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Daily Tech: LG to Unveil a Slim LED-Backlit LCD TV at CES

geeksugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:02:44 -0800

Get ready, get set, because LG is getting ready to show off its tiny LH95 LED-lit LCD television at the Consumer Electronics Show next week. — The Boy Genius Report
Google Search, Maps, Image Search, and Gmail rank as Google's top four products. — TechCrunch
A mass influx of Zune 30GB owners are reporting that their players started locking up at midnight last night. — Engadget
Want to make sure your decaf cup of coffee is really decaf? There's actually some new strips that can read the caffeine content in coffee. — CrunchGear
Check out the top 12 tech flops in the tech world from the past year. — Switched

Penelope's Blue Cell Phone on Gossip Girl: It's Electric

geeksugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:00:03 -0800

On Gossip Girl, no character is too small — especially when it only takes but one camera phone pic to bring down entire friendships, romances, and social constructs. This week's episode featured the devious Penelope, formerly one of Blair's minions, but a rabble-rouser in her own right of late.

But her evilness isn't what I focused on — it was that electric blue cell phone she whipped out to peep Gossip Girl's post about Vanessa and Nate making out. It's an LG Chocolate 3 (the same one that Dan has, in black); they call it light blue, I call it electric; either way, it's a pretty snazzy phone if you're not into smartphones yet.

A music player, video capture, and 2.0-megapixel camera (perfect for snapping incriminating candids), all for $80 after rebates. Not that Penelope needs the deal. Sidenote: Do you think she would have the same phone if Verizon weren't sponsoring Gossip Girl?

Photo courtesy of The CW

Daily Tech: AT&T to Get the LG Vu in a New Wine Color

geeksugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:05:57 -0800

Coming to AT&T stores very soon, is the new Vu (920 version), which comes with MediaFLO, a nice large touchscreen and is available in this beautiful new wine color. — The Boy Genius Report
Yesterday on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Jon talked about the craziness associated with Black Friday, and then showed off his new C-3PO and the Lego Millennium Falcon. — Gizmodo
After my test flight last week, Virgin America has officially rolled out its Gogo Inflight WiFi service on select flights. The remainder of the planes will be equipped with this service in early 2009. — Engadget
Learn how to watch YouTube videos in your Firefox sidebar or on their own in a standalone player window. — Digital Inspiration
It's giveaway time on geeksugar! Be sure to log in and enter our laptop giveaway for your chances to win a Windows Vista powered Sony VAIO CS laptop or a Windows Vista powered Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue Notebook. — geeksugar

Geek Goods: Blair's New Maroon Cell Phone on Gossip Girl

geeksugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:01:39 -0700

Loyalists to geeksugar's Gossip Girl tech quiz would know that this season, the casts' season one cell phones have been replaced with flashier, more up-to-date cell phones. Mizz Blair Waldorf here, you'll note, had an oft-matching orange LG eNV last season, but is now sporting the new version of the same phone: the LG eNV2.

What's fun about the choice is that the older and newer version both came in black, and then a couple random color options. Both times, Blair has had the fun color; first orange, and now maroon. It's an interesting fashion choice because though black is always chic, color is bold and daring (not unlike how Blair's prim siren dresses).

Want to follow in my favorite mean girl's tech footsteps? The eNV2 is available from Verizon for $100 and includes a full QWERTY keyboard, a music player, Bluetooth support, and a 2.0-megapixel camera. And yes, it does come in black for those not as bold as Blair.

Photo courtesy of The CW

Daily Tech: AT&T's Cheapest and Smallest Multimedia Phone

geeksugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:33 -0700

AT&T's third phone, which will support their mobile TV service, is the tiny LG Invision and it will cost only $99. — Gizmodo
You knew it was coming. The latest copy-and-paste framework for the iPhone is called OpenClip and it will allow users to copy and paste data between supported applications. — MacRumors
The first 275-pound Microsoft Surface has been shipped internationally and let's just say they don't skimp on the packaging. — Engadget
Mayflower Designs line of TV beds are absolutely luxurious and feature a motorized TV lift that will lift a 26-inch LCD TV from within its frame. — Unplggd
The UK government is going to crackdown on people who chat on their phone while driving without a handsfree device. The offence will be called Causing Death by Careless Driving. — Pocket Lint
Quicken Beam is a new free service for cell phones that allow you to get your bank account balance and recent transactions from your cell phone via text message.— USA Today

Do the Gimmicks for LG's Dare Make You Want to Buy It?

geeksugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:30:02 -0700

Since PetSugar had noticed the controversial portrayal of pit bulls in one of the commercials for LG's Dare, I began recalling the other commercials for the Dare, like this one where a Jessica Simpson-lookalike risks life and limb to get her Dare back from a ledge.Since LG has begun giving their products cheeky names (many of them so similar to Alfred Hitchcock film titles that it warranted a quiz) and the voice over for these ads says sexily, "Dare You To Touch One" with its "bold features" and "fearless design," it seems like the company is reaching far into its bag of gimmicks to appeal to a young, hip audience (like they did with Lauren and Brody in their Shine commercial) by seeming edgy. I'm not so sure that the controversy of the pit bull commercial was unintentional, either (thankfully the commercial got pulled); I mean, here we are, talking about it, after all. Juxtapose these ads with Apple's commercials, which, though they rely on catchy songs, the product is always the star — like in the MacBook Air commercial. But you be the judge: after seeing these ads are you intrigued by the Dare? Do the ads influence your buying habits at all?

Do the Gimmicks for LG's Dare Make You Want to Buy It?

Yes, the edgy ads make me interested in buying a Dare.

Nah, those are just gimmicks. The phone is what's important.

Something else. See my comment below!

Two Hot New Hard Drives: GDIS Spica Art and the LG XD1

geeksugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:03:43 -0700

Remember when I asked you if hard drive color mattered to you? Well most of you said "totally" which leads me to believe you'll be diggin' these fashion-forward hard drives. Shown on the left, the Spica Art by GDIS, has just been released in Korea and features dainty patterns of trees, chrysanthemums and azalea. These drives come in 250GB and 320GB (wowzas!) and are available in thirteen gorgeous colors.

While the wine-colored LG XD1 devices on the right will come in capacities of 120, 160, 250, and 320GB. No word on pricing or availability just yet. And not only are hard drives hot this fall, but new candy-colored cameras are cropping up as well!

Gadget Girl: Blair Still Rocking the Orange LG eNV!

geeksugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:46 -0700

Even though Gossip Girl's relationships can change in an instant, as we saw on the season finale, it's nice to know that some things never change!

Showing some loyalty as her character usually does, Blair showed up filming for next season using the same orange LG enV phone that she used for most of last season (although in my poll, most of you said she seemed more likely to have a Prada phone). She had it constantly, as you can see in my compilation of last season's tech quizzes.

The LG enV no longer appears to be available in orange through Verizon, but I admire Blair for stickin' with a phone that's a little more hard to come by these days. And I always kind of wondered why her character would choose that color, and now I think I have an answer: It goes with these shorts!

For more GG thirst quenching on the Summer hiatus, make sure you take my Ultimate Season 1 tech quiz!

Flynet and photos courtesy of The CW

LG Product Name, or Alfred Hitchcock Film Title?

geeksugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:17 -0700

When I did my last quiz, Cell Phone or Perfume Name?, I think we both noted that the primary offender with their one-word, splashy names is LG.

The electronics company uses these names for their cell phones and other tech products to titillate and appeal to customers. You know who else did that? Alfred Hitchcock.

It seems like LG has been taking notes from the seminal horror-film director, but thankfully, there's no "LG Psycho" yet.

See if you can pick out which is which!

Source

Picture Perfect Tech: Cell Phones in Iron Man

geeksugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:30:05 -0700

This past weekend I finally checked out the big tech-filled blockbuster of the year — Iron Man! Robert Downey Jr. does a fantastic job playing super-brilliant inventor Tony Stark, who builds a high-tech suit of armor that can do just about anything and everything. Downey's friend and personal assistant Pepper Potts is played by the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow, who also adorns some high-tech treats throughout the film. Being the geek that I am, I couldn't help but notice the cell phones that Downey and Paltrow used during this action-packed flick.

Pepper Potts was spotted with a LG-KS20, a thin sleek phone which boasts a 2.8-inch touchscreen, while Stark used the media friendly Verizon LG VX9400 to place a video call. Yes, lots of lovely product placement for LG, nonetheless, two chic looking phones.

Source

The LG Rumor Becomes Available to Alltel as the 'Scoop'

geeksugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:05:53 -0800

A couple of weeks ago, I gave you a sneak preview of the LG Scoop, which recently made the switch from Sprint to Alltel Wireless. After seeing this close-up shot on
Electronista, I've decided that it's going to be a popular little handset. With a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 1.3-megapixel camera, bluetooth and Alltel’s Axcess Voice2TXT, this phone is going to get "scooped-up" fast (hee hee) with so many great features. It also comes in other colors like orange and black, but this blue is really calling my name.

Gold LG Prada Phone, That's Right Gold Baby

geeksugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 04:00:36 -0700

The Prada phone by LG is one of the most desired designer phones of 2007, touting a sleek black casing, touchscreen, pre-loaded content, mobile phone accessories and an exclusive leather case for about $780 (yes, that's more than the iPhone). Apparently, all the glam wasn't enough for the people over at Amosu, who have dipped the Prada Phone in 24-karat gold. The phone is listed for £499 or about $989.70. It's less expensive than the $10,000 diamond and gold iPod shuffle, but still utterly ridiculous. Of course, the saying "you can't put a price on fashion" was born for a reason. Am I right?

Celebrity Geek Hideout: LG House Malibu

geeksugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:00:10 -0700

We're all too familiar with the celebrity red carpets at cell phone and gaming console release parties, but how else are electronic companies wooing celebs? LG electronics turned a trendy beach house in Malibu, California into what Oh Gizmo calls a "geeks dream home." The 3,500 square foot abode is right on the beach and outfitted with the latest electronics and appliances from LG, such as a 71” LG plasma HDTV connected to one of LG’s dual format HD DVD “Super Blu” players, the new enV Orange phone and the LG VX9400 phone, and of course, a LG HDTV refrigerator that has a 15” HDTV in the door.
Sadly, the beach house isn't for regular geeks like you and me. Chris Brown, Nick Cannon and Emmy Rossum have had parties at the pad while Universal Media Studios used the LG House for a party for the cast of shows like Heroes and The Office. What's a girl gotta do to get an invite?
Source: Oh Gizmo

LG Around The World: Same Devices, Different Look

geeksugar — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:00:39 -0700

When it comes to advertising and marketing there's no one recipe that satiates and titillates all cultures and what works in one country can come off as crude, confusing or darn right silly in another. The British "Mac or PC" ads, which are similar to those aired in the US but laced with British humor, were called "too smug" and reportedly made Apple a "less favorable" company with the UK public. So what does that difference in cultural subtitles look like in other countries? Our resident geek spy chuger snapped this photo of an LG ad, which features retro doll-like characters chatting on their phones, in a shopping mall in Korea. The campaign is a world away from this recent American LG ad, which features simple phones and very little "story." Which do you prefer?

To check out close ups of the ad or to share your funny ads from around the world,

Celebs Help Launch LG's New Phone

geeksugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:00:36 -0700

LG held a special "Mobile TV Party" at Paramount Studios this week to celebrate the launch of the LG VX9400. If the celebrity status of the people that show up for such events is any indicator, this device looks to be a little less alluring and youthful than the Sidekick iD. Not that I don't have a soft spot in my heart for Brenda Walsh or Lauren Conrad, but you gotta admit the crowd was less, how shall I say this, "hip" than some launch parties.

Why were people like Scott Baio, Christopher Knight, Gary Coleman, Shannen Doherty and Alan Thicke in attendance? The LG VX9400 is one of the first handsets to support Mobile TV, which delivers programs from some of the biggest television networks to your cell. LG themed out the entire party recreating what they called three of television's most memorable shows "Brady Bunch, Star Trek and Happy Days." The VX9400 phone allows you to make calls, answer messages, and when finished, go right back to enjoying TV programs.

To check out more of the red carpet pictures,

LG SV280 Banana Phone Makes Me Green

geeksugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:02:36 -0700

Just days after I started pining for the chic cell phones from Asia and Europe, Gizmodo turned me on to this adorable LG SV280 "Banana Phone" that I just know American cell phone fanatics would love. (As a side note, this phone must have been designed by a man, or otherwise colorblind person. They got the curved banana shape right, but bananas aren't typically thought of as green.)

The phone features a 1.3-megapixel camera, an MP3 player and 142MB of onboard memory. You'll need a passport or a Korean area code to get your hands on this one, but I'm green with envy over the sleek design and cute shape. I also think that girl in the photo stole my tank top.
Source

LG Washing Machine With An iPod Dock

geeksugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 03:00:16 -0700

I try to spend as little time as possible near my washing machine and dryer, so the idea of a washer with a built-in iPod dock is less than appealing to me. Apparently, LG's patent for the "Home appliance with MP3 player" is banking on a whole lot of people liking the idea. The drawings show a dock for the iPod/Zune (or any MP3 player for that matter) on the top of the machine, combined with speakers and a USB port.

The colorful washing machines seemed like a big enough novelty, but if you really want to listen to music and wash your clothes I suggest grabbing your MP3 player and headphones instead of enduring tumble noise.
Source and Source

Did Britney Downgrade Her Cell?

geeksugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 07:00:39 -0700

A lot has happened in the last couple of months for Ms. Britney Spears, but it feels like yesterday when she was in, out, back in, and out, and for the last time back in and finally out of rehab.. sporting her blonde bob wig and toting her BlackBerry 8700. Now she has been spotted with an LG vx9900, which is a clear downgrade from the BlackBerry. Call me a CrackBerry addict or BlackBerry biased, but I can't seem to comprehend what Britney is doing with a phone that was popular circa 2006 cell phone? Did she wear out the keypad on her BlackBerry in rehab? Was getting rid of the CrackBerry part of the 12 step process? What do you think?

Pacific Coast News and Flynet

LG Announces Spiffy 'Santa Rosa' Laptop Lineup

geeksugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 11:30:37 -0700

After rumors of the upcoming LG laptop line "Santa Rosa" leaked across the web the company decided to make a legit announcement regarding the five upcoming X-Notes based on Intel's new chipset. The laptops range in size from about 12 inches to 15.4 inches and the top of the line model will feature Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 2 GB of RAM, a Super Multi DVD Drive and Next Gen Wireless-N. The Santa Rosa, which reminds me of the Sony Vaio we saw in Casino Royale and the Holiday, will be released in Korea first.

Source

LG Refrigerator - TV, Remote Control, Kitchen Sink

geeksugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 10:00:44 -0700

If you've ever had the burdensome task of buying a major household appliance, you know it's not any fun. There is an alarming variety of models, features and wacky specs you didn't even know existed (seriously, who worries about refrigerator sound decimals on a regular basis?). LG's new Side-by-Side refrigerator offers far too many specs to mention, but caught my eye because it includes a built in 15" LCD TV with FM Radio, remote control, as well as a special Weather & Info Center that provides a five-day forecast for your area (where service is available).

Need to whip up an appetizer in time for your party? This bad boy comes pre-loaded with recipes and can store your favorite digital photos and anniversary reminders. The touch-sensitive digital controls also allow you to manage temperature in the refrigerator and freezer compartments as well as monitor room temperature and reset the water filter status indicator. Oh and if you're dieting or putting your better half on a diet - you can even set the door alarm. Looks like it costs about $3,500, but you have to remember you're getting a gazillion gadgets in one.

To check out more pictures of the fridge,

Cirque Du Soleil Inspires LG LCD TV

geeksugar — Wed, 02 May 2007 04:00:40 -0700

One day my best friend from childhood just up and joined the circus. I'm serious. We probably should have seen the warning signs - she always loved gymnastics, dance and hanging from monkeybars - but no one knew she would someday turn the vault in for the trapeze. Looks like she's the target market for the new LG LCD TV which is inspired and named after a Cirque Du Soleil show.

The “XCanvas Quidam” and the TV comes in six different sizes and is a tad more expensive than the regular non-circus-inspired models - a 32-inch runs at about $1,600 and a 42-inch is about $3,300. According to Oh Gizmo, the TVs have nifty auto-adjusting brightness, which is perfect for us lazy earth-bound TV viewers. Okay, so many trapeze queens aren't their target demographic. The rest of us lazy folk probably watch more TV than circus-types anyway.

Source

Teenager Wins National Texting Championship - Shocked?

geeksugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:00:24 -0700

A 13-year-old text wiz, Morgan Pozgar, of Pennsylvania, won the first annual LG National Texting championship this past weekend, beating out Eli Tirosh (seen below in maroon robe), who was the LG West Coast Texting Champion. Apparently, the youngster beat out 200 other texters by typing "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in a record 15 seconds. Pozgar, who says she averages "more than 8,000 text messages per month," also took home the grand prize of $25,000 reports the Washington Post. She later told the AP, "I'm going to go shopping and buy lots of clothes." Hey, geek is chic, right?

To check out more pictures of the National Texting Championship,

LG Shows Off 'Candybar' Shine Phone

geeksugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 03:04:51 -0700

LG has introduced a 'candybar incarnation' of its Shine slider phone, reports Reg Hardware and like the glamorous ISSE Monaco Phones from Nokia, it will only be available in Russia for a while.

It's unclear when the Shine Bar - as the non-slider is known - will make it to the rest of Europe and beyond, says Reg Hardware.

Expect it to pack in a 262,144-color, 240 x 320 display; a two megapixel camera with auto-focus; Bluetooth; 50MB of user-accessible memory; and a Micro SD slot for up to 2GB of add-in storage space.

For an up close look at the phone,

OMG! Can You Text As Fast As Paris Hilton?

geeksugar — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 15:10:39 -0700

Have you ever wondered if you can text as fast as texting junkies like Paris Hilton or Rosario Dawson?

While I have no clue how fast either of the ladies text, LG is hosting the National Texting Championship NY edition and you too can get in on the finger fun. Players will compete in pools and be asked to type phrases on their enV / V handsets (yes, you have to be an LG user) exactly as they appear with no typos or abbreviations.

The first player in each pool who sends an error-free message to the right contact will advance to the next round. As game play continues, the phrases to be texted will increase in difficulty.

The west coast contest has already happened, but after the East Coast Texting Champion has been crowned, the bi-coastal winners will wage war for an additional $15,000. The LG National Texting Champion will win a total of $25,000. Like OMG - WISP. Oh wait, no abbreviations allowed. Like oh my god - winning is so pleasurable!

Source

Paris Hilton's Cell Phone Evolution

geeksugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 11:00:50 -0700

Paris Hilton seems to change her cell phone and SIM card as often as she changes boyfriends and shoes. If I have give her credit for anything, it's that she seems to incorporates them as a fashion accessory in her photo shoots and she even took the time to bling a few of them out with rhinestones. Can you guess all these phones? Leave all your guesses below. Got a blinged out phone like Paris does? Whether it be celebrity pics, rhinestone studs, flower stickers, super stylin' wallpaper, light up heart charms or other random accessories, submit some pics of your beautifully accessorized cell and tell us why you chose the bling you did to geeksugar's Cell Phone Bling group!

Source

LG and Prada Team Up to Make Designer Phone

geeksugar — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:02:02 -0800

LG Electronics recently announced it has teamed up with the always chic Prada to develop "an innovative and iconic mobile phone." LG previously collaborated with Roberto Cavalli to create an Ultra Slim UMTS Phone (shown at right).

Apparently, the first LG Prada phone will combine high-end technology with avant-garde design. LG claims the joint effort focused on the key elements inside the phone, such as software, user interface and music as well as its look, for example design and packaging. Photos of the gadget have not been released.

For more about release dates, just