LG signs patent licensing deal with Microsoft

LG is the latest major Android manufacturer to sign a licensing agreement with Microsoft, agreeing to pay royalties to the software giant. That leaves Motorola as the only one of the Google OS big players that hasn't got a similar deal.
The deal means that LG will be paying Microsoft a few bucks for every smartphone, tablet or "other consumer devices" it makes that run either Android or Google Chrome OS.


LG becomes the eleventh Android OEM to sign such a deal with Microsoft. The aforementioned Motorola is already being sued by Microsoft over alleged patent infringement, so it might be joining that list soon.
HTC and Samsung each have patent licensing deals with Microsoft, which require them to push out Windows Phone devices and pay for promotion and marketing of the OS. It's unclear if LG has similar clauses in its contract.
Source

LG Marquee comes to Boost with no contract

Looks like dad's letting the kids get more toys this year, as Sprint’s prepaid brand, Boost Mobile, is getting the LG Marquee in the coming weeks.

The LG Optimus Black clone, which was already available from Sprint on a two-year contract, is released under Boost's "Shrinkage" plan, and is undoubtedly part of the parent company's effort to generate more interest in the contract-less phone market.
The Boost Mobile version of the LG Marquee will be available for $279 from January 23.

White Galaxy Nexus coming up next month, 32GB version in tow

Samsung blessed most of its smartphone portfolio with shiny white dresses for the holiday season, but it seemed to have forgotten about its most important product. Well, rest assured - the Galaxy Nexus is getting the same treatment soon.
According to some UK retailers the white Galaxy Nexus units should start arriving sometime next month. Dates vary, but are generally in the first two weeks of the month. Pricing for the white version is identical to that of its black sibling.
Pre-orders for the 32GB version of the Galaxy Nexus also started, but there is no exact launch date for that one yet. Its £599.99 price tag sure sounds scary, but given that there's no microSD card slot on that one, this is your only option of getting a bit of extra space for all those apps and multimedia files.
So, are you getting a white Samsung Galaxy Nexus? Or did you just start saving for the extra storage version? Share with us in the comments section below.
Note: the image above is a just quick mockup of ours and does not depict the actual product.
Source | Via

News Samsung ships 35M smartphones in Q4, makes record profit

Samsung has posted its preliminary Q4 financial report and things are looking great for the Korean company. Thanks to the extremely strong performance of its mobile division, Samsung recorded an operating profit of $4.5 billion, which is an amazing 73% higher than the operating profit for Q4 of 2010.
During the past three months Samsung shipped about 35 million smartphones, a 25% increase over the previous quarter and a new record for the company. The strong performance of the Galaxy lineup is the key to this success and Samsung expects to see more of the same in future.
In fact the Samsung handset division is now the conglomerate's biggest earner.
The Koreans expect to solidify their position as the world's number 1 smartphone maker in 2012 as they expects that Apple won't be able to maintain its level of innovation and will start to fall back.
What's even more, Samsung expects to end the first quarter of 2012 with about the same operating profit as the last quarter of 2011. Typically, electronic companies experience a dip in sales and profits after the holiday season, but this time the profit will remain at a similar level.
We are yet to see what Samsung has in store for us in the first few months of the New Year. The company already unveiled the Galaxy Ace Plus (which we already welcomed to the office) and Galaxy M Style and things will certainly get even more interesting at CES next week and the MWC next month.
Source

HTC profits decrease as smartphone competition stiffens

Every streak has its end and the HTC two-year streak of continuous growth came to an abrupt halt over the holiday season. The Taiwanese company posted net profit of $364.26 million, which is a 25.5% decrease compared to the same period of last year.
And while the company already warned that it won't be making its previously set targets, it even failed to meet the revisited goals. Obviously the company's current portfolio is not faring particularly well, with the increased pressure from Samsung and Apple quoted as the main culprit.


To make matters worse, the company expects to see more of the same in the first quarter of 2012 with net profit expected to continue sliding.
There's still no reason to panic of course, as the company is still making cash rather than losing it and it's probably just a hit product away from going back on the right road. Plus, the company was so successful recently that it saw its shares triple in just 14 months - there is no way it was going to maintain that kind of performance forever.
We are holding our breath for the new HTC announcements that should come at CES next week and then later, at the MWC in February. The company is expected to unveil the world's first quad-core smartphone at one of these events and we can't wait to get our hands on that beast.
Source

App download record smashed

App downloads broke an all time record high in the last week of December, 2011, according to analyst firm Flurry.
According to figures, 1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the Christmas week, buoyed by users given new devices given as presents and discounted app offers.
The US was responsible for nearly half of all downloads, followed by China, with 99mill app downloads
The UK downloaded 81 million apps, beating Canada (41 mill), closely followed by Germany and France both downloading 40 million.
In Flurry's most recent report, they estimated that a record-breaking 6.8 million iOS and Android devices were activated on Christmas Day, along with an equally record-breaking 242 million application downloads.

Story Source: http://blog.flurry.com/

iPhones with quad-core chips?

Some reliable people have discovered quad-core processor support into the iOS 5.1 beta code. So, we could expect quad-core iPhones and iPads in the near future.
Shocker? Of course not. But it’s good to know Apple is already working on the next big hardware jump.

core.0 means single-core, core.3 means quad-core

A few months ago other skilful developers discovered the iPhone5,1 reference into the first iOS 5.1 beta code. It might turn out Apple is indeed gearing the next iPhone with a quad-core A6 chip.
So, what do you think - will the next iPhone be a quad-core gadget or Apple will stick to the dual-core technology for one more generation?
Source

LG announces 84-inch 3D Ultra Definition TV, will show it to you in person at CES

LG is on a roll with the incredibly awesome televisions. After the 55-inch OLED TV that we saw last week, which also happened to be the world’s largest OLED TV, today they have announced the gigantic 84-inch 3D Ultra Definition TV, which, again, is the largest in the world.

The key feature here is the Ultra Definition panel, which has a resolution of 3840 x 2160, four times the resolution of current Full HD panels. It uses LG’s Slim and Narrow Bezel design, which makes the display look like it’s going from edge to edge and does not jut out too much from your wall. The TV will come with a set of passive 3D glasses.
No mention of pricing or availability has been made. We will probably find that out during CES itself.
Source

1 million Samsung Galaxy Notes shipped worldwide

The Samsung Galaxy Note looked an odd device at first but the experiment is proving to be a success - Samsung just announced that they've shipped 1 million units of the phone-tablet crossover globally since it launched in mid-November.
Samsung reports rising sales of the Note in France, Germany, Hong Kong and Taiwan and XL-sized droid will be arriving in the US some time next year too (there's still no official info on when that will happen).
Of course, 1 million shipments don't mean 1 million sales (sales are less but we don't have exact numbers), still it's very good going for something that seemed out of a place (too big for a phone and too small for a tablet).
There's not much competition in the 5"-6" range right now but the success Galaxy Note phoneblet might bring new players into the field. Samsung execs are reportedly proud of breaking new ground in mobile devices and promise more to come.
Source

Apple iTV on the way?

Apple have ordered component parts to make iTV sets in 2012 according to sources.
Digitimes, quoting Korean media sources, reports that Apple will be focusing on 32 inch and 37inch sets using Samsung electronic chips and Sharp displays.
Apple TV launched a set top box in 2006 but the new sets will incorporate the technology into a whole TV package.
The new iTV will be released late in 2012 according to rumours.

Story Source: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20111227PD204.html

New LED printers from Epson

The new range comprises monochrome, colour single-function and all-in-one devices featuring LED technology

Epson has launched the company’s first range of high performance LED printers that will replace its entry-level laser printer device range.

The new range comprises monochrome, colour single-function and all-in-one devices and features a high-performance LED technology that produces high-quality, high-speed prints with space and power savings.

The new series will continue to use the Epson AcuLaser brand for the foreseeable future.

The new printers provide users benefits that include:

- Low acquisition and running costs as the printers and cartridges are affordably priced
- High print speeds of up to 24 pages per minute (black) / 12 pages per minute (colour)
- High monthly duty cycles of up to 20,000 pages per month
- High buffer memory capacities of 128MB that enable better heavy workload management
- Vibrant colour images and rich, well define text with Epson AcuBrite mono and colour toners
- Compact space saving chassis designs thanks to the compact new LED print engines

The new range consist of:

Monochrome printer models:
- The Epson AcuLaser M1400 single function mono printer
- The Epson AcuLaser MX14 all-in-one mono printer

Colour printer models:
- The Epson AcuLaser C1700 single function colour printer
- The Epson AcuLaser C17NF all-in-one colour printer with networking and fax

Sony agrees to discontinue LCD venture with Samsung

   

Struggling with a loss-making television business, Sony Corp has reportedly agreed to drop its LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics. As per reports, Sony will now sell its stake to the South Korean company for 1.08 trillion won ($938.97 million).
 

Reliable sources informed, both the companies are already in conversation to terminate collaboration on the project, which has been referred to as S-LCD. The two companies have invested $1.8 billion (2.1 trillion won) in the joint venture. The venture is located south of Seoul and it focused to design LCD displays for large televisions using the "seventh generation" manufacturing process.
Sony holds about 50 percent stake in liquid-crystal display (LCD) joint venture S-LCD with Samsung, which was established in April 2004 to secure stable supplies of the component.
Tumbling demand and a surging yen are two significant reasons for the termination of venture. Latest stats revealed, Sony’s television unit alone set to lose $2.2 billion by the end of quarter. Now, it will concentrate on developing its strategy for smartphones
A Samsung spokesman said, the two companies would make an announcement regarding the joint venture very soon.