LG has today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012, during which the South Korean company sold 15.4 million cellphones and saw a 2% increase in sales and revenue of $2.58 billion. 8.6 million of those devices were Android-powered handsets, with “premium LTE smartphones” like the Optimus G and the Optimus Vu 2 leading the way.
That slightly odd looking device above is called the Constellation Ti, and it’s the first Android handset from luxury smartphone brand Vertu. It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s already been appearing in benchmark tests and regulator databases in Singapore and Macau. Several pictures of the device — showing off all four variants — have also been published online by one Russian retailer.
The Constellation Ti is expected to get its unveiled at Mobile World Congress next month, and like all other Vertu handsets, it’s likely to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
From Saturday, January 26, you’ll have to ask your carrier to unlock your smartphone if you wish to use it on another network. It will become illegal to do so yourself using unauthorized unlocking methods — even if your contract has run its course and you no longer have a commitment with the original provider.
While today’s smartphones may boast just as many pixels as your television and a faster processor than your PC, they’re not great at going outdoors. Drop any of them onto hard concrete without a case and you can almost guarantee you’re in for a pricey repair bill. That’s not the case with the new Samsung Xcover 2, however.
Announcing just this morning, the Xcover 2 is “the ideal smartphone for active explorers who are enjoying outdoor lifestyles and seeking a durable mobile device with essential smartphone capabilities.”
Samsung has today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012, which slightly exceed the estimations that were set by the Korean company earlier this month. It recorded an operating profit of 8.84 trillion won (approx. $8.27 billion) during the three-month period, on 56.06 trillion won (approx. $54.45 billion) in revenue. That’s a 10% increase in profit over the previous quarter, and a whopping 89.3% increase in profit over the fourth quarter of 2011.
