LG's Plan To Win The 3D Smartphone Battle

Being second is rarely an advantage, particularly in the frenetic smartphone market. But LG is optimistic that its handset will thrive through a combination of content partnerships, user-friendly features and high-end hardware, said Tim O’Brien, the company’s Vice President of Marketing for its mobile phone unit, in an interview.

A successful launch is paramount for LG, which is still trying to turn around its mobile division and become more competitive in smartphones. In its latest earnings report, which covered January through March 2011, LG’s mobile communications unit suffered its fourth loss in a row. A drop in phone shipments also cut LG’s share of the global cellphone market to 5.6% for the quarter, down from 7.6% during the same period in 2010.

Partnerships could help shore up LG’s weaknesses. To distinguish the Thrill 4G, LG inked an alliance with YouTube that enables it to install a special application for the 3D version of the site directly on the phone. As part of the collaboration, YouTube has agreed to talk up the Thrill and its 3D features for three months following the phone’s introduction, says LG.

Another differentiator: while Evo 3D users will be able to navigate to YouTube’s 3D channel via their browsers, the site will not be preloaded on their devices the way it is on the Thrill. O’Brien said LG also worked to integrate YouTube 3D into the Thrill, in areas like the user interface and an easy, one-touch “share” function for distributing videos.

Ease of use is another key feature of the Thrill. Cognizant that many consumers remain wary of 3D phones, LG sought to make the device attractive to skeptics. The phone does not require glasses for regular or 3D mode. Some 3D content, such as photos, can be converted into 2D for simple sharing with non-Thrill owners.

Most of the phone’s content and software is, in fact, in 2D, with the 3D content grouped into an area called the 3D Zone. A tap on a dedicated “3D button”, located on the side of the phone, brings up the Zone, which resembles a revolving carousel. Options within the carousel include a gallery of 3D photos, a directory of 3D games and a shortcut to YouTube 3D. The device will ship with three 3D games, including a golf game, a racecar game and a first-person shooter game, as well as a 3D animated version of “Gulliver’s Travels” for children.

LG also created a folder specifically for 3D applications so that users who download 3D apps from Google’s Android Market, for instance, can reach them without wading through the other apps on their phones. “People ask, ‘Is the phone 3D all the time?’” notes O’Brien. “We created these features for people who just want a super-smartphone that’s not always in 3D.

Cell Phone Batteries for Sale: What Are Your Options?

Cell phones tend to be as good as the battery that operates them, and for this reason many people like to have a spare available. This helps to ensure that should one battery run out of power a back-up is available to keep connected. Many people also find that in older phones the battery tends to be less reliable and runs out of power quickly, and will therefore look for a replacement. Whatever your reasons for wanting one, there are plenty of options when it comes to cell phone batteries for sale and the following are a few of them.

Know Your Type

Cell Phone batteries come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and most manufacturers will have their own styles. While battery type can vary between cell phone companies, a single manufacturer may have a few different types depending on the phone model. Before starting a search for cell phone batteries for sale it is important to know the type of battery you have to ensure that when buying a spare you get one that will fit the handset. Most batteries are marketed by the phone or phones they are compatible with, so finding the correct style should be fairly simple.

Online Retailers

There are a great number of online retailers these days that specialize in mobile phones, and many of these will have cell phone batteries for sale. Most will have batteries for the major phone manufacturer’s handsets, and the internet therefore provides a simple way to search for and find a spare phone battery. Some of the options available online include the Cell Phone Shop which has batteries for all major cell phone companies and more, eBatts which specializes in batteries for a range of devices including cell phones, and West Side Cellular which has many major brands available. It can also be worth looking at the website of your cell phone manufacturer, as many of these have online stores which sell accessories for their handsets, and this can include replacement batteries.

In-Store Locations

There are a few in-store locations to find cell phone batteries. A number of the cell phone manufacturers have their own stores, with examples of this including Apple and Nokia. Most of the cell phone service companies have accessories for the handsets included in their plans and these can be places to look. Other options which are also worth checking out include electrical retailers such as Best Buy and Radio shack, as well as local cell phone stores.

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