Microsoft and LG Plan to Work Closer on Mobiles

As competition in the mobile phone market heats up, two companies with flagging momentum are teaming up to try to compete better with the market leaders.
Microsoft and LG on Monday said that they plan to work closely together, collaborating on research and development, marketing, applications and services for converged mobile devices.
The announcement came from Seoul, Korea, LG's base, during a trip there by Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO.
The collaboration is not a first for the companies. LG has already been making phones that run Windows Mobile. But the agreement could signal a stepped up effort by both companies to try to beat the competition.
While LG has had some hot sellers, such as the Chocolate, it now faces challenges from new competitors Apple and Google which are generating more excitement. Google just two weeks ago introduced the first phone to run on its Android software, HTC's G1. Apple's iPhone continues to build momentum.
Microsoft too has been affected by the new competitors. It has been working recently to try to position Windows Mobile, traditionally regarded as solely a business tool, as also useful for more personal applications. LG has traditionally focused on phones that would appeal most to mass market consumers.
Both companies have slipped in rankings recently. A recent Gartner study showed that worldwide, Microsoft in the second quarter this year slipped into the third place among providers of smartphone operating systems, behind number one Symbian and number two ranked Research In Motion. Last year in the same quarter, Microsoft beat out RIM for the second position.
A recent IDC study showed that LG during the third quarter this year slipped into the number-five position worldwide among mobile phone makers.
In a statement, the companies said they expected that their agreement would create momentum and innovation in the industry.


Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/153232/.html?tk=rss_news

New LG Handset Boasts Long Battery Life

LG Electronics has launched a mobile phone that reduces battery power consumption by 29 percent through ALC (auto luminance control) technology.
"The slim LG-KF510 packs more long-lasting battery power compared to other phones, which allows more convenient use of the high-technology features, like the camera, MP3 player, radio and video player," said regional marketing manager Anthony Hutia.
The new handset is in line with LG's strategy of meeting the needs and demands of different social strata, Hutia explained.
The phone has an ALC sensor on the upper right corner, which automatically adjusts the brightness of the numeric key pad, the LCD (liquid crystal diode) screen backlight and the LED (light-emitting diode) interactive touch screen. Under intense sunlight, the lighting decreases in brightness, saving battery power.
"This innovative smart technology allows users to enjoy viewing videos and photos much longer due to the continuously adjusted illumination," Hutia said.
The phone is 10।9 mm thick with an inner slide, LED touch technology and a scratch-proof screen feature.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150892/lg_kf510_phone.html?tk=rss_news

LG to Launch DVD Player With Divx HD Support

LG Electronics is at this week's IFA electronics show with two DVD players that will challenge Blu-ray Disc for a share of the optical-disc spotlight.
The DVS450H has a stylish and sleek design and can be laid horizontally, propped up at an angle on a stand, or mounted vertically on a wall. The face of the player is glossy and black and occupies what would normally be the top surface on most DVD players. There are just a few buttons on the player, and at the push of one a window slides back to reveal the DVD disc tray.
Matching the unique design are the player's specifications. It's one of the first players to support Divx HD, the high-definition version of the popular Divx video codec. The player supports Divx HD content either burned onto a DVD or played from a USB storage device.
The second player, the DVS400H, takes a design cue from Asian furniture, with rounded corners on the top and short legs on the bottom. The piano-black finish completes the illusion that its design hails from more traditional sources.
The player can rip an audio CD to MP3 files and save them on a USB storage device.
Both machines will play DVDs with up-conversion sent out over an HDMI cable to a high-definition TV, and they are also compatible with CDs, MP3 files, Windows Media Audio and JPEG images.
LG will launch the players in early October। No pricing was announced.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150405/.html?tk=rss_news

LG Puts Bluetooth Into New LCD, Plasma TV Sets

LG Electronics is on the verge of launching a new range of LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma TV sets in Europe that feature Bluetooth wireless networking, the company said Wednesday at the IFA electronics show in Berlin.
The feature, which is common on many portable products but hasn't yet caught on in the TV industry, can be used to send audio digitally through the air to a compatible pair of Bluetooth headphones so you avoid headphone cables running across your living room. It also makes it possible to send still images from devices like cell phones to the TV, upon which the set displays the image on the screen.
Bluetooth will be installed in models in LG's PG7000-series plasma sets and LG7000-series LCD sets, which are due on sale across Europe before the end of September. The Bluetooth function will also be included in 7000-series models sold in other regions of the world.
LG demonstrated the feature at IFA with a 50-inch plasma TV that received and displayed a photo from a camera phone within moments of it being transmitted.
The TV set also has USB sockets into which consumers can connect devices such as USB hard-disk drives or memory cards. Once devices are inserted, the TV can display images as a slideshow and play MP3 audio tracks that are stored on the storage media.
Pricing for the TVs was not announced।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150390/.html?tk=rss_news