Digital Tech News - Digital Technology & Consumer Electronics

LG Optimus Vu 4G LTE Tablet-like Smartphone Device

LG has unveiled a new device which is a cross between a smartphone and a small tablet. Set to be on display at MWC 2012, the Optimus Vu 4G LTE phone sports a large 5-inch IPS display with 4:3 aspect ratio for viewing documents, e-books, internet and multimedia content on a compact device that measures 8.5mm thin. The large screen also allows you to jot down notes with a finger or with the dedicated Rubberdium pen.

The Optimus Vu is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and also offers 32GM internal memory, a large 2,080 mAh battery, an 8MP rear camera with AF LED Flash and 1.3MP front camera. This smartphone will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and it will receive an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich eventually.

Additionally, the Optimus Vu is equipped with HDMI, DLNA, and a built-in QuickClip hotkey which allows you to capture screenshots and memos with a single push. Also included on the smartphone is Polaris Office, which lets you open any document, spreadsheet or presentation while on the go.

Samsung Galaxy Note Phone Now Available From AT&T

As promised, AT&T has released the new Samsung Galaxy Note phone today, priced at $299.99 with a two-year agreement. The Galaxy Note smartphone boasts the world’s first 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen (1280x800) and it comes with an S Pen for sketching drawings, jotting down notes, or writing emails and texts in free-form handwriting. The device also includes an S Memo multimedia application which allows for pictures, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes or drawings to be combined via a single application, converted to a memo, and shared as desired, according to Samsung.

AT&T releases Pantech Element Tablet and Pantech Burst Smartphone deal

AT&T has announced a new deal for customers which bundles two new Android devices, the Pantech Element tablet and the Pantech Burst 4G LTE smartphone.  AT&T’s customers can now buy the Pantech Element for $249.99 and recieve the Burst phone for free. That's a savings of about $100 if you bought these devices separately.

The Pantech Element is unique in that it is a waterproof tablet device, so you can whip it out in the rain if need be. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, runs Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) and it features an 8-inch HD screen, front and rear-facing cameras.

Pantech Element features include:

• Vivid 8” HD capacitive touch screen, 4:3 display ratio
• Android 3.2 Honeycomb
• 4G LTE capability (700/AWS)
• Waterproof (IP57 rated) – submergible for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes (with all ports tightly closed)
• 1.5 GHz dual core processor
• 5 MP rear-facing camera with flash and 4x digital zoom
• 2 MP front-facing camera for video chat over Wi-Fi®
• 16GB internal memory
• Expandable memory slot for microSD™ card supporting up to 32 GB
• Bluetooth® v2.1+EDR
• Tabbed browsing, Adobe® Flash® support Vivid HD Video record and playback with a micro HDMI output (cable not included)

LG announces Optimus Pad LTE 4G Tablet

LG Electronics has just unveiled the new Optimus Pad LTE, the company's first LTE-capable tablet device. Set to launch first in South Korea, the Optimus Pad LTE tablet is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and it runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS.

Main features on this tablet include a 8.9-inch 1280 x 720 True HD IPS display, an 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording, an SD memory card slot supporting up to 32GB, an HDMI port, and DLNA support.

The Optimus Pad LTE also offers easy-to-use controls and functions like the Smart Movie Editor for editing pictures and videos more easily, and Web Duet for e-mailing, messaging and SNS sharing with search functions, and On-Screen Phone (OSP) which makes this LG tablet compatible with LG smartphones.

T-Mobile to release Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G smartphone in the USA

T-Mobile USA is preparing to release the new Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G smartphone, which features a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor with 1.5 GHz dual CPUs and a brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen. The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G will run on T-Mobile’s fast 4G network and it will offer a variety of pre-loaded entertainment features for enjoying movies, TV shows, games, music and more on-the-go. T-Mobile expects to make the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G available for customers later this year, you can find out more at http://www.t-mobile.com/GalaxySBLAZE4G.

AT&T to release Nokia Lumia 900 4G LTE phone exclusively in the U.S.

At the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, Nokia and AT&T announced that the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone-based smartphone featuring high-speed 4G LTE connectivity will be available exclusively from AT&T in the coming months.

Nokia Lumia 900 features:

- 1.4 GHz processor, 4G LTE, Bing, Internet Explorer 9, HTML5, Wi-Fi

- 4.3" AMOLED ClearBlack glass touchscreen, one-piece polycarbonate body

- 8 MP main camera, Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, Auto Focus, 1 MP front camera, video calling

- All day battery life, up to 7 hours talk time

- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, Chat, SMS

AT&T releasing new Samsung Galaxy Note phone

AT&T customers will be the first to get their hands on this impressive new Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone in the United States. Available in carbon blue and ceramic white, the Galaxy Note will run on AT&T’s 4G LTE network, and the phone offers a 5.3” display with HD Super AMOLED technology, and it comes with an "S Pen" that lets you write on the display and select functions. Pricing and release dates to be announced.

Key specs:

- 5.3” HD Super AMOLED touchscreen (1280x800)

- Integrated S Pen

- Enabled for 4G LTE

- 1.5GHz dual core processor

- Android 2.3, Gingerbread

- 16GB onboard memory

- Expandable memory up to 32GB with optional microSD card

- 2500 mAh battery

- 8MP rear facing camera

- 2MP front facing camera

- Mobile HotSpot capable

- SAFE – Samsung Approved for Enterprise

Sony Xperia ion LTE smartphone sports 4.6-inch HD display

Sony has announced its new Xperia ion phone, the company's first LTE smartphone, which will be available exclusively in the U.S. from AT&T in the second quarter of 2012.  Xperia ion boasts a large 4.6-inch HD display (1280 X 720 pixels) screen and an HD camera that is said to go from standby mode to first shot in 1.5 seconds.

Xperia ion runs the Android platform 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, and it offers users access to entertainment content from the Sony Entertainment Network, Music Unlimited with 12 million songs, plus movies and TV from Video Unlimited. The Xperia ion is also able to connect with multiple screens to share content on a TV, laptop or tablet.

LG Spectrum smartphone for Verizon Wireless features 4.5-inch True HD IPS display

Verizon Wireless and LG Mobile have announced the new LG Spectrum smartphone at CES. Available exclusively on Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network on January 19, the Spectrum by LG will cost $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. A Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan for the LG Spectrum starts at $39.99 monthly, while a smartphone data package starts at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

The LG Spectrum is the first smartphone for Verizon Wireless to feature a 4.5-inch True HD In-Plane Switching (IPS) display, and it supports images and video in 720p HD. The 1280 x 720 resolution display is said to offer one of the brightest and sharpest displays available on a mobile device, with 500-nit display luminance and Real-Stripe RGB pixels for clear viewing in direct sunlight.

LG Spectrum smartphone features:

- Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor

- 8-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with LED flash to snap beautiful pictures and 1080p video capture

- Front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat

- SmartShare—share media wirelessly to DLNA-enabled devices

- HDMI mirroring capable via MHL

- SmartMovie HD app—create and edit HD videos right on the Spectrum by LG

- Mobile Hotspot capability—share 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices

- Bluetooth® Version 3.0

- 16 GB microSD card pre-installed with support for up to 32 GB microSD card

- 4.5-inch True HD IPS display provides natural colors and brilliant, undistorted HD images in 16:9 aspect ratio. Pictures and texts are incredibly sharp with 329 pixels per inch (PPI) screen density.

- Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, the True HD IPS display uses Real Stripe subpixel arrangement so images never get blurred.

- Android 2.3 Gingerbread (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade available the first half of 2012); support for Google Mobile Services including Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Maps and access to more than 300,000 apps available to download from Android Market.

- Preloaded Netflix app allows Netflix subscribers to stream the latest movies in high-definition quality.

- Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor makes multitasking seamless. Customers can surf the Web, check email and update social networks effortlessly.

- ESPN’s ScoreCenter app offers the most comprehensive sports coverage available on an Android device whether you follow the NFL or Premier League, ICC Champions League or MLB, NASCAR or Formula One. Customers can follow teams from more than 500 leagues around the world with an exclusive 720p high-definition feed for Spectrum by LG while connected to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network or Wi-Fi.

- Spectrum supports Dolby Digital Plus, which allows users to maximize their HD multimedia experience. Dolby Digital Plus can stream up to 7.1 channels of surround sound through home entertainment systems.

AT&T announces 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 release

On November 20th AT&T customers will be able to purchase the new ultra-thin and lightweight Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet, which is priced at $479.99 with a two-year contract, and AT&T has a pretty nice deal to go with it.  For a limited time, if you buy a Galaxy Tab 8.9 you will also receive a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone for free, though you will have to sign-up for a two year service agreement on the smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 will run on AT&T's 4G LTE and HSPA+ network, and the tablet is powered by a Snapdragon 1.5 GHz dual-core processor for fast multi-tasking, and Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) operating system.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 features:

- 8.9-inch 1280x800 pixel high-resolution screen

· 3.2 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash, 2 megapixel front facing camera

- tabbed browsing with support for HTML 5 and Adobe Flash Player

· 16 GB internal memory and expandable up to 32 GB via accessory option

· 1 GB RAM

· TouchWiz UX

· 15.9 ounces light, 8.6mm thin

· Dimensions: 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6 mm