LG Optimus L9 arrives in Europe

Put with the Nexus 4 for company, who would buy it?

The LG Optimus L9 has touched down in Germany, where consumers can purchase the smartphone online SIM-free.
Available for €299 (around £240) on Amazon, LG has been slow to roll out the Optimus L9 to Europe, making it available in Asia and the US first.
It's the most powerful handset in the Korean firm's L-Style range, with the disappointing LG Optimus L7, and rather uninspiring Optimus L3 already on sale in Britain, while the Optimus L5 remains pretty anonymous.

Middle of the road

LG lifted the lid of the Optimus L9 at the end of August, revealing its 4.7-inch True IPS display, 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP camera and Android 4.0 innards.
There's nothing here to get the heart racing, but if LG keep the Optimus L9 at a competitively low price it could turn out to be a decent mid-range phone – we just hope it works better than the L7.
LG may have cannibalised the Optimus L9's sales though; with the Google Nexus 4 boasting far superior specifications and starting at just £239 SIM-free, we're not sure who would plump for the L9.
We have contacted LG to find out if the Optimus L9 will make it across the channel to Britain, and we'll update this article once we hear back.

From UnwiredView

Sony's Xperia T and Xperia TX reap software update

Updates worthy of a double-O agent

Sony announced a new set of firmware updates Wednesday which will add a host of new features to its Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich-powered Xperia T and Xperia TX smartphones.
Set to start rolling out globally this week, as the updates become live across certain regions, the Xperias will notify users when the phones can receive the upgrades.
There are four major features getting solid improvements with this firmware bump, each of which should make the Xperia experience much more satisfying for its users.

Mirror, mirror

Coming only to the Xperia T is what Sony calls "the most significant voice quality upgrade in mobile history."
The Xperia T's HD Voice feature provides a clearer, crisper conversation even when the user is in a noisy or crowded locale.
Sony's upgrades to the Xperia T's HD Voice further filters out background noise and is able to capture and transmit a "broader spectrum of the human voice."
While the Xperia TX is sadly absent HD Voice, it will enjoy other features the Xperia T gains such as Screen mirroring.
Utilizing a compatible Wi-Fi enabled TV, users will be able to stream photos, games, movies, music and more from the smartphone to their larger screens effortlessly.

Xtra

Additionally, both Xperia devices will gain an extended stand-by mode, which disables features like Wi-Fi and data traffic once the phone is in sleep mode for a few minutes.
Several of the media applications on the Xperia T and Xperia TX will also see some improvements, including a better interface for the Walkman app and dashboard controls for the movie app.
It's not quite a complete OS update, but these additions should help the Xperia T and TX continue to stand their ground against Google's Nexus 4 and HTC One X+.

Via Sony

Sharp announces AQUOS Pad SHT21 tablet with 7.0-inch low power IGZO LCD

Japanese technology products manufacturer Sharp has announced a new compact tablet with its latest IGZO LCD technology that uses minimum power and thus extends battery life.
The AQUOS Pad SHT21 showcases a 7.0-inch touchscreen LCD. The most remarkable feature of the screen is its low power consumption which according to Sharp officials doubles the overall battery life for extended operation time. The screen gives a high resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, supports pen input and employs Sharp’s original Feel UX user interface.
The tablet runs on a 1.5GHz Dual–core Snapdragon S4 processor on Qualcomm’s MSM8960 chipset. The chip comes with 1GB of built-in RAM and offers 16GB of internal memory which can be extended via microSDXC memory card. It also features NFC for easy one tap sharing and a growing number of other uses including payments. Other key specs include – Bluetooth v4.0, MHL, 4G LTE connectivity and a powerful 3460mAh battery.
The 9.4mm thin lightweight device will come with Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich installed. Its Japanese website mentions IPX5/IPX7 waterproof and dustproof rating. AQUOS Pad SHT21 is expected to be released somewhere in December, most probably at the peak of holidays shopping season.

Source: Sharp via Engadget