Patent wars over smartphones, especially over the last several years, have been at an all time high. Microsoft announced that they signed a patent-licensing deal with LG, a number two maker of smartphones.

As much as Google would want Microsoft out of the World of patents, the Washington based company holds the patents to certain technologies used in Android smartphones on the market.

Last year, Google bought Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion which also granted them their arsenal of 24,000 mobile related patents. Not to mention they also acquired 217 patents from IBM.

Via Mercury News:

“Microsoft signed the patent agreement with LG, the second largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, according to ComScore’s latest analysis of the market. Microsoft has already signed a licensing agreement with the No. 1 mobile phone manufacturer, Samsung, and nine other companies, from which they receive a cut of every Android-based device sold.”

Smartphones are a blazing hot sector and being that it is a very popular technology, disputes over patents and companies inking deals with other companies who have patents, are bound to happen.

The fact is, without companies such as LG signing a licensing agreement, they risk the chance of being sued by supposed patent holders. Microsoft’s patent deal with HTC nets them about $5 for each phone that the company makes, though it wasn’t disclosed how much they will be making from LG.

The deal lead the VP of corporate communications at Microsoft to taunt Google via Twitter:

“Hey Google — we are the 70%,” Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s vice president of corporate communications tweeted, referencing Microsoft’s assertion that it now has deals on 70 percent or more of the Android smartphones sold. Shaw later posted on Twitter, “Can we just agree to drop the patents-as-weapons meme? When effective licensing enables companies to share IP, the metaphor falls apart.”

Microsoft Signs Android Patent Deal With LG, VP Taunts Google is a post from: The Inquisitr

With CES 2012 heating up, electronics manufacturers are letting the press and public know about new devices coming out. LG, maker of anywhere from cell phones to kitchen appliances, announced a 55 inch OLED TV that truly ushers in a new era of thin and light televisions.

Remember the days of big, bulky, and incredibly heavy televisions? With OLED, a technology that’s been out for many years now, thin and light is the name of the game, while not sacrificing image quality.

The LG 55 Inch OLED TV will clock in at an insanely thin 4mm (0.16 inches) and weigh just 16 and a half pounds which makes it easily capable of being carried by one person.

It will also come 3D capable. OLED stands for “Organic Light Emitting Diode” and is designed to deliver better, more natural colors. Not only that, but it’s very energy efficient at the same time.

While OLED isn’t at all a new technology, we’ll see a lot more televisions made with this kind of display this year. Consumers can expect this new television in the third quarter of this year. Price to come.

Other news from LG’s press conference:

“LG will add gesture and voice controls to its line of Smart TVs. Through the use of a Magic Remote, users can enter text such as searches using their voices as well as well as physical movements to control the interface. They will also incorporate a 3D Gesture interface to track body movements, allowing them to host games such as the portable hit Fruit Ninja.”

LG Announces Incredibly Thin And Light 55 Inch 3D OLED TV is a post from: The Inquisitr

With competition in the internet connected television arena heating up, LG will be showing off their first ever Google TV at CES 2012. Previous generations of the TV operating system haven’t necessarily done the best, though a lot of work has went into making an overall better product and experience.

From Reuters:

“Google hopes to replicate the success of its Android mobile software in the TV market, but its attempt to conquer the living room has seen limited success so far due to a lack of web content and support from hardware manufacturers.”

Google also announced on their blog today that Sony, Samsung, and Vizio as well as some chipset manufacturers, will be demoing Google TV products at CES. With news of the Apple iTV heating up, this is sure to be an interesting year for televisions and how we interact with them.

Previously, we would turn on the TV, flip through the guide/menu, find what we want to watch, and watch it. Of course, not to mention the flipping back and forth between shows once commercials hit, that is if you don’t have a DVR.

“Google TV allows consumers to access online videos and websites on their TVs, as well as specialized apps such as video games. Currently it comes built-in on certain Sony television models and Samsung is also working with the U.S. firm to launch Google TVs.”

It’ll be interesting to see what the various companies have on display and maybe this will be the year that this really takes off on a much larger scale.

LG To Have It’s First Ever Google TV, Debut At CES is a post from: The Inquisitr

LG on Wednesday revealed more details surrounding their upcoming 84-inch 3D TV. The new offering is expected to arrive in 2012 and make it’s debut next month in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Among the panels revealed features is the ability to display 4K content with 3840×2160 pixels of resolution at a standard display rate of 1080p.

The UDTV is also capable of giving users 3D content with passive Cinema 3D glasses that operate through the use of polarization instead of active shutters.

Pricing, further information and a release date have yet to be discussed.

Would you be willing to stick an 84-inch 3D TV in your home? My wife calls this one overkill, I disagree.

LG Reveals More Details About 84-Inch 3D TV is a post from: The Inquisitr

This post brought to you by LG DoublePlay™. All opinions are 100% the writers.

The LG DoublePlay™ is a mid-range Google Android smartphone that attempts to redefine the hidden QWERTY keyboard market by adding a secondary display for multi-tasking.

The DoublePlay isn’t a device power users will gravitate towards and heavy text messaging users may be put off by the Smartphones awkward keyboard however for low to low-moderate use buyers the devices $99 price tag (typically with two year contract) and ability to process Google Android apps with ease should provide a decent experience in most conditions.

Design

The LG DoublePlay isn’t a small device at 4.8″ x 2.52″ x .63 inches, largely due to the fact that the device supports a hidden sliding qwerty keyboard which makes any device a bit on the thick side, however outside of that fact the design is fairly standard when compared to most Google Android supported Smartphones, for example below the devices frontside display which takes up most of the devices realty users will find capacitive touchscreen buttons which are located far away from the edges to reduce the chance of accidental pushing.

Above the display users will find the earpiece while a front facing camera is missing, a shocking omission given the popularity of the feature in 2011.

To the right of the device the phone features up/down buttons for volume control. The rocker is well designed and sticks out comfortably for pressing however i’m use to using devices with the rocker on the opposite side of the device which made for slightly awkward operation.

To the left a simple flush design with a USB connection is available. Nothing else to say about this side other than the fact that your USB slot is well protected.

Meanwhile the rear of the device features a speaker for speakerphone output along with a 5MP camera and an LED flash.

Finally at the top of the device the LG DoublePlay features a 3.5mm headphone jack and a power/standby button, both of which are flush with the device, ensuring no design distractions for the decently slick device.

Oddly enough the plastic material that surrounds the display reminds me of the HTC Touch, a device that is more than three years old which shows the dating of the DoublePlay in terms of sticking with an old and uninspired outer appearance.

Display

The LG DoublePlay features a 3.5″ HVGA (320×480 pixels) which is surprising given the number of low and mid-range devices that currently feature WVGA resolutions. While the screen is big enough to support the Google Android OS without viewing issues the display experience is muddled at best. For example when using the device in outdoor lighting it becomes nearly impossible to view the display which isn’t helped along by a weak low brightness output. One feature that did strike me as impressive was the devices use of deep color production which provided nice icons and program use when indoor lighting was utilized or when the device was used in the dark (great for a night out at the local bar).

Sliding open the device users are greeted with a secondary 2″ touchscreen display. This display offerings eight icons that are meant to make certain uses easier on the device, the icons include:

Text messages, music player, group texting, picture gallery, email, calendar, browser, and the social+ app.

While having a text messaging icon next to the devices full size QWERTY keyboard is a nice feature I didn’t really find that the shortcuts added to the overall experience. I also would have appreciated the ability to customized the DoublePlay secondary icons, a feature that is sadly not included.

Keyboards

Typically I wouldn’t devote an entire section of my review to a devices Keyboard however the DoublePlay’s entire existence surrounds it’s double displays which contain it’s sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Because the phone uses a secondary display which is centered inside the keypad users are required to use their thumbs to more easily type text messages. Half of the keyboard is located on the left side of the display and the other half are found to the right. When first using the LG DoublePlay the keypad setup was a bit distracting, especially with a bright display interfering with typing however 5-6 hours of use proved in my opinion that the keyboard is functional enough for most light typing users while “professional” text messaging users will catch on quickly to the overall design but will likely find it lacking.

Aside from a function key which provides a .COM output the keyboard is a fairly standard option, you won’t find dedicated Facebook buttons or other functions but it serves it’s overall purpose.

In darkened environments I did appreciate the very bright blue backdrop lighting found on the keyboard which made text entry extremely easy.

One qualm I had, because of the placement of the volume rocker it can be awkward to change volume levels when the keyboard is open since the rocker then sits behind the main display, it’s not a deal breaker and moving the button to the left side would have interfered with holding the device but it is slightly awkward.

If you simply can’t stand to use the physical keyboard at certain times the devices virtual keyboard is actually a better option in my opinion, not only is it more responsive then the physical QWERTY keyboard but it works well with certain Anroid applications that tend to offer smoother operation with a virtual keyboard. I actually found myself using the physical keyboard in outdoor lighting but then switching to the virtual keyboard for indoor and darker lighting environments where the display offered a more “rich” experience.

I personally find it amusing that the Google Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS and it’s virtual keyboard option is what made text messaging and email sending easier on the LG DoublePlay and not the company’s touted sliding QWERTY with multi-tasking secondary screen output.

Camera

A 5MP camera on a mid-range device is fairly standard and that’s what users get for their money a standard 5MP camera that offers colors on the “cool” side that can be easily drowned out in less than stellar lighting conditions. Indoor photos were bland under artificial lighting while the LED flash offered some assistance in low lighting shots but was drowned out by often grainy images that softened the final output of images.

In outdoor lighting some decent pictures were witnessed but hardly what I would call optimal options even on a lower-end 5MP camera.

One near saving grace for the LG DoublePlay is the camera’s ability to take decent 720P video recordings. Again lighting plays a big part in how well the image appears however the recordings for quick use are acceptable. The camcorder feature offers auto-focus and captures 30 frames per second with neutral color production. If the 720P recording camera has one major flaw it’s the scratchy audio that is recorded on the device, not surprising given the issues with call quality I outlined earlier.

Overall the LG DoublePlay’s camera won’t send you running to your local wireless store to pick one up but it’s still capable of capturing quick photos and videos that you don’t plan to file away in your special moments folder.

Connectivity

1GHz process technology has been around for the last 12+ months so needless to say I was a bit concerned that the device only featured a 1GHz option however I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth responsiveness offered by the DoublePlay. Even when several applications were being run at one time the device never really appeared to strain against heavy use. Would I have liked to see a faster processor? Of Course, but for a mid-range device the Smartphone controls it’s processing power well.

The DoublePlay’s GSM technology unfortunately didn’t offer crisp phone calls on the Smartphone users end. I regularly experienced muffled sounds and background noise, however callers on the other end of the line said my voice sounded fine. I would venture to guess that 60-70% of my calls featured unwanted noise that was slightly distracting but far from the worse I’ve experienced.

The Smartphone also features 3G speeds which are on par with most 3G devices, for example pages loaded decently with very few slow load times and connecting to downloads was swift and reasonable. While 4G connectivity would have been appreciated this is a mid-range device and for the price and specs offered it did the job.

If you simply need faster speeds the devices Wi-Fi is decent, providing faster pageload times than 3G while staying connected on both private and public WiFi networks. I didn’t have a chance to test hotspot functionality on the device however I will assume that the connectivity features in those areas will match the devices standard WiFi connectivity standard.

Also featured is Bluetooth connectivity which offers A2DP connectivity with excellent results. Google Android has always been great at managing music (this device is no exception) and streaming that music to an A2DP supported headset was simple. Then again you can also use the 3.5mm headphone jack to listen to your music choices. I did find some sharpness is tones when the headset was turned up full blast and while the equalizer function helped fix some of the devices noise issues it didn’t solve all “noisy” results at high volume levels.

When turning to the devices battery a full days use is possible if secondary screen interaction is avoided however you won’t want to miss that charge or you’ll be without a powered phone the following day. Considering that my iPhone 4 needs a charge every night I would say the LG DoublePlay is on par with other Smartphones in terms of battery charging needs considering that it offers two displays that must be powered.

First Look Video

Because the phone is such a unique concept here’s a video that show off the LG DoublePlay design:

Conclusion

While I wouldn’t recommend the LG DoublePlay to a heavy user of Smartphone or tablet technology the device does have some nice features that are worth closer examination for potential low-end to mid-range users.

If you want a simple device for occasional messaging, updating Facebook and perhaps using a few Google Android apps the LG DoublePlay should meet your needs and if needed your budget. If you’re new to the Smartphone market the QWERTY keyboard will likely be fine for you since you don’t “know any better” when it comes to text messaging comfort.

Perhaps if the LG DoublePlay had focused on a more sleek design it would look like a more modern device, as it stands it’s clunky, lacks a proper user interface on it’s secondary screen (give us customization options!) and provides mediocre call quality in more than half of all placed phone calls.

Perhaps $99 isn’t a bad price to pay for a Smartphone however $100 more can buy you an iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy or any other competent option that provides a more realistic picture of Smartphones available at the end of 2011.

LG DoublePlay Delivers A Unique Experience For Low-End Smartphone Users [Review] is a post from: The Inquisitr

It seems that the South Korean antitrust agency thinks that there has been a little bit of collusion going amongst some of the LCD screen makers in South Korea as well as Taiwan.

The firms that have been picked out include Samsung Electronics, LG Display, AU Optronics and Chimei Innolux and it is asserted that they colluded from 2001 to 2006 to control the prices of panels for computers and televisions. Officials from the firms involved apparently held approximately 200 secret meetings over those six years to agree on the cutting or setting of prices, and to exchange confidential sales information.

As it stands right now the firms hold a combined 80 percent share of the global liquid crystal display (LCD) market and as such their action have hurt consumers by increasing prices of electronics reliant on those screens.

Samsung, which is the world’s largest LCD maker was hit with the heaviest of the fines at 97.2 billion won and followed by LG Display with a 65.5 billion won fine.

This follows on the fines handed out by the European Commission when six Asian LCD makers were fined a total of 649 Euros for their operating as a cartel for almost five years.

All companies involved have said that they will abide by the rulings.

via PhysOrg

South Korean & Taiwanese LCD screen makers hit with antitrust fines totally $175M is a post from: The Inquisitr

In February LG seized 300,000 PS3s as they entered the Netherlands, claiming that the company had infringed upon LG patent holdings. Earlier today reports began circulating that LG would soon be able to seize already purchased units as well, however an emergency court hearing has found in favor of Sony, at least in initial proceedings.

While LG had the right to have customs seize any materials they believed to be infringing upon their patents for a period of 10 days, they also assumed responsibility for any costs incurred if they could not prove that such infringement occurred within that time period. In this case the court fined LG at a cost of 130,000 euros, while demanding that all 300,000 units be handed back over to Sony.

If all seized units are not returned within a 24 hour period LG will also be forced to pay 200,000 euros per day until they arrive back in the hands of Sony officials.

The initial proceeding is not a final judgment and it’s likely that LG will continue to fight the infringement in a court of law. In the meantime all PS3 shipments into Europe will be allowed. [via PlayStationLifestyle]

Sony’s Big Win: LG Must Return Seized PS3 Units, Pay Fine is a post from: The Inquisitr

iPhone, Android and Blackberry tend to dominate the conversation about mobile phones and features, but “feature phones,” the term used to distinguish “dumbphones” from their more multi-tasking brethren, make up nearly 80% of the worldwide market.

In a blog post yesterday, Facebook announced that they’re releasing an app for people on more traditional cell phones to allow more people to use Facebook away from home and their primary computer-like devices. Says Facebook:

Today, we’re launching a new mobile app to bring Facebook to the most popular mobile phones around the world. The Facebook for Feature Phones app works on more than 2,500 devices from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and other manufacturers, and it was built in close cooperation with Snaptu. The app provides a better Facebook experience for our most popular features, including an easier-to-navigate home screen, contact synchronization, and fast scrolling of photos and friend updates.

The post goes on to list 14 carriers worldwide who have waived mobile access charges for the first 90 days after launch to get feature phone users good and hooked on the functionality. Facebook mobile product manager Mark Heynen says in the post that the company is working to continue adding carriers and networks worldwide.

If you’re a non-smartphone user, have you tried the Facebook for Feature Phones app? How does it stack up to your normal Facebooking experience? Do you anticipate using it after the 90 free days is up?

Facebook adds app for ‘feature phones’ to enhance mobile Facebook experience is a post from: The Inquisitr

LG isn’t happy with the recent launch of their first Windows Phone 7 devices, stating in an interview on Friday that their expectations were high for the LG Optimus 7 but that sales numbers weren’t “what everyone expected.”

Marketing strategy director James Choi told Pocket-Lint that LG doesn’t expect Windows Phone 7 devices to see any significant number pushes until Microsoft agrees to allow for low and mid-range devices.

Choi also told the tech site that the OS may be “too easy” to use which could turn off high end tech users:

“For tech guys like us it might be a little bit boring after a week or two, but there are certain segments that it really appeals to,” he said.

While numbers have not been as LG hopes for, Choi did say that they are committed to working with Microsoft on the platform since leaning too heavily on one platform, most likely referring to Google Android, would “not be beneficial” to the company.

At this time Microsoft has not released overall WP7 phone sales numbers, although they had mentioned sales of over 1.5 million units through the end of 2010, but those numbers only reflect sales to carriers and resellers, it’s still unclear how many of those units remain on store and warehouse shelves.

LG Not Happy With Windows Phone 7 Launch Numbers is a post from: The Inquisitr

AT&T customers still can’t play with the LG powered Windows Phone 7 Smartphone, but their friends to the north can. Bell today announced that the LG Optimus Quantum is available for sale, marking the first availability of a Windows Phone 7 in Canada.

The Quantum offers a 3.5-inch WVGA display, a 5MP camera and 16GB of on-board storage, plenty of storage to test drive WP7 functionality. It also features a sliding QWERTY keyboard to complement the phones large capacitive display.

Customers looking for a three-year contract can pick the phone up for $99.95 CAD or if they’d prefer, a non-contract price of $449.95 is also available.

What do you think, are you ready to dive head first into Windows Phone 7? With all WP7 devices expected to offer a high-end minimal set of specs, it could all come down to design for me and I really like what the Quantum offers in terms of eye-candy.

LG Optimus Quantum Available At Bell, Hello Windows Phone 7 is a post from: The Inquisitr

When it comes to smartphones we automatically think of the iPhone and the rising tide of Android based phones that all come with some pretty hefty price tags, depending of course on your carrier contract. For the most part the under-$100 phone market has been left to feature phones but if T-Mobile and LG have their way this could change very soon.

Today GigaOM is reporting that T-Mobile will be selling the LG Optimus T handset which will be sporting the latest version of Android for the price of $30.

The phone is all-plastic, uses a low-resolution display, has a slower processor and omits a few functions. But for folks craving a smartphone experience without wanting to invest much up-front cash, the Optimus T includes some advanced features and provides a reasonably good experience for its price.

While I’m not sure that I would be willing to sacrifice the quality of the more expensive handsets just to be able to use a modern smartphone I am sure that this could prove to be a really profitable area. It could also signal the end of the older feature phones.

Cheap smartphones headed our way is a post from: The Inquisitr

LG has taken some time at IFA 2010 to show off their 31-Inch OLED TV and from first impressions by show visitors it’s a display worth staring at.

Not only is the set OLED display size awesome, it’s also super thin at just 2.9mm, while offering full 1920 x 1080 HD resolution. Oh yeah it has a contract ratio equal to infinite, so feel free to watch it from any angle you want.

It’s not set to retail until March 2011 and even then it has a price tag of £6,000 so you better start saving now or you can probably wait until a year after it’s initial release and pick that same display size up for what will probably amount to $500. [via Pocket-Lint]

LG 31-Inch OLED TV Gets Shown Off At IFA is a post from: The Inquisitr

One doesn’t think of emotion when watching ads regardless of how much spin advertisers might like to to wrap their usual dreck in. Nor does one think of seeing a homeless man as the center piece of an ad unless of course it is for some goodie two shoes charity.

While Momentos might not be considered an ad in the typical sense it is one of those new style of ads that we are seeing in a growing number on the web. The only indication that it might even be an ad is that the televisions used are all LG’s but even then it is really a muted appearance.

In truth this is a beautiful human moment that regardless of the fact that it is an extended advertisement for LG is touching and lets you forget that you are being advertised to. Nicely done.

hat tip to Random Good Stuff

One of the most touching ‘ads’ you will ever see is a post from: The Inquisitr

LG today announced their newest Plasma TVs. The Skinny frame HDTV sets use less bezel thickness for a better “hung on wall” look and come in at an impressive 25mm thick.

The line, known as Skinny Frame, supports 1080p and offers a very impressive 600Hz refresh rate for super clear images.

The TVs also feature three HDMI ports and a USB slot and come in two sizes, 50 inches and 60 inches. The pricing is also big but not out of reach with the 50″ unit at approximately $1,100 and the 60-inch set sitting at around $3,300.

Unfortunately there’s no word on a U.S. release for the TVs at this time. [Engadget]

LG Debuts Skinny Frame Plasma TVs With 25MM Thickness is a post from: The Inquisitr

LG has developed the worlds thinnest LCD, the device, simply tagged at CES 2010 as the LG Super Thin LCD offers crystal clear 1080P support and a small enough form factor that you almost won’t notice it from the side.

Not a lot to say here at the moment other than that the device is only 6.9mm thick and offers a 120hz refresh rate with LED backlit technology  that brings the units 1080P output to life.

If you want to take up the least amount of space possible in your home this is the way to go. Here’s another shot of the unit:

LG Super Thin LCD Gets CES 2010 Debut, It’s….Super Thin is a post from: The Inquisitr

The LG Arena is coming to AT&T and the first shots of the phone sporting AT&T branding have been leaked for the device referred to as the GT950, a slight variant on the original LG Arena.

The AT&T GT950 features a three-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen with the S-Class UI from LG, alongside a 5MP camera, WiFi, built-in GPS and 8GB integrated storage. The unit also looks to be a fingerprint magnet if the photo is any indication.

The device may hit CES next week, however at this time there’s still no official release information for the device and no prices have been revealed.  [LGCentral]

LG Arena GT950 Gets Spotted With AT&T Branding is a post from: The Inquisitr

While still only a blip on the internet rumor mill, there’s talk that the LG Prada 3 may ditch its current OS and go all Android on us. SlashGear is also reporting that the device may be headed to Sprint Wireless in 2010.

If the rumor is in fact true, it would also mark the first LG Prada device to use CDMA technologies instead of the more popular worldwide GSM option. It would also mark the first time a carrier attached their name to the designer line of cell phones.

Very little else is known about the phone at this time, however if rumors are correct it may debut at CES 2010 with the Sprint name attached, if that’s the case we’ll provide more info live from the event.

LG Prada 3 May Head To Sprint With Google Android In 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

LG just announced their newest LCD screen, a 42 inch display with LED backlighting all and a sleek design packed into a screen that comes in at a  thickness of just 2.6mm.

The new display also weighs a very light 4KG, while 120Hz refresh rates are readily available for all your high definition video playback.

While no more specs are available at this time, I won’t be surprised to see it pop up at CES 2010 in January where we’ll be able to get some actual coverage directly from the show.

No word yet on a possible release date or expected pricing for the displays. Stay tuned for our coverage from CES for more info.

LG Slims Down With 42 Inch LCD Screen, Delivers 2.6mm Thickness is a post from: The Inquisitr

James Lipton making fun of James Lipton is always funny.

This PSA from a LG campaign about responsible texting, cautions teens to think before texting “pics” of their “junk.” And it’s pretty hilarious.

[via Gawker]

PSA: James Lipton warns against texting naked pics is a post from: The Inquisitr

I haven’t really been excited about a Windows Mobile 6.5 device until now, that’s because LG has just revealed the LG eXpo a WinMo 6.5 touchscreen based device that offers a pico projector add-on for extra business type functionality.

Users also receive a sliding Qwerty Keyboard, 1GHz CPU and a 5MP camera, while a microSDHC card slot can support up to 16GB added memory.

While the device may appear a bit bulky (it is), you can detach the Texas Instruments projector and just use the phone as you see fit.

The eXpo arrives at AT&T on December 7th for $199 with a two year contract and a mail in rebate. However there’s a catch, that pricing doesn’t include the projector which will run you another $179 on top of the $199 cost.

While it’s not the best integration we could have hoped for, it should be a nice addition for traveling business people looking to more easily tote around their presentations. [SlipperyBrick]

LG eXpo Revealed With WinMo 6.5, Pico Projector, Other Perks is a post from: The Inquisitr