By Aldo Panessidi

LG’s high-end Android smartphone offerings have been somewhat disappointing in the past.  As such,  when we caught wind of the upcoming LG X3 superphone we were unsure how to react in expectation of this new device.  However, based on the information provided Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo, the anonymously leaked screenshots and benchmarks for this handset, LG may have a winner on its hands when they unveil the LC X3 as their new flagship device at this month’s Mobile World Congress.

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Through our multitude of industry contacts... we were able to secure information relative the feature list will include:

• 4.7" HD 1280x720 screen
• Tegra 3 Quad core processor (1.5GHz on single core, 1.4GHz when on 2-4 cores) + SMP Core (core companion) for IDLE task operations which will save battery life
• 2000mAh battery
• 16GB internal memory + microSD slot
• 8MP camera with ultra fast shutter
• 1.3MP Front Facing camera

We were also able to secure some informative screen shots

What can we glean from the screenshots?  They suggest that the X3 will have either a lightly skinned version of LG’s overlay running or simply stock Android ICS (4.0.3). The quad-core processor previously mentioned should mean great performance for everyday tasks. And with 16GB internal memory that can be expanded to 48GB thanks to an internal microSD slot, a power processor helps ensure that users have the space to download, stream, and share their music, photos and other data.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Interested consumers may look forward to seeing a 2000mAh battery, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera that supposedly rocks an uber fast shutter. The front-facing camera isn’t as impressive, but will get the job done in a pinch. Through in an NFC chip and you can one of those neat NFC chip enable smartphone protective case wallets that bring a new meaning to fashion and function.

We are optimistic that LG will bring a worthy contender to the Mobile World Congress and dispel the misgivings and fears of those that been scared off by less than stellar mobile OS experiences with LG. If they fall flat, at least we will not be adrift in an Android-less sea of smartphone offerings from other manufacturers.

By Aldo Paneesidi

Managing Customer churn as well acquiring new customers is an ongoing problem for all carriers... as such, they make it difficult for customers to switch providers.  To this end, practically all carriers worldwide engage in 'false highly-persuasive' advertising.  They will typically lure consumers with the offer of FREE smartphone and then hook, reel and lock them in with long term service plans that are designed to not only subsidize the cost of the cell phone but provide wireless voice & data services at premium prices.  To further enforce customer loyalty, carriers lock their giveaway phones to only work within their network frequencies - thus making it difficult for consumers to leave them for another carrier.

In some cases, the programming may be easy to reverse, with the user simply reformatting the cell phone or removing the phone's memory card.   In other instances, the phone may be designed in such a way that it is impossible to use it with another network, with most cell phone brands, like Apple, Blackberry, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, HTC, LG Mobile and Sony to name a few,  manufacturing specific phones for particular networks.

In contrast, an unlocked phone are simply handsets that aren't handcuffed to a specific carrier's service package can be used on any network.

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Unlocking a phone - How it works

A cellphone handset is like a body without a brain. It can't make calls unless it has a thumbnail-sized chip called a SIM card installed. The SIM card identifies an individual phone on a cellular network so that calls can be routed to it as the handset is carried from place to place, so the owner's account can be billed for air time and long-distance fees, and so on.

When a phone is bought on a service plan, the SIM card in that phone is linked to the subscriber's ID information for billing. Most carriers lock the phone by programming its software so that it will only work with the SIM card they provide — try to swap it with a card from another carrier because it has a cheaper service plan, for example, and the phone won't recognize it.

An unlocked cellphone is one that will recognize any SIM card. So if you're travelling in Europe and don't want to incur roaming charges or have every local call billed as long distance by your regular North American cellphone carrier, you can buy a local European carrier's card during your stay and pop it into your regular phone.

The caveat is that there are two main cellphone networks, and they aren't compatible with one another. One is based on the CDMA standard, which is popular in North America and parts of Asia, and used by Bell and Telus in Canada. The other is GSM, which is used by Rogers in Canada and is the most common cellphone standard outside North America, used by more than 2 billion subscribers in most countries around the world.

An unlocked phone will work on a compatible network — CDMA phones on CDMA networks and GSM handsets on GSM networks. But many CDMA phones have the SIM card built in, and have to be reprogrammed directly to make the phone work on another carrier's network. Most GSM handsets, on the other hand, have a slot that allows a SIM card to be swapped easily by the user.  As a result, unlocked cellphones available in Canada are predominantly GSM models.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

By Aldo Panessidi

We all agree that Apple’s iPhones are iconic. They have three models on the market compared to Android’s plethora of offerings with a multitude of manufacturers including the Samsung Galaxy S II, the HTC Amaze, the Motorola RAZR Droid and the LG Optimus 2X . But, Apple’s offerings have made it one of the most valuable companies in the world and has handed its partners a brilliantly branded and easily sold product. Add great activation figures every quarter for carriers that sell the smartphone and it sounds like a great partnership for both Apple and the carriers.

Alas, the reality paints more of a love-hate relationship.   Carriers see the AT&T/iPhone exclusivity model and drool.   No competition from unlocked phones, other carriers, and seemingly one-of-a-kind device fits into the highly controlled model carriers prefer.  This explains why Sprint was willing to guarantee Apple $15.5 billion over four years to sell the iPhone. Then the mobile carrier posted a $1.3 billion financial loss last quarter. Then there is the bad blood with T-Mobile after failed negotiations over the iPhone which has resulted in the carrier offering iPhone users free microSIM cards to give up their 3G speeds and join their network.

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Recently Nomura Securities analyst Mike McCormack told CNNMoney, “A logical conclusion is that the iPhone is not good for wireless carriers […] When we look at the direct and indirect economics that Apple has managed to extract from the carriers, the carrier-level value destruction is quite evident.” This can be seen with Verizon’s drop in EBITDA service margin from 46.4% to 42.2% since adding the smartphone to its arsenal last year.  Whether iPad sales and service plans can make up for that remains to be seen.  However, they should be able to leverage the equally iconic and addicting Apple accessories.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Alas, for now the iPhone is not going anywhere because of news like Sprint’s: best quarter in the past six years for net subscriber additions which can be attributed to the 720,000 new postpaid subscribers who changed to the carrier to get their hands on the iPhone. And by all accounts, the money should follow with increased price points and the newest iPhone release coming this year.

By John Castell

Remember Zoolander’s impossibly tiny cell phone? At the time smaller was cooler when it came to mobile devices. Impossibly small, then impossibly thin. And now, “bigger is better” is making a comeback.

At least that’s what we may see from LG at this month’s Mobile World Congress. More than likely, the LG Optimus 3D 2, quad-core X3 will be on display but we also hope to see LG’s Vu. The super-sized, 5 inch phone was the star of a teaser video from the Korean company and boasts a large screen.  Discover  the LG Vu:

The aforementioned was a simple teaser… whetting our appetite for the LG Vu.    Besides the 5 in 1024x768IPS display, this upcoming Android 2.3 dual-core handset will have a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S3 processor, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. There are smartphones out there with more impressive specs, but there are removable storage and extra memory for sale out there to accommodate the pictures taken with the Vu’s 8 megapixel camera.   See the entire LG Vu feature list here.

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LG has to hope that the Vu has a better sales record than the Pantech Pocket, the most recent Android device that used a 4 to 3 aspect ratio. By all accounts, that smartphone bombed miserably at AT&T. However, LG has been surprising consumer with great cell phones, as such, if launched properly to the consumer market; the LG Vu could be a great alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Note.

As of now, we cannot say if the Vu will be at the Mobile World Congress, if it is to be brought to North America as an unlocked cell phone, or when it will be available outside of Korea. However, our fingers are crossed to see more of this new device. If the accessories are as intriguing as the possibilities of this handset, LG’s Vu may be a contender.

By Aldo Panessidi

Android. Apple. Apple. Android. The mobile OS brands and their respective handset manufacturers are in the grip of a fierce, cyclical competition to be the best and win global mindshare. Which is why we follow the momentum and progress of their sales and innovation so closely. So how did the vendors stack up against one another?   The usual culprits are present: Apple’s iPhone 4S and Samsung’s Galaxy S 2.

OEM Market Share

For the three-month average period ending in December, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.3 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, followed by LG Mobile with 20 percent share and Motorola with 13.3 percent share. Apple continued to gain ground in the OEM market with 12.4 percent share of total mobile subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 6.7 percent share.

Smartphone Platform Market Share

97.9 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in December, representing 40 percent of all mobile subscribers. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 47.3 percent market share, up 2.5 percentage points from September. Apple maintained its #2 position, growing 2.2 percentage points to 29.6 percent of the smartphone market. RIM ranked third with 16 percent share, followed by Microsoft (4.7 percent) and Symbian (1.4 percent).

According to the another market research firm, The NPD Group, the top three best-selling smartphones in the United States of last quarter all came from Apple: the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 3GS (which consumers can receive at no cost when signing a contract at AT&T). Two of Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S II made the top 5 list as well. The availability of some of these handsets as unlocked devices likely contributed to their success as well.

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When diving into the details of this buying behavior, NPD analyst, Ross Rubin, noted that customers are motivated by “a fast processor, improved camera and the Siri speech-driven agent, most iPhone buyers paid a premium for the iPhone 4S, making is the top-selling handset in Q4.” In fact, the latest iPhone 4S outsold its predecessor by a whopping 75% and lapped the iPhone 3GS by a ratio of five to one. Throw in an OS that ties in the number one selling tablets in the world and customer get hooked.

When looking at the mobile OS platform of choice amongst first-time smartphone buyers, Android won out with 57% - Apple only saw 34% of those first time buyers choose their solution.

Much as there are solid tech reasons for Apple’s great performance with the iPhone 4S, NPD’s Rubin also outlines the rationale of Android’s growth and popularity amongst first-time buyers. “Android has been criticized for offering a more complex user experience than its competitors, but the company’s wide carrier support and large app selection is appealing to new smartphone customers,” Rubin noted. “Android’s support of LTE at Verizon has also made it the exclusive choice for customers who want to take advantage of that carrier’s fastest network.”

By Aldo Panessidi

For those of you loyal readers who have been following and reading my blogs.... you no doubt noticed my propensity to provide you with industry and market statistics and information.

Keeping with this tradition, I came across a study - IT in the Toilet conducted by 11 Mark "View Infographic"... according to this report, we shouldn't be surprised if we hear a toilet flush in the background while on the phone with friends or colleagues; as a whopping 3 out 4 in America use their cell phones while in the bathroom.

Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans... although men seem more tethered to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, "I don't go to the bathroom without my mobile phone."

Since only 14% of respondents reportedly cleanse their phones after a toilet session...  I would highly recommend protecting both their devices and ultimately themselves with iSkin protective accessories' revolutionary  Microban technology.  Built-in to products during the manufacturing process, Microban antimicrobial product protection inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, mold and mildew that can cause stains , embarrassing odors and deterioration of both cell phones and other mobile devices.

Check out the following video for in-depth information on Microban iSkin protective cases and skins.

More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported initiating a phone call. That's not all, however: What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom—20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues.

As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the "mobile everywhere" movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation.

While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom.  The study indicates that 87% of Droid users (Motorola Droid RAZR, Samsung Galaxy S 2, HTC Amaze, LG Optimus 2X) and 84% of Blackberry users (Bold 9900 Touch, Bold 9790 , Curve 9370) followed by  77% of iPhone users are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom – 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall.

"The writing is on the stall," said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. "This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private."

By Aldo Panessidi

Life is indeed good for LG... their LG Optimus cell phone series are extremely popular.  In fact, they recently boasted the sale of over one million LG Optimus LTE  worldwide since the device first launched last year.

The Optimus LTE made its international debut in LG's native South Korea last October, before its December invasion of Japan and North America - where it is sold under the brand name of Spectrum at Verizon (where it is available for $199 on contract) and the Nitro HD at AT&T, while Canadians recognize it as the Bell Optimus Eye.

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In short the Optimus LTE delivers the ultimate HD multimedia environment through a 4.5 inch 1280 x 720 (16:9 ratio) True HD IPS display with lightening fast LTE connectivity.  The True HD IS display features an incredible 2.76 million sub-pixels as well as superior color accuracy, clarity, natural color and battery efficiency

The following video provides an excellent review on the LG Optimus LE

'With brisk sales for a high-end smartphone the Optimus LTE reaffirms LG's leadership in mobile LTE technology," said Dr. Jon-seok Park, president and CEOof LG Mobile Communications Company.  "The combination of LTE connectivity coupled with LG's True HD IPS display has resonated with the public regarding the potential of LTE technology."

LG also confirms that consumers can enhance their mobility and turn LG devices into a power tool wither select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make LG devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

By Aldo Panessidi

The world's greatest tech show - CES 2012 - kicked off on Monday,  January 9th... and will run until Friday January 13th.

With more than four decades of success, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive.   The show is produced by Consumer electronic Association, the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $186 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. CEA represents more than 2,000 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of consumer electronics products. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

This year's show is held at the Hilton Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and will cover more than 1.8 million square feet which is equivalent to 35 American football fields with over 2700 exhibitors and close to 200,000 attendees from across the globe.

Most of the leading smartphone and wireless mobile device (such as tablets) manufacturers and vendors will be unveiling their latest product and technology.  In the same breath, these manufacturers will be showcasing their latest in innovative protection solutions... ... stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

The following capture the most important CES smartphone and wireless mobile device news and product video overview:

	LTE-packing Nokia Lumia 900 is finally official, exclusive to AT&T HTC Titan II vs. Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Samsung Focus S – the ultimate WP showdown [TABLE]  Nokia Lumia 900 - specs • hands-on
	New Samsung Series 9 ultrabook comes in 13.3″ and 15″ versions, the small one weighs just 1.16kg Samsung and AT&T unveil Note, Skyrocket HD and Exhilarate Android-powered webcam-like device, the Samsung inTouch, adds Smart TV magic to your boring HDTV Sprint unveils Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE Verizon debuts Galaxy Tab LTE   Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE- specs • hands-on • second hands-on AT&T Galaxy Note LTE - specs • hands-on • second hands-on Samsung Skyrocket HD - specs Samsung Exhilarate - specs Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE - specs
	Sony Ericsson LiveView successor spotted at CES, announcement seems imminent The Sony Xperia ion coming to AT&T in Q2 2012 Sony announces Xperia S with a 12MP camera and HD screen  Sony Xperia ion - specs • hands-on Sony Xperia S - specs • hands-on
	LG brings a ton of new HDTV stuff to CES, 3D is everywhere, and there’s a motion-controlled remote with voice input LG Spectrum goes official, joins the Verizon LTE gang on Jan 19 Sprint unveils LG Viper  LG Viper- specs LG Spectrum - specs • hands-on
	HTC Titan II vs. Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Samsung Focus S – the ultimate WP showdown [TABLE] LTE HTC Titan II with 16 MP camera revealed, heads for AT&T HTC Titan II - specs • hands-on • camera samples
	Acer announces Aspire S5 and Aspire Timeline Ultra Ultrabooks, claims the former to be the world’s thinnest Acer showcases the new Iconia Tab A700, comes with a quad-core processor and a full HD display
	Verizon announces several Droid RAZRs  Motorola RAZR MAXX - specs • hands-on Motorola Droid 4 - specs • hands-on
	Lenovo continues CES invasion with IdeaCentre B-series all-in-ones and refreshed desktops Lenovo announces IdeaPad S200 and IdeaPad S206 netbooks, will launch in June Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and U410 new Ultrabook laptops get under the spotlight Lenovo unveils Ideapad S2, the S2 smartphone and K91 TV
	Huawei Ascend P1 and Ascend P1 S droid beasts announced  Huawei Ascend P1 - specs • hands-on Huawei Ascend P1 S - specs • hands-on
Misc	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update starts rolling out for the ASUS Transformer Prime ASUS and NVidia CEOs show a 7-inch Tegra 3-powered tablet with ICS for $249 Gigabyte keeps Atom dream alive with Cedar Trail powered T1006M convertibe netbook and tablet, Windows 7 on board In case of emergency: The new SpareOne mobile phone promises to hold its charge for up to 15 years Fujitsu showcases quad-core Tegra 3 smartphone at CES Parrot shows AR.Drone 2.0 at CES – now with 720p video recording, easy sharing and sturdier hardware OCZ Lightfoot SSD boasts Thunderbolt connectivity, speeds beyond belief Canon PowerShot G1 X is a 14MP compact with a DSLR-sized 4:3 image sensor • Canon G1 X hands-on Fujifilm announced rangefinder-style, mirrorless X-Pro1 camera, to cost $1,700 at launch SanDisk unveils the world’s fastest SDXC card, promises write speeds of up to 45MB/sToshiba showcase three mysterious tablets at CES and tell us nothing about them Razer reveals Project Fiona, a tablet with controllers attached to it running on a Core i7 and Windows 8

Many thanks to GSM Arena for the above references and links.

By Megan Fleet

Every brand and company has its shtick, its M.O., its press friendly sound bytes. Google is no different when espousing the virtues of its Google Android operating system at each event they are able to use a soapbox and spread their smartphone evangelism. The main gospel is the Android culture of openness and the lack of limitations is to the benefit of the consumer.

This is great PR spin. And this writer truly loves a good euphemism laced with truth. So, while Android is more open that its competitors, it is comparative. When held up to open-source software like Linux, it is actually quite closed. Hence, a Hollywoodesque Benniffer moniker is bound to catch: Clopen.

At the moment, Google makes the Android OS source code available to companies and individuals to customize to their liking. Very open and transparent, non? Flip side of this coin is the Google mobile suite: Gmail, Android Market, Google Maps, and the long list of “Google” stamped functions. These are closed sourced. The double talk is confusing for customers. Especially when end users purchase a no-Market Android device. Not good PR.

Throw in the custom skins and fragmentations used by the varied carriers and manufacturers and there is a varying standard of quality for the smartphones bearing the Android and Google names. This is damaging to a brand. In fact, Marketing Land’s Danny Sullivan wrote that these quality control discrepancies are resulting in customers with outdated devices in their hands. This particular quirk can be addressed with accessories (protective cases, upgraded screen skins etc), but what is under the hood is harder to resolve.

Case in point: the latest Android OS release, Ice Cream Sandwich. Various manufacturers have hedged and speculated about when the update would be available and on what phones and what carriers (at least with an unlocked phone, the customer will have more say in to get the latest Android OS). As of right now, only one physical device has the update on it. The flagship Android phone, Galaxy Nexus. Newer devices like the DROID RAZR, DROID Bionic, and the Rezound should see the update later in 2012, but there are many others like the LG Revolution (launched only 7 months ago) that will never get the ICS upgrade treatment because of the carrier (please see above note about unlocked phones!).

Luckily for customers, the Open Handset Alliance which encompasses major US players (LG, HTC, Motorola, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T to name a few) which has pledged with Google to bring an end to fragmentation and bring the latest Android OS to devices if the smartphone release is 18 months old or younger.

By John Castell

With the big mobile conference in Las Vegas this coming February that is certainly going to drum up a big buzz for the upcoming 2012 device releases; to this end, you may get inundated in the coming months about what the year will bring. With great mobile innovations like dual-core processors and 4G LTE brought to market in 2011, this year in review was impressive. While hard to trump, the 2012 line-up is being touted as bigger and better.  Here is a snapshot of unlocked cell phones to be dialed into.

LG Optimus LTE

LG is looking to break into the 2012 smartphone market with vengeance as some of the LG Cell Phone lineupe rocking the latest in Android OS: 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Using the power of social media, the manufacturer announced via Facebook that in the second quarter of 2012 a number of their LG  Optimus cell phones (the Optimus LTE, Optimus 2X Prada, Optimus Sol, Eclipse and myTouch Q) would have shiny and new Android platforms. Hopefully they will give us more information on up and coming accessories to keep pace with the new technologies.

Apple iTunes annual giveaways

Unlike the RIM app giveaway that ended December 31^st, Apple is continuing their annual download giveaway through January 6^th. The free music downloads were kicked off by Coldplay tracks and videos (no surprise as they feature materials from the Apple sponsored festival where the band performed). With the savings on downloads, customers will have a bit more pocket change to invest in an upgraded  screen protector or jazzier protective cases and skins.

Santa Prefers Apple

With sales numbers coming in, the eCommerce company, RichRelevance, has released numbers that indicate that iPhones and iPads accounted for a whopping 92% of mobile purchases made this December.   Let's not forget the consumer appeal for other Apple devices including MacBook and iPod This is a significant uptick from the numbers released in April 2011 by the same eCommerce firm. A mere eight months ago, the Cupertino based company made up 88% of non-desktop online shopping.  One has to wonder how much that would go up if Apple made unlocked smartphones more available to its adoring public.