After spending the past few quarters in the red, LG recently turned things around with a bit of growth in their once-ailing smartphone division. By focusing half of their 2012 capital expenditures budget on developing smartphones, LG wanted people to know that some big mobile plays were on the horizon.

As it turns out, their plans for the year include the newly-leaked Optimus Vu, which isn’t exactly the sort of big we were hoping for.

The first thing you notice about the Optimus Vu is its large 5-inch display, followed shortly by the realization that it’s awfully square. LG opted to run with a 4:3 screen aspect ratio this time around for some reason, which has led to a handset design that’s more squat than I’m accustomed to seeing.

Now LG isn’t the first to toy with this sort of form factor. Fellow Korean manufacturer Pantech introduced the blocky-looking Pocket late last year, but to see a major player run with it is a surprise.

Meanwhile, someone has reportedly managed snap a shot of Optimus Vu in the wild (above) and with it comes a solid spec sheet. If true, the OV sports a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm chipset, 1GB RAM, NFC support, and an 8-megapixel camera. Sadly, there’s no Ice Cream Sandwich to be found here — the Optimus Vu is all about Gingerbread.

It’s easy to take potshots at the Optimus Vu — comment reels across the web (or at least the part of the web that cares about phones) are full of people decrying the device as a Galaxy Note knockoff. The comparison may be harsh, but in fairness, LG could do worse than to try to follow Samsung’s example here. The Galaxy Note enjoys substantial popularity in the international market, and if the rumors of the Optimus Vu having a stylus pan out, the phablet market may soon grow a bit more crowded.

Potential stylus inclusion aside, LG’s decision to go with a 4:3 display could come back to bite them when it comes time for people to decide on a new phone. Smartphones have historically grown taller instead of just wider, and while LG certainly has the novelty factor going with the Optimus Vu, whether or not that will translate into unit sales is still up in the air.

You can’t believe everything you read, nor can you trust everything you hear on TV. Especially if it sounds something like “four out of five people choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for overall 3D experience.”

Apparently the Better Business Bureau (more specifically the National Advertising Division) “has recommended that LG Electronics USA discontinue advertising claims made for the company’s Cinema 3D Television and 3D glasses.”

Back in June of 2011, LG sent out a press release claiming that four out of five customers prefer LG Cinema 3D television over Sony and Samsung in a number of different categories including brightness, color, picture quality, glasses, and overall 3D experience. The research was done by a company called Morpace Inc., who tested the TVs at their default settings without any branding shown.

Shortly thereafter, LG came out with an ad calling out Sony and Samsung directly, telling them to “stick to 2D”, which ran in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times (Online).

LG has come to market focusing primarily on passive 3D technology, whereas Sony and Samsung have opted to focus more on active 3D offerings. Passive technology allows for cheaper, lighter glasses much like the ones you’d use in a movie theater, and active 3D requires battery-powered electronic glasses to view 3D content. Still, all three companies have a number of different models across a variety of sizes. The test, on the other hand, was conducted using only entry-level models from each company.

That said, the NAD asserts that LG’s “broad line claims are premised upon a single test of the parties’ entry-level model 3D televisions” and have found the consumer-perception evidence to be materially flawed. The NAD recommends that LG discontinue claims that “four out of five” consumers prefer LG’s passive 3D over Sony and Samsung.

We took a break from the Android round-up in December because, well, to be honest I was on vacation. But January gave us a few extra smartphones and the holidays are over, so we’re back. What we’ve got for you today leans into more expensive turf, and unfortunately, our favorite Android devices for the past two months are also exclusively at Verizon, so Big Red subscribers should pay attention.

Without further ado, these are our favorite December/January releases of the Android persuasion: The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the LG Spectrum, and the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx.

Enjoy!

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Features:

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Verizon 4G LTE support
• 4.65-inch 1280×720 Super AMOLED display
• 5MP rear camera (1080 video capture), 1.3MP front-facing camera (720p video capture)
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• MSRP: $299.99 with a two-year contract

Pros:

• Ice Cream Sandwich is a solid step up from Gingerbread
• That 720p display is huge and beautiful
• Google Hangouts

Cons:

• The phone might be a bit too big for one-handed actions
• Feels a bit plastic-y
• No pre-loaded Google wallet, but you can download it

If you’re looking for Android, the Galaxy Nexus is where you’ll find it. Ice Cream Sandwich is a joy compared to Gingerbread, and this coming from someone who is quite hard on Android. Of course, the screen on this bad boy is amazing, but as MG points out in his review, sometimes the phone is just too big to perform one-handed actions.

We also expected image quality to be better out of that 5-megapixel rear camera, but it simply can’t compete with the iPhone’s 8-megapixel shooter. (And no, I’m not saying that based on megapixels… Image quality is simply better with the 4S.) But that doesn’t really matter — an Android fan is an Android fan, and this is as good as Android gets.

LG Spectrum

Features:

• Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
• Verizon 4G LTE support
• 4.5-inch True HD 1280×720 Display
• 8MP rear camera (1080p video capture), 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor
• MSRP: $199.99 with a two-year contract

Pros:

• Beautiful display
• Pre-loaded ESPN Sports Center app in HD
• LG Y is actually a nice custom overlay

Cons:

• Not a fan of that brushed plastic back panel
• The silver bezels don’t handle prints well

I was hard on this phone when I first played around with it, and I still maintain that there’s nothing super special about the Spectrum. It’s not like the Rezound with Beats Audio imtegration or the Razr with its anorexic waist line. That said, you really won’t find these kind of specs on an Android phone for just $200. In fact, I’d be so bold as to call it a steal.

I’m also pretty excited about that display. I have yet to put a Super AMOLED Plus up against this 720p True HD display, but I’d say it’s one of the most (if not, the most) stunning displays I saw at CES. Certainly worth consideration, especially if you are a fan of LG phones to begin with.

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx

Features:

• Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
• Verizon 4G LTE support
• 4.3-inch Super AMOLED advanced 960×540 display
• 8MP rear camera (1080p video capture), 1.3MP front-facing camera (720p video capture)
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• MSRP: $299.99 with a two-year contract

Pros:

• 3300 mAH battery is a big improvement from the Razr
• Less of a “Moto bump” along the back
• Bump in storage from 16GB to 32GB

Cons:

• 1.89mm thicker than its predecessor
• UI can slow things down a tad

The Droid Razr Maxx is a very special phone. It kills the few things that were wrong with the original Razr — which is an excellent device, mind you — and then doubles the storage, to boot. I was originally bothered with how light the Razr was. It made premium materials feel cheap, but the extra heft and weight on the Razr Maxx really gives this phone a pricey, solid feel.

A Droid Razr update for Android 4.0 leaked out this week, so if you’re comfortable with tinkering than that’s an extra benefit to the Maxx. We’ll have a full review on this phone up very shortly, but from the short time I’ve spent with it thus far I’d say it has the superior hardware in this particular bunch of Android handsets.

It’ll all come down to what matters most to you. If that giant 720p screen excites you, go Galaxy Nexus all the way. The Spectrum, on the other hand, offers up some pretty killer specs at a much more reasonable price, while the Droid Razr Maxx wins in the hardware/design department.

Other than the LG Spectrum, LG didn’t have much to show off by way of phones at this year’s CES show. But that doesn’t mean that something special isn’t in the works.

In fact, Pocketnow reports that LG’s 2012 flagship will run a Tegra 3 quad-core chipset and go by the name X3, at least for now. The phone likely won’t show up on store shelves until spring or summer, but we should hear an announcement (including a retail name) come Mobile World Congress in February.

Other specs include Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which will be a must with most phones released this spring, 16GB of memory (with an SD card slot), and camera fun for everyone. By that I mean an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3-megapixel shooter up front for video chat.

The X3 will only sport three physical capacitive buttons along the bottom, rather than the usual Android four, but the phone still holds onto a number of important “fours,” like a quad-core processor and Android 4.0. I’m inclined to agree with the Inquirer’s opinion that the codename for this phone should be X4 rather than X3.

Last, but certainly not least, the X3 will sport a massive 4.7-inch 1280×720 display, NFC and the latest Bluetooth standard, 4.0. Pocketnow also reports that this bad boy will maintain a waist line under 9mm, which is impressive to say the least, especially with that reported 2000mAh battery.

The phone touts 21Mbps HSPA radio support, meaning we’re likely looking at T-Mobile or AT&T. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising in the least if the X3 had LTE support for AT&T’s brand new super fast 4G network.

If you needed any more proof that the future is already upon us, take a gander at the LG Styler. It looks like a refrigerator at first glance, but opening the door reveals that it isn’t meant for food — rather, it’s your clothes are meant to go inside.

While we first thought the Styler was just a concept design, it turns out that the handsome clothing refresher has been on the market in South Korea for a while now. Still, LG spent these months wisely by making sure the Styler is ready for a stateside debut.

Here’s the Styler in a nutshell — if you have some clothing in need of some gentle de-wrinkling, throw it in the Styler and wait until the 39 minute cycle is complete. While you’re having lunch and reading TechCrunch Gadgets, the Styler will gently steam your clothing to get rid of any unwanted wrinkles and odors. It even has a depository for what our LG rep refers to as “aroma sheets” that imbue your clothing with certain scents, though it also seems like users will be able throw in their own scented materials.

Everything is controlled by a lighted touch UI on the front of the Styler, which actually helps tie together the Styler’s minimalist design, with settings a plenty for different materials and items. The Styler certainly lives up to its namesake, and with any luck it’ll soon pop up in a hotel (or a Home Depot) in the near future.

Here at CES 2012, phones are a bit in short supply. At least, new phones are. LG is one of the few companies to officially announce a new smartphone at the show, and I have to say it’s one of the best phones we’ve seen out of LG. Unfortunately, that still leaves the Spectrum quite a ways behind some of the other new phones we’ve seen recently like the Xperia S, Titan 2, or the Galaxy Nexus (of course).

The real stand-out feature here is the 4.5-inch 720p display with a True HD Graphic Engine and Corning Gorilla glass, boasting 326ppi. The phone also touts Verizon’s 4G LTE, which is mostly solid unless it’s December.

The Spectrum has a .4-inch waist line, and a glossy back panel which is a far cry from the more premium feel of the LG Nitro HD. What’s odd is that the Spectrum is actually meant to be an equally high-end phone, but takes prints so poorly and is so obviously plastic that it feels kind of cheap.

Under the hood you’ll find a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of on-board memory, and 1GB of RAM. The phone also comes with a 16GB microSD card, but the slot itself can handle a card up to 32GB.

The 8-megapixel rear camera shoots video in 1080p, and there’s a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat if that’s your style.

What’s perhaps the worst news of all is that the LG Spectrum will ship with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and won’t get Ice Cream Sandwich until the second half of 2012. At the same time, most phones we’re seeing with these specs go for around $250 or $300 and the Spectrum can be had for $199 on a two-year contract.

Like most things with LG phones, you win some and you lose some.

Microsoft this morning announced that it has signed a patent licensing agreement with Android device manufacturer LG, its eleventh deal of the kind.

Microsoft says effectively 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the United States today are covered under its patent portfolio, not mentioning the fact that they’re also suing Motorola Mobility and NOOK maker Barnes & Noble over their Android devices.

Continuing a tradition that we hope will stand the test of time, Microsoft’s head of communications, Frank Shaw, took to Twitter to taunt Google.

First, Shaw tweeted “Hey Google – we are the 70% #anotherandroidlicense” with a link to their press release, and later said:

Can we just agree to drop the patents-as-weapons meme? When effective licensing enables companies to share IP, the metaphor falls apart

—
Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw) January 12, 2012

The second one is of course a bit disingenuous, since pretty much every player in this industry employs patents as weapons, will at some point, or wishes they were in a position to do so.

Shaw isn’t alone in his endeavor to try and get a response out of the Google camp, by the way.

Here’s Brad Smith, Microsoft’s EVP and General Counsel, tweeting:

It's time to recognize that in #patent world, lawsuits are the 1%; license agreements are the 99%. #anotherandroidlicense

—
Brad Smith (@BradSmi) January 12, 2012

And here’s Horacio E. Gutiérrez, Corporate VP and Deputy General Counsel, tweeting:

How should the smartphone industry resolve IP disputes in the software stack? Let’s try licensing

—
Horacio Gutierrez (@horaciog) January 12, 2012

We love this stuff. We want more. Come on, Google, it’s your turn. Keep this going.

Update - no comment needed:

hey @robinwauters Google is responding like crazy on G+ i'm sure and it will show up in their search results shortly. tcrn.ch/xQzWiZ

—
Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw) January 12, 2012

Microsoft has signed a patent licensing agreement with LG, maker of tablets, phones and other consumer electronics devices running Android or Chrome OS.

This marks the 11th deal with a device manufacturer leveraging Google’s operating system software; other major agreements were struck with the likes of HTC, Samsung and Acer, among others.

Now that the LG deal is done, Microsoft says more than 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the United States today are covered under its patent portfolio. Evil, or genius?

Either way, Android is turning into quite a cash cow for the Redmond software giant. No wonder Google refers to their methods as pure extortion and a sign that they’re afraid of Android.

Terms of the deal with LG were, per usual, not disclosed, although it’s worth pointing out that Microsoft says it expands upon a pre-existing agreement between the pair.

We’re anxiously awaiting Google’s response to this announcement.

Sprint’s LTE network is only slated to go live in a handful of markets right now, but the country’s third largest wireless carrier is wasting no time in introducing some hew hardware to take advantage of the nascent network.

We were all thrown for a loop when a Sprint Galaxy Nexus popped up in an online ad recently, and the company has just recently confirmed that the handset is indeed the real deal.

Sprint hasn’t been overly forthcoming with detail, but their version of the new Nexus only has 16GB of internal storage (the Verizon model has 32GB), although it reportedly sports a faster processor than its Verizon cousin.

While the Galaxy Nexus will probably be enough to whet Sprint Android fans’ appetites for a while, it won’t be making its debut alone. The LG Viper 4G LTE packs a 4-inch Nova display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread, and an NFC chip with full support for Google Wallet.

Like another LTE device announced today, the Viper is also meant to ease your sense of eco-guilt, as its case is made partially of recycled plastic and its ships with a super-efficient AC adapter. It certainly lacks some of the wow-factor the Galaxy Nexus has, and early impressions seem mixed, but it could prove to be a solid option for those who LTE connectivity without a hefty price tag.

LG and Verizon have just announced their latest LTE Android 2.3 Gingerbread-powered smartphone: the LG Spectrum. Most impressive of all its reported specs would be the 720p display, measuring in at 4.5-inches.

The only phone thus far that is able to tout such an impressive display would be the HTC Rezound, which has a slightly smaller screen and measures .53 inches thick. The new LG Spectrum, however, measures .42-inches thick.

LG promises that the Gingerbread-packing phone will definitely get an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a huge improvement over Gingerbread in my personal opinion.

You’ll find a 1.5GHz dual-core processor from Qualcomm under the hood, along with an 8-megapixel camera on the back (capable of 1080p video capture) and a 1.3 front-facing camera for video chat. The Spectrum packs 1.5GB of RAM, which you can couple with an included 16GB microSD card.

HDMI-out of the MHL persuasion is included, and of course, support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

The Spectrum will be available at Verizon on January 19 for $199 on a two-year contract. For the specs we’re seeing on this phone, that’s an amazing deal.

LG is kicking off the CES 2012 Press Day festivities and you can watch it live starting at 8:00 am PST. The company is expected to release, I don’t know, a slim Android tablet, several ultrabooks, and likely a Google TV. Because, you know, that’s what every company seems to be releasing at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show. The press conference is expected to start at 8:00 am PST and run approximately 45 minutes.

In keeping with our prediction that Google TV would be seeing something of an expansion this year at CES, LG’s first foray into the Google TV ecosystem has just been unveiled ahead of the show.

As you can see in the picture, it’s got a new interface but the guts are still Google TV. This is probably something that we’ll be seeing more of: manufacturer-specific builds, like Sense and TouchWiz for your TV.

The TV itself is of an unspecified size, but chances are it will come in large and extra-large sizes (42″ and 55″ or thereabouts) when it comes out later this year. It comes with LG’s “Magic Remote Qwerty,” which is, as you might expect, a combination of its voice-controlled Magic Remote with the magic of QWERTY. Or AZERTY, depending on where you are.

I’m liking that it’s passive-glasses 3D; active glasses are a thing of the past and glasses-less isn’t quite there yet. Polarized is how you see it in the theater in general, and it’s the way to see 3D at home if you want to see 3D at all. Just stay away from its “built-in 2D to 3D conversion engine,” which sounds supremely awful.

LG is hedging its bets, though; it will also be showing its own Smart TV platform in case the Google devices flop. We’ll be sure to drop by their booth during CES to get an eyes-on with these new displays.

More info at LG’s press release.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” It looks like LG and Intel have taken that old adage to heart, if a new report is to be believed. The Korea Times reports that LG will debut an Intel-powered smartphone at CES 2012, but the bigger question is whether or not the device will ever make it to market.

LG and Intel’s first mobile partnership yielded an Android smartphone running on Intel’s Moorestown chipset for CES 2011, but the device was ultimately scrapped. The reason for its premature demise? As the story goes, the device died because of it’s “lack of marketability.”

LG’s brass certainly thinks their Intel smartphone is viable — according to one of the Times’ executive sources, the device could be released as soon this March. Still, the original LG-Intel phone was pegged with a 2011 release date, so take those claims with a grain of salt for bow.

Hopefully LG’s second swing at an Intel-powered phone fares a little better — it’s said to run on Intel’s next-generation Medfield system-on-a-chip, and early tests have yielded some pretty impressive benchmarks when compared to NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MSM8260 SoCs.

Of course, the real competition is yet to come, as nearly every player in the mobile chipset market is hard at work on their next-generation platforms. Intel has a lot of brand recognition when it comes to PCs, but their lack of presence in the mobile market to date could mean that Medfield could drown in a sea of established ARM-based chipsets.

That’s why the partnership with LG is so critical — despite their handset division spending a few quarters in the red, LG is still the number two handset OEM in the U.S. Having a major hardware vendor taking a chance on their new platform could establish Intel as a real player in the mobile space, and right now Intel’s mobile efforts could use all the visibility they can get.

It seems that 55-Inch OLED TV wasn’t enough for LG: the Korean company today announced it’s ready to showcase another monster TV at the CES 2012 in Las Vegas (which kicks off on January 10). This model comes with a 84-inch 3D LCD display with 4K resolution (3,840×2,160 pixels).

To put things into perspective: 4K resolution, which LG calls “Ultra Definition”, is four times the resolution of full HD. Other details are scarce at this point, but LG promises “slim and narrow bezel design”, controllable 3D picture effects, and 3D sound zooming capability.

The TV, a prototype without price or release date at this point, will also feature Smart TV functionality (access to various 3D movies online, about 1,200 apps, etc.).

LG isn’t alone in the race of next-generation TVs: Toshiba, for example, has just rolled out a 55-Inch Naked-Eye 3D TV with 4K resolution, while Sharp seems to be ready to sell a 60-inch 4K LCD in Japan next year.

Most of the big name Android smartphone vendors have already laid out their Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans, but LG has been notably absent from the list of companies offering an update schedule. Well, a brief announcement on the company’s official Facebook page has remedied that — Android 4.0 will be coming to select LG handsets as early as Q2 2012.

The first round of updates will roll out to the Prada 3.0, Optimus LTE, Optimus Sol, Optimus 2X, LG Eclipse and strangely, the LG myTouch Q. Meanwhile, owners of other Optimus-branded handsets won’t be left waiting for too long. The Optimus 3D, Optimus Black, Optimus Big, Optimus Q2 and the Optimus EX will be getting their first taste of Ice Cream Sandwich in Q3 2012.

But let’s go back to the myTouch Q for a moment. Though it’s a pretty unimpressive device when compared to some of the others getting the update, the myTouch Q is the only device on the list that’s actually available here in the States. It’s a puzzling choice, especially when LG makes no mention of devices like the Thrill or the Nitro HD, both of which are U.S. variants of devices that will indeed be getting the update.

While I’m sure LG fans are probably heartened by the news (that is, if they have switched to custom ROMs already), the company still has a long (and probably bumpy) road ahead of them. LG’s mobile division, if you recall, has had a pretty awful run over the past six quarters, and 2012 could be a make-it-or-break it year for them. They’ve already devoted around half of their 2012 CapEx budget to revitalize their handset business, and here’s hoping they’ve got some blockbuster device launches planned along with these software updates.

We’ve been waiting for large-sized OLED TVs at least since Sony rolled out the cool (but too small) XEL-1 in 2007. Various bigger OLEDs and “breakthroughs” have made the news in the years after that, and now LG says it’s ready to showcase the world’s biggest OLED TV at CES 2012 (which kicks off on January 10).

Sized at 55 inches, the panel has a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 and has been developed by using the Oxide TFT technology, according to LG. The company has been working on bigger OLED devices for quite a while now, for example a super-thin 31-inch model (which was shown last year).

So far, so good, but unfortunately LG says they see the device as a step forward in popularizing the concept of large-sized OLED TVs. In other words, the TV is just a prototype at this point with neither a price tag nor a release date, and we might have to wait years before being able to actually buy one.

Via Engadget

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo has introduced LG’s awesome Optimus Android phone in Japan yesterday. It’s compatible to Docomo’s 4G service Xi and follows the launch of the handset in Korea and North America.

The Docomo version comes equipped with NFC and a digital TV tuner for Japanese users wanting to watch 1seg channels on the 4.5-inch, 1280×720 IPS display. LG did not build in an infrared connection, however (which many Japanese mobile subscribers got used to on their feature phones).

It also features other Docomo-specific bells and whistles, like access to the docomo market (the carrier’s Android marketplace), or the so-called “Palette UI” (an interface designed by Docomo for their Android phones). LG also manufactured a version in red, which is only available in Japan (in addition to the black version).

I had the chance to try the Optimus out in Tokyo (where I live) today, and the LTE connection was – not a big surprise – super-fast (see below).

Short Version

I find myself looking at the Nitro HD with mixed feelings. In some ways, it’s exactly what I’ve been asking for from LG, and in others it simply brings about disappointment. The software, in particular, failed to impress me. Hopefully a much more clogged 4G LTE network from AT&T (compared to the like, seven people that are using it now) will still find a way to outweigh the lag on what should be a high-end Android handset.

Features:

• 4.5-inch 1280×720 “True HD” IH-IPS display
• Dual-core 1.5GHz processor
• Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
• 8MP rear camera (1080p video capture)
• Front-facing camera for video chat
• 4G LTE support from AT&T
• MSRP: $249.99 on-contract

Pros:

• An impressive 4.5-inch 720p display
• Solid camera
• Nice textured back panel

Cons:

• Not the smartest or sturdiest hardware
• It’s not terribly attractive, either
• Overall sluggish performance

Long Version:

To start, I want to say that this isn’t an awful phone and I want to applaud the fact that I think LG is moving in the right direction in terms of design. However, the LG Nitro HD simply isn’t the fastest, nor is it the most visually appealing phone on the market. LG made about as many good design choices as it did poor ones, in my opinion, and the software just doesn’t do anything to help it out.

The real shining star here is AT&T’s 4G LTE network, and unfortunately I’ve only been able to access that for a few minutes. That said, it seems to be rock solid showing download speeds between 17 and 20 megabits per second. Then again, there are only so many people playing on that network right now so it’s hard to make judgements.

Hardware:

The Nitro HD hardware shines in a few select spaces: the screen, the shape, and the textured back panel. Obviously the 4.5-inch 720p display can be considered the left cheek of this phone’s moneymaker (LTE being the right), and it does a good job at living up to the hype. We’re seeing great real-life color reproduction, and little to no differentiation between pixels.

The shape of the phone feels great in the hand, and this coming from someone who prefers boxier builds like the Droid RAZR. It has rounded corners and a flat face and back, which makes such a large phone a tad easier to grip. The top edge the phone has squared edges, and then curves off around the sides and on the bottom. It’s 10.4mm thick, which is the exact midway point between the HTC Rezound and the Droid RAZR. Not thick, but not anorexic by any means.

Then there’s the back panel. LG seems insistent on building plastic phones, which tend to feel a bit cheaper and less sturdy than phones made of metal. That said, the textured finish along the backside of the Nitro HD definitely makes the phone feel more solid and high-end than it actually is. Unfortunately, the majority of the phone, including that back panel, doesn’t take prints well at all.

But for all the good, there’s plenty of bad. The micro-USB port along the top has a plastic covering which will no doubt break off at some point. Plus, I’m not all that fond of placing a micro-USB port square in the middle of the top or bottom of a phone, as it makes it hard to do anything in landscape when the phone’s plugged in.

I’m also not all that thrilled with this strip of grey plastic connecting the black bezel to the rest of the phone. It simply works against all the work that textured back panel did to make this phone feel more high-end. In terms of sturdiness, I’m not all that convinced that the Nitro HD has the most solid build quality either.

It creaks quite a bit when stressed, and if you put any pressure on the back panel you can feel it move around a bit, like it’s not securely latched on.

Software:

When speaking on software I must first do some back-peddling when it comes to earlier statements. I do, in fact, have some complaints when it comes to software performance on the Nitro HD. I didn’t notice when doing preliminary tasks just how much Android lags and stutters when switching between home screens and scrolling. Web surfing wasn’t any better, with the entire screen freezing up and then jumping into position during any form of pinch-to-zoom.

LG’s Optimus overlay isn’t all that bad, to my surprise. The weather and social networking integration baked right into the UI are actually quite pleasant and seem to function quite well. The UI itself isn’t terribly obtrusive, but I fear that it may be contributing to the annoying lag I’m steadily growing impatient with.

You’ll find a handful of AT&T bloatware-style apps, along with Amazon Kindle, Qik Lite, MOG Music and Zynga Poker HD pre-loaded.

Camera:

I’m actually pretty enthusiastic about the Nitro’s 8-megapixel camera. While it is a test in patience getting from home screen to snapped picture, the end product is exactly what you hoped it’d be. We saw really clear color reproduction, though the pictures do stray into greenish/greyish territory when using flash in low-light situations.

The video capture capabilities performed well, too. It normally takes a second for a mobile camcorder to adjust from a sunny scene to indoors, but the Nitro HD’s camera did it quite quickly.

Performance/Battery Life:

To start I have to say that the speaker (lower-right portion of the back panel) on this phone is pretty underwhelming. Watching YouTube videos and talking on speakerphone was a struggle. Even with the volume all the way up, it makes you wonder what the point of a 4.5-inch HD screen is when you’re constantly holding the phone up to your ear.

When you can hear it, watching video on the screen is a joy, as is playing games. The same lag that plagues the OS in general — from multi-tasking to opening/closing apps — doesn’t seem to be present during gaming or video playback. A nice change of pace.

I’m also impressed with the battery life on the Nitro HD. I got a solid eight hours out of it (around five hours of setup, browsing, talking on the phone, gaming, taking pictures and watching video; the rest was standby). This may not sound like enough, but the truth is that most 4G LTE-capable phones suck wind in the battery department and eight hours is saying a lot. It’s also worth noting that I had the screen brightness turned all the way up.

Conclusion:

The Nitro HD is like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you’re going to get. While watching video and playing games was a great experience, doing simple things like browsing the web or scrolling through the phone book was tedious. Some design choices (like that micro-USB mess) we could’ve done without, while others (like that back panel) are a great step in the right direction for LG.

At $249 on a two-year contract, I’d say a lot is riding on whether or not you live in one of AT&T’s LTE markets and just how well AT&T’s LTE network performs. So far, things are looking pretty good on that front so I’d suggest doing a little research on whether you’re covered and perhaps picking up a Nitro HD (or a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or HTC Vivid) and seeing how you feel about AT&T’s new network.

Tonight at LG’s media event in New York City, we were lucky enough to get some quality time with the LG Nitro HD. The third in AT&T’s line of LTE-capable phones, the Nitro HD was announced earlier this week with a launch date of December 4 for AT&T. Some of its spec highlights include a 4.5-inch 720p display (like the HTC Rezound), a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 4G LTE support from AT&T, of course.

Since the Nitro was announced before its dedicated media event (and since it’s basically the Optimus LTE we’re seeing over in Europe), there’s really no reason to hash out all the specific deets. So let’s just get down to business, shall we?

First impressions:

• Right off the bat the first thing you’ll notice is the Nitro’s size. It’s a hefty little beast with that 4.5-inch screen and a waist line of 10.4mm. That’s not terribly thick but not what I would call thin, either. For some perspective, it’s thickness falls right between the Droid Razr and the HTC Rezound.
• The screen, as expected, is pretty slick running at 720p. With a resolution of 1280×720 on 4.5-inches of real estate, the LG Nitro HD actually has a slightly greater pixel density than the iPhone 4, at 329ppi as opposed to 326ppi. It’s not the best display I’ve ever seen, but it can certainly compete with many other recently released phones.
• As far as performance is concerned, we have no complaints here. The NitroHD is snappy and super responsive, and web browsing was pretty enjoyable. We haven’t gotten a chance to test out AT&T’s LTE network as New York City isn’t quite on the list yet, so unfortunately reflections on that will have to wait.
• The textured back finish feels nice, and gives the Nitro a much pricier feel than its plastic casing would imply. Still, the strip of brushed plastic around the edge lets loose the secret that back panel was keeping.

• The Nitro HD doesn’t take prints well at all, whether it’s the textured back panel or (most noticeably) the display.
• The 8-megapixel rear-facing camera performed very well, handling white balance and movement between light and dark settings well. Shutter lag was a bit annoying, but it’s certainly no worse than most Android phones.
• This particular LG device has an LG Optimus skin running over Android. It isn’t terribly obtrusive but does seem to slow things down a bit from a strictly vanilla experience.
• I’m somewhat bothered by the fact that the charging port is square on the top of the phone, as that makes it pretty difficult to play around with in landscape mode while plugged in. It also has a plastic covering protecting the port, which will probably snap right off after a couple weeks of use.

All in all, I’d call the LG Nitro HD a fine option, but not necessarily my first pick. It packs specs that can compete on paper, but simply can’t keep up on the hardware front. The Nitro HD will show up on AT&T shelves December 4 for $249 with a two-year contract.

AT&T sure isn’t wasting any time on shoring up their LTE lineup: just a few weeks after the HTC Vivid and Samsung GSII Skyrocket hit the scene, AT&T has announced that the LG Nitro HD will hit the streets on December 4 for $249.99.

Better known as the Optimus LTE outside of the United States, the Nitro HD sports a pretty impressive spec sheet. As the name would imply, the Nitro sports a high-definition 4.5-inch AH-IPS running at 720p, and an 8-megapixel camera sits on the Nitro’s rear-end. Under the hood is a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, along with 4GB of internal storage and a pre-installed 16GB microSD card.

Like most of its kin, the Nitro HD runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and will probably come preloaded with a host of apps that we’ll uninstall immediately.

Though some of the geeky particulars don’t get a mention, the Nitro HD looks like a solid handset on paper. Hopefully using it is just as good, because LG is in dire need of a hit — their handset division spent the past six consecutive quarters wallowing in red ink. LG has committed nearly half of their 2012 capital expenditures budget into revitalizing their mobile phone business, but until their new crop of smartphones hit, I’ll be watching the Nitro very closely.