus 4 announcement is the straw that broke the camel's back. I don't want to be locked into a contract any longer, and there's only one economical way to get away from that: buy the Nexus 4 and move to a GSM carrier.

Oct

Here Is Another Reason Google Continues To Shun SD Cards - Multiuser Support

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, News, Nexus 10, Nexus 4, Nexus 7

The lack of expandable storage in Nexus devices becomes one of the hottest and most controversial topics every time Google does a refresh and we find out that the next generation lacks SD cards entirely yet again. Couple that with the decision to limit onboard storage options to 16GB max, which is the case with the Nexus 4 at the moment and was the case with the Nexus 7 for a while, and you've got a full-blown revolt.

You may have read one explanation of Google's aversion to SD cards, which was brought up by Android engineer Dan Morrill last year: it's confusing to users to have multiple storage points, the insecure "free-for-all" area was not meant for private app data but rather for media, and essentially SD cards are the sources of all evil.

Oct

PSA: Google Clarifies Nexus 4 Support For HSPA+42, Updates Play Store Pages Accordingly

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in AT&T, News, Nexus 4, T-Mobile

When the Nexus 4 was announced yesterday, there was a bit of confusion regarding its HSPA+ support for faster HSPA+42 speeds offered by companies like T-Mobile. The Device Play Store pages showed HSPA+21, but T-Mobile's press release claimed the faster HSPA+42, also known as DC-HSPA+ (dual-cell). Did that mean that T-Mobile customers needed to get a special variant of the Nexus? The answer is no, but the inaccuracy surely puzzled some.

Google just cleared up the confusion and updated the Device Play Store with the right data. Both the 8GB and 16GB pages now correctly mention HSPA+42:

If you're a customer of T-Mobile, AT&T, or a myriad of related MVNOs, buy the new Nexus without fear when it becomes available November 13th.

Oct

CyanogenMod 10 Nightlies Go Live For The Optimus 2X

Posted by David Ruddock in Jelly Bean 4.1, LG, News, Optimus 2X (Star, p990)

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

If you're looking for a way to freshen up your Optimus 2X (read: make it not suck), the team over at CyanogenMod may have something of interest for you. CM10 (Android 4.1) nightlies have officially landed for the 2X (this ROM is not compatible with the T-Mobile G2X), and you can get the first build right here.