November 26th, 2012

LG’s Optimus G Successor (And Its 5-Inch, 1080p Display) Could Launch As Early As May 2013

optimusg

Well, that was quick. It’s only been two or so months since LG pulled officially pulled back the curtains on its flagship Optimus G smartphone, but it seems the Korean company isn’t done fiddling with the formula just yet. According to a recent report from Korea’s MK Business News, LG is already preparing a followup (tentatively called the Optimus G2) that could launch as early as next May. → Read More

October 9th, 2012

Hands-On With The Optimus L9, LG’s Most Recent Mid-Range Mobile

l9-3

LG has been getting plenty of attention these days because of some recent carrier announcements (case in point: Sprint announced it would carry the LG Mach and Optimus G), but that’s not all the LG hardware here at MobileCON 2012. T-Mobile recently outed a new LG device of its own — the decidedly mid-range Optimus L9 — and I spent a few moments getting to know it a little better. → Read More

October 8th, 2012

T-Mobile Will Launch LG’s Ice Cream Sandwich-Powered Optimus L9 “This Fall”

optimusl9

AT&T and Sprint have already laid claim to LG’s flagship Optimus G handset, but what of the rest of the Big 4 national carriers? Verizon has been keeping awfully quiet on the subject — maybe because it’s still trying to push LG’s curious Intuition phablet — and for now it seems T-Mobile is making do with another, less illustrious Korean handset.

The carrier has just announced that it will… → Read More

October 3rd, 2012

LG’s Flagship Optimus G Slated To Hit AT&T And Sprint Shelves Later This Year

optimusg

LG’s last big (and I mean big) smartphone release around these parts was the Intuition, a funky phablet that many a critic panned. Thankfully, the company’s straight-laced follow-up — the nicely spec’d Optimus G — was revealed earlier this month, and now both AT&T and Sprint have signed on to sell the thing when it launches later this year. → Read More

February 26th, 2012

Hands-On With LG’s (Huge) Optimus Vu

optvu1

We’re here checking out LG’s media preview event, and so far, there are no surprises to be had here. LG’s Daniel Hernandez is on stage as I write this talking about all of the phones that the company has already announced these past few weeks.

Of course, we’re not just here to listen — we’re here to play! And on that note, how could I resist playing with the giant little Optimus Vu.

Two… → Read More

February 8th, 2012

LG Takes A Chance With The Oddly-Proportioned Optimus Vu

optimussketch

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 year include the newly-leaked Optimus Vu, which isn’t… → Read More

December 15th, 2011

LG’s Optimus LTE Android Phone Goes On Sale In Japan

LG_Optimus_LTE_Launch_in_Japan_5001

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… → Read More

March 28th, 2011

Japan's Docomo To Sell LG's Optimus Pad This Thursday For $980

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo today announced [press release in English] that LG’s 3D-capable Optimus Pad will go on sale in the country as early as this Thursday. That means that the Android 3.0 device will hit stores in Japan earlier than in the US – where it’s expected to become available on April 20. → Read More

November 23rd, 2010

T-mobile announces BOGO promotion for Black Friday

If there’s a special someone in your life that’s into smartphones as much as you are, then you should have a gander at this:

Starting this Black Friday, T-mobile are including their entire line of Android devices (including the Galaxy Tab), as well as the WinPho7-powered behemoth that is the HD7, in a buy-one-get-one-free promotion.

Jump on past the break for all the grisly details. → Read More

November 22nd, 2010

Metro PCS launches their first Android phone: the LG Optimus M

Joining the Optimus party that T-mobile and Sprint have been getting down at since October, and that US Cellular is still on his way to (Verizon is reportedly partying, but at an entirely different address to the others), Metro PCS have now launched their own version of LG’s cheapest Android handset, dubbing it the Optimus M. This is a momentous day for Metro PCS, too, as it is their very… → Read More

October 14th, 2010

Microsoft Attempts To Patent The Optimus Keyboard

It seems that a year and a half ago, Microsoft applied for a patent for what appears to be a sort of hybrid between their own pressure-sensitive keyboard and the lovely but prohibitively expensive Optimus keyboard. The claims include “an adaptive-imaging engine to dynamically change a visual appearance of the key in accordance with rendering information received from the host computing… → Read More

August 20th, 2010

LG To The WSJ, "Our tablet will be better than the iPad."

Oh boy. LG’s Marketing VP made a mighty big claim in a recent Wall Street Journal article. I’ll state it again if you somehow missed the headline: “our tablet will be better than the iPad.” That’s like Kia saying their upcoming sports car will be better than the Porsche 911. Or some Hollywood startup saying they’re making the next Star Wars only better. A blanket statement like that just doesn’t… → Read More

June 29th, 2010

First shots of Optimus Popularis keyboard emerge

We heard tell of the Optimus Popularis in May, but it had a completely different look. The new one, with its dedicated display bar and lack of number pad, is in my humble opinion a vastly superior design. The LED (not OLED) keys are, after all, totally customizable, and this saves a ton of money — that’s 20 less displays they have to put on the keyboard. And they can pass the savings on to… → Read More

May 13th, 2010

Optimus Popularis will cost less than $1,000, remain irrelevant

I think of Art Lebedev’s odd creations the way I think of expensive, weird sex toys – maybe someone will buy one, but any way you slice it it’s not going to take off. Anyway, the Optimus Popularis keyboard uses little screens on each key, just like the old Optimus Maximus. However, instead of OLEDs it will use LEDs. The Popularis will sell for under $1,000 and should be mass… → Read More

February 25th, 2009

Oh look, a World of Warcraft Optimus keyboard theme

What good is that Optimus keyboard without World of Warcraft? None good, I say, which is why it brings me great joy to see this homebrew WoW layout. It was created by one of the blokes at an Optimus Keyboard message board—message boards are the new salons—and is primarily for Warlocks. → Read More

July 22nd, 2008

Optimus Pultius: between Minimus and Maximus

This might be something I can use. I enjoyed the easily customizable softkeys on the Microsoft wireless keyboard I reviewed a month or so ago, and this is more powerful and less attached to a bulky keyboard with non-separated F-keys. I’m pretty sure it’ll still cost north of, oh let’s say $400, but I think this is more practical than the actual full-LCD keyboard. It’ll… → Read More

July 16th, 2008

Optimus Tactus: Yeah, I'm OK with my old keyboard, thanks

Art Lebedev’s Optimus Keyboard, famous for having little OLED screens on each key and never actually, you know, being purchased by anyone, was the defining meme of the 2006-2007 blogging season. Everyone was all excited for the product and when it finally launched everyone was like “Huh” and kept tapping at their iPhones. Now AL is talking about the Tactus, a full-screen keyboard… → Read More

June 3rd, 2008

First mock-up of new Optimus keyboard!

That garish Optimus keyboard that annoyed people with its price and lack of functionality will be re-born as the Optimus Popularis. That up there is the first mock-up of the keyboard, which is supposed to be “well under” $1,000. I know, feed your family, or buy a keyboard? via Wired’s Gadget Lab → Read More

May 21st, 2008

Next version of Optimus keyboard revealed: Under $1K!

Ladies and germs, the next version of the Optimus keyboard! Dubbed the Optimus Popularis, it’s currently set to retail for “well below” $1,000. That’s some deal, $1K for a keyboard. Why buy food or pay rent when you can have a cool LED keyboard? All the best stories come from random LiveJournals. Or something. → Read More

April 24th, 2008

ThinkGeek selling Optimus keyboard for $1,589.99

That’s right: the Optimus keyboard is on ThinkGeek for 1,600 freaking dollars. 1,600 freaking dollars. Seriously. It’s a keyboard with OLEDs in it. Make a good flat touchscreen interface for data entry a la Star Trek and leave this bugger to the dustbin of technological overreach. (via BBG) → Read More

January 8th, 2008

Optimus Maximus touched at CES

It’s out there, and it’s just as glossy and beautiful as you think. The keys are somewhat bigger than a normal keyboard, probably by 15% or so; they had a regular size one there for comparison. The screens were crisp, bright, responsive, and very high contrast. It really does look like a $500 object, and if you can afford it, I’d say go for it. Their booth girls were nice and… → Read More

January 3rd, 2008

Patent filing shows Apple working on Optimus-like OLED keyboard

If you’ve spent any amount of time on tech sites like this one, you’ve surely heard of the Optimus keyboard. It uses OLEDs in place of “regular” keys. One minute a key open Safari the next it open Photoshop. Like the picture! According to a recent patent filed last March (but only revealed recently), Apple is working on a keyboard just like the Optimus. Maybe with Apple… → Read More

December 28th, 2007

Optimus announces another dope keyboard that doesn't really exist

Hot on the heels of this year’s never-released Optimus Maximus superkeyboard, Optimus has taken the concept one step further with the Tactus keyboard. The idea is similar, but instead of customizable keycaps, the keys themselves are virtual. Cool idea, but as anyone who’s tried to play Mario on an iPhone can attest, there’s a definite advantage to the tactile feedback real… → Read More

December 26th, 2007

Optimus not prime for shipping on time

Art Lebedev Studios was more than happy to take preorders for the Optimus Maximus keyboard (that we all thought would never see the light of day) but seems to have neglected to make the device’s firmware work well enough to justify the high price tag. The method by which the firmware gets upgraded also needs to be overhauled. Alas, she’s been delayed until the end of February. Sorry to… → Read More

May 3rd, 2007

Optimus Keyboard: Priced at $1,500, Shipped in December

We’ve long thought that the OLEDrific Optimus keyboard was vaporware. While we still haven’t seen anything more than a prototype, it now has a release date and price tag, both features vaporware rarely has. We’re happy to say we were wrong. We’re unhappy, though, about the fact that we can’t afford one, and you likely can’t, either. The pre-order date was… → Read More

January 25th, 2007

Optimus Prime Poses for Headshot!

film by Michael Bay. He doesn’t look bad, does he? It’s not the Bumblebee we knew as kids, but it is Bumblebee. But the question you’re all wondering is: How does Optimus Prime look? We have his first close up right here. → Read More

October 19th, 2006

Upravlator From the Optimus Designers

and the full-blown Optimus keyboard, the Upravlator is basically a small monitor with twelve buttons. The twelve buttons aren’t just buttons – they’re just like the Mini Three in that the buttons are screens that change depending on the context. The limit of the device depends only on the SDK (Software Development Kit) and how far programmers are willing to take it. Twelve… → Read More

August 17th, 2006

The Optimus Mini Three Keyboard Exists

Thinkgeek got their hands on a final production sample of the Optimus Mini Three keyboard; the keyboard that only has three keys. Despite that, each key has an OLED display on it that you can use to show whatever you want. Examples are weather, how much free memory you have, how much your current CPU usage is, or a 3FPS webcam stream. It’s only Windows compatible for now, but Mac and Linux… → Read More