LG Electronics (LG) will offer beautiful 360-degree landscapes for free download so that LG customers can experience the power of 360-degree images on their G5 smartphones.
The 360 Wallpaper feature allows users to set spherical images as the background image on the LG G5 home screen. By moving the phone or swiping the display, the background takes on a life of its own, similar to the experience one would see in a virtual reality world. The 360-degree photos can also be viewed in Cinematic View while the LG 360 CAM captures spherical photos that can be used as wallpapers on the G5 or uploaded to Google Street View.
LG G5 users will have free access to stunning wallpapers taken by professional photographers, including breathtaking scenery of nature and famous cities around the world. Initially 12 photographs will be available on LG SmartWorld with four new images added each month from May to November.
“The G5 is designed to deliver a playful mobile experience to customers and 360-degree imagery is a key part of that experience,” said Chris Yie, vice president and head of marketing communications for LG Mobile Communications Company. “360-degree photography is still in its early stages but we believe it will drive adoption of VR innovation in the mobile space.”
The professionally photographed images will be available between April and November in all 69 countries where LG SmartWorld is available. LG G5 owners interested in experiencing 360-degree wallpapers on their smartphones are encouraged to log on to http://www.LGworld.com or to download the Android app for more information on wallpapers as well as the opportunity to win prizes and gifts.
LG Electronics (LG) announced the opening of the LG Friends Online Portal in the next phase to expand its open mobile ecosystem. Initially, LG Friends Online Portal will open for business in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and South Korea and gradually expand to other target countries.
Once fully operational, certified third party developers will be able to set up shop directly in the LG Friends Online Portal to promote their ideas and products. This portal will also offer a community page where anyone interested in LG G5 and the future of modular smartphones can contribute to the discussion. Visitors will also be able to use the portal to find out where to buy LG Friend products and to receive information on special offers and sweepstakes in their respective locations.
As part of its effort to expand the G5 ecosystem, LG invited over 200 developers to a conference in San Francisco on April 15. At the event, developers were given the opportunity to experience LG G5 and Friends up close and personal and hear presentations from LG executive vice president Min Kyung-oh and vice president Dr. Woo Ram-chan as well as representatives from partners Google and Parrot.
“Our mobile ecosystem is an opportunity for common growth where LG, third party developers and consumers all participate and share in the benefits together,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and LG Mobile Communications Company. “Expanding the LG mobile ecosystem will be our top priority with G5 and Friends this year as we work earnestly toward delivering a playful mobile experience through a diverse collection of Friends.”
LG Electronics (LG) announced the opening of the LG Friends Online Portal (www.LGFriends.com) in the next phase to expand its open mobile ecosystem. Initially, LG Friends Online Portal will open for business in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and South Korea and gradually expand to other target countries.
Once fully operational, certified third party developers will be able to set up shop directly in the LG Friends Online Portal to promote their ideas and products. This portal will also offer a community page where anyone interested in LG G5 and the future of modular smartphones can contribute to the discussion. Visitors will also be able to use the portal to find out where to buy LG Friend products and to receive information on special offers and sweepstakes in their respective locations.
As part of its effort to expand the G5 ecosystem, LG invited over 200 developers to a conference in San Francisco on April 15. At the event, developers were given the opportunity to experience LG G5 and Friends up close and personal and hear presentations from LG executive vice president Min Kyung-oh and vice president Dr. Woo Ram-chan as well as representatives from partners Google and Parrot.
“Our mobile ecosystem is an opportunity for common growth where LG, third party developers and consumers all participate and share in the benefits together,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and LG Mobile Communications Company. “Expanding the LG mobile ecosystem will be our top priority with G5 and Friends this year as we work earnestly toward delivering a playful mobile experience through a diverse collection of Friends.”
Starting this week, LG Electronics (LG) will begin reaching global markets with its highly anticipated LG G5 modular smartphone. The LG G5 will debut in South Korea on March 31 and the United States on April 1 to be followed by countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, among others. Approximately 200 carriers and operators worldwide have committed to offer the G5 in their local markets.
As demonstrated at its unveiling at Mobile World Congress last month in Barcelona, LG G5 is a showcase of cutting-edge technologies and rich features thoughtfully designed deliver a more playful user experience. MWC attendees seemed to agree with the philosophy behind the G5 as the device walked away with a record 33 awards including Best New Smartphone at MWC 2016 from the GSMA’s Glomo Awards, the mobile industry’s longest established awards platform for innovation, excellence and achievement.
“Since MWC, LG G5 and Friends have captured the imagination of consumers everywhere with its engaging take on mobile technology,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Modularity has been talked about for years but no one was able to consumerize it until now and we’re happy to take on the mantle.”
Engagement comes in the form of dual 78- and 135-degree camera lenses for ultra wide angle shots, an Always-on Display that requires no button-pressing to get the latest information and Dolby Digital Plus and 7.1 channel audio for cinema-style sound that delivers dialogue and nuanced effects clearly even in loud environments. LG G5 also supports IFTTT (If This Then That), a smart solution that allows users to create a series of action programs called recipes to boost productivity and efficiency.
LG simplified the graphical user interface with a simple, flat look while applying a bright color combination and a semi-transparent blur effect to the GUI. In addition, animation and feedback effects are choreographed at the right moments to deliver a playful and enjoyable experience (https://youtu.be/WqJvMtkmyZI).
The following companion devices, or Friends, will be available in select markets at the time of the G5 rollout or soon after:
CAM Plus
LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY (with pouch)
360 VR
360 CAM (with case)
Rolling Bot
TONE Platinum
H3 by B&O PLAY
Prices and exact date of availability will be announced separately in each local market.
The new LG G5 has finally unveiled.
You knew it was coming, but its upgraded features and attractive, playful design is something you would have not expected.
Get busy bringing the excitement into your hands with the LG G5!
*The contents and features that appear on the video may differ from the actual.
LG UX 5.0 is here for a more playful and innovative mobile experience!
Enhanced usability and convenience will offer an enjoyable connection with LG Friends as well as a powerful visual experience on LG G5.
Enjoy the LG G5 and Friends to their maximum potential with LG G5 UX 5.0.
AT&T isn’t just banking on the LG G5 to start its spring with a bang. After months of sorting out glitches, LG is re-launching the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE on AT&T as of today. The cellular-linked, NumberSync-friendly Android Wear piece is available for $18 per month on a 20-month installment plan ($360 total), or $100 if you buy it alongside a G5 on an AT&T Next plan. That’s before the $10 per month you’ll need to pay to add the smartwatch to your shared data plan, we’d add. If you absolutely need to stay online when your phone is at home, though, this might hit the spot.
As for the G5? That little old thing? Pre-orders are starting today at AT&T, with a launch planned for April 1st. Buying the modular smartphone will set you back $23 per month on a 2-year AT&T Next plan, but the network is offering a Buy One Get One deal that provides a free G5 (or rather, the credit for one) if you add it on a new second line and pay for it on a Next 24 plan. The BOGO promotion is comparable to what you get for the Galaxy S7, but it’s worth considering if you’re looking for an alternative to Samsung.
LG’s Newest Smartphone Sweeps the Competition at the Mobile Industry ‘Oscars’
BARCELONA, Feb. 25, 2016― LG Electronics amassed a total of 33 awards at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 including the event’s top honor, Best Mobile Handsets & Devices Award, securing status as the most honored company at the show. The wins highlighted the Modular Type innovation behind LG’s latest flagship smartphone, the LG G5 and Friends, demonstrating that the company is at the forefront of mobile communications. LG G5 and Friends earned top honors from Android Authority, Digital Trends, Trusted Reviews and Ubergizmo, among others.
“The initial response to our new LG G5 has been phenomenal and rewards the effort our experts have made to create something genuinely innovative and unique in the smartphone space,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The G5 and its Friends modules are aimed at giving consumers a more playful smartphone experience and these awards suggest that we have offered something truly different in the market.”
LG unveiled the G5 to a 2,000 strong crowd prior to the main MWC event to high acclaim. The flagship smartphone is a brand new design with a sleek, metal uni-body featuring a Slide-out Battery and a Modular Type design that gives a greater smartphone experience. Complete with LG Friends, a collection of companion devices, the G5 can be transformed into a digital camera, Hi-Fi player and more.
With an estimated 100,000 attendees, MWC 2016 is the mobile industry’s keynote event. Awards won by LG at MWC 2016 include:
May have seemed to some to be nothing more than a commercial jab at Apple, but it has become a philosophy for Samsung: to make its Galaxy smartphones worlds (galaxies) of their own. And this strategy is paying off big-time for the Korean giant, with the latest Galaxy S7/S7 edge unveiling being yet another opportunity for Samsung to showcase its strengths and growth over the last 12 months. If you believed the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge were enticing worlds, then you’ll be pleased to know that their successors highlight their all-encompassing nature even more.
Samsung retained the glass and metal design of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, but the company waterproofed the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge “from the inside out” this time – taking these devices to better water resistance than their Galaxy S5 predecessor. The IP68 water and dust resistance means you can be confident that your devices will outlive the water (just make sure you read that new manual, though; it comes with some information on water and dust resistance that may save you trouble down the road).
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have better lowlight performance than their predecessors
Meaning that photos in low light have never been as good as they’ll get with the f/1.7 camera apertures of both the front 5MP camera and the back 12MP Sony IMX260 camera. The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge now have Always On Displays that take advantage of our inherent need to “check our phones,” on average, about 150 times a day, and the Galaxy S7 edge now has quicker apps and content access so that you can spend time “swiping on the edge” and appreciating the aesthetic beauty of your smartphone while “living on the edge” for productivity.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are worlds you’ll live in daily, whether at the office (checking your Always On Display or using the edge on the S7 edge), at the beach splashing the water and taking pictures (IP68 water and dust resistance, f/1.7 aperture cameras), at the grocery store or movie rental (Samsung Pay), on the road (microSD card slot for up to 200GB additional storage for movies, TV shows, and music), and so on. Like Visa, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge can go “everywhere you wanna be.”
In contrast
Though, the LG G5, also unveiled on Sunday, didn’t quite create the world Samsung’s Seoul rival wanted. Yes, it does feature what the Korean manufacturer calls a modular design (though I’d say it’s only semi-modular at best and fancy word-dressing at the worst), but LG wants to sell you on the G5 being modular “if” (this being the key word) you buy “Friends” to go with the G5, including the 1) Cam Plus, 2) Hi-Fi Plus, 3) LG 360 VR headset, 4) 360 Cam, 5) LG Rolling Bot, and others.
Along the same lines, the G5 is only a world (dare I say, Galaxy?) if and only if you buy these external devices and connect them via wire cables. As a friend of mine said to me this week, friends aren’t friends if you pay for them. “Life’s better with friends,” LG says, but how much better life is when you have to pay for them is debatable.
Whether or not your G5 is an entire world is dependent upon how much you’re willing to spend. When you haven’t sold your phone, worth $700 USD, as a Galaxy, you won’t do well to give people the world “if” they’ll spend additional funds. If the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are worlds of their own, on their own, why would anyone spend more money to try to have a DIY “Galaxy” project, as the G5 presents to us? LG’s wireless headphones, and its G5, the latest smartphone out of step with landline phones, take a huge step back in innovation with the G5’s VR headset and “Friends” cables.
To have a successful product
manufacturers must sell customers on one single device as meeting their needs completely. The LG G5 will appeal to DIY folks who love taking things apart and putting them together, but most consumers lie in the opposite camp: they want a truly “smart” smartphone that is all-encompassing, right out of the box that requires as minimal a setup for enjoyment purposes as possible. If they get a smartphone that can do “a Galaxy” of things for them, then they’ll be happy to use it to construct their own Galaxy (which is why Samsung’s Gear VR is rising in popularity) and buy additional accessories to make it happen.
Sell consumers your phone as their world first, and then they’ll buy your accessories. LG has yet to sell its G2, G3, and G4 as “Galaxies” of their own (LG Pay for mobile payments may have helped in this regard); why would anyone want to DIY a world with the G5 when the person hasn’t figured out whether or not he or she even wants the G5 on its own merit? LG could’ve focused on the G5 alone, but its attempt to leap into an ecosystem with the G5 “Friends” shows that the company has not yet thought through its marketing strategy carefully.
The G5 is different for the sake of being different, but where will LG’s modular design go next year? I’m inclined to think that the modular G5 is a one-hit wonder that I can pass up. And when you’re going up against a name like Samsung, you have to make sure all, notsome, of your ducks are lined up in a row.
LG Electronics (LG) took the wraps off a new version of its Quick Cover case
designed specifically for LG’s next generation flagship smartphone, LG G5, which does not yet exist. Known as a company ahead of the times, LG took this characterization to heart by revealing the existence of the accessory before the actual product.
The latest LG Quick Cover offers the advantages of previous Quick Covers but with even more features.
The touch function, recently introduced on the K10’s Quick Cover View, is now available on the G5 Quick Cover’s semitransparent mesh cover. It enables users to take calls and control alarm settings without opening the case for the ultimate in convenience.
Users of the case can check the time, date and notifications on the Always-on Display of the yet unseen LG G5 even with the cover closed. LG also incorporated a unique film with a glossy metallic finish to enhance the smooth and luxurious look and feel of the cover for maximum consistency with the speculative LG G5.
The Quick Cover for LG G5 will be on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain from February 22-25. Visitors to MWC are encouraged to stop by LG’s booth in Hall 3 of Fira Gran Via to see the LG Quick Cover and the rumored LG G5 for themselves.
