LG is kicking off its CES appearance with a press conference today. We’re expecting a slew of new products, from TVs, to mobiles and everything in between. See updates minute by minute after the jump, and keep refreshing the page for all the latest at the very top!
16:40: That’s it. It’s over. No specifics on new phones, but a few tasty TV technologies. We’ll get up close with the new TVs and Blu-Ray players shortly. Stay tuned.
16:39: “You can expect some amazing phones this year”… but they’re not going to show us. What a disappointment.
16:36: We’re being shown LG’s Sky Charger. It’s a large charging point, about the size of a gym locker, there are lots of small cupboards inside, you open a cupboard, plug in your phone inside and leave it there for an hour. It’ll charge 140 phones per hour, just using wind and solar power. Pretty neat, but we’re hardly going to have one at home.
16:34: We’re hearing about last year’s phones. Seriously. None of this is new… yet.
16:32: LG thinks the landline is dead. “most people use a cellphone as their primary phone.” And they’re fashion statements too… This is all building to something. Lets hope it’s juicy.
16:31: 27% increase in LG mobile sales over the last year. LG’s now the number one CDMA manufacturer in the US, and at one point last year LG was the best selling manufacturer across all US networks at the same time. Last year, LG sold one phone every second in the US.
16:29: Peter Reiner is off stage. Next up is Ehtisham Rabani. He’s in charge of mobile phones, and the last speaker today.
16:28: There’re new 16:9 LCD monitors. The highest M7W Series also has a HDTV tuner inside.
16:27: We’re seeing new TVs. Including a really slim model. There’ll be new Blu-Ray players too, all featuring networked content from YouTube, Netflix and Cinema now.
16:26: LG’s pairing up with content providers too: YouTube, Netflix and Cinema now are already announced, but LG’s adding Yahoo! widgets. LG Blu-Ray players and networked TVs will get the new content.
16:24: We’re hearing of the “core technologies” in LG TVs. All models above 32 inch already have Invisible speaker, AV mode, Clear Voice, Picture wizard. But now LG’s TVs will get advanced features: TruMotion 240Hz, LED Mega Contrast and NetCast, to pull content from the web direct to the TV.
16:22: People will stay home more during the recession, but they still want top notch electronics. So LG is going to focus on products that they’re proud to show to friends and family, are easy to use, environmentally friendly… this is fast turning into a marketing lecture.
16:21: We’re hearing more about how consumers think of LG… at the moment, we’re thinking we’d like to see some new kit!
16:20: Peter Reiner is on stage, he’s senior VP for north American marketing.
16:18: One last thing… It’s LG’s mobile phone watch. It’s a full blown phone, in a slick looking watch. It’ll go into production in the “later half of this year”. Inside there’s a full phone, including media functions. Woo Paik is wearing one. He’s just played us an MP3 through it, and taken a call. It looks unbelievably cool, with a sharp touchscreen and minimalist styling.
16:16: A bit of an eco update: LG has a new environmental policy. It’s going to reduce emissions by 150 Kilo tons per year until 2020. It’s also reducing power consumption across all its products, from fridges and washing machines to TVs. This is all well and good, but we’re still itching for some new products. Come on…
16:16: Now we’re on to mobile TV. LG’s pushing its own mobile TV technology called ATSC. It’s the basis of the candidate standard for the US, although it won’t come to the UK.
16:15: On to Mark Levinson. The legendary producer has been working with LG for a while. That relationship will continue in 2009. They’re working together on noise-cancellation for mobile phones, Hi-Fis. Lots of stuff. Now we’re seeing a demo. It’s supposed to show the noise cancellation in action. It’s cheesy beyond belief, and looks a bit… err.. wishful.
16:13: On to connected devices. LG’s going to add Netflix support to existing Blu-Ray players: the BD300, BD370 and BD390. Support for YouTube is coming too, as well as other video and audio providers. They’re also adding DivX support.
16:10: 240Hz TVs are coming this year, with clever LCD backlighting. It turns on and off to produce deeper colours, but it’s so fast you won’t see any flicker. We’re looking at a 55 inch TV that’s just 24.8mm thick, with 240 “dimming zones” on the backlight, and 240hz refresh rate.
16:09: 3D is the next big technology. LG is developing a 3D chipset, it’ll be built into LCD, projection and PDP TVs. It’ll work in full HD.
16:07: Dr Woo Paik is on stage. He’s in charge of LG’s research and development. He’s going to give us a peek at new tech. First up, wireless HD. LG will launch screens with built in wireless HD streaming. Full 1080p up to 60 frames per second. It’s uncompressed too.
16:07: Nice, he ended his speech with “LG, life’s good”… Slick. We reckon that’s like a corporate version of “peace out, playa.”
16:05: Drawing to the end of Michael Ahn’s update now… the new products are just moments away.
16:05: LG’s going to show off networked Blu-Ray players, LED backlit TVs with the world’s lowest energy consumption.
16:03: “Even with the recession, we will not reduce marketing spending or R&D investment” – that’s good news for gadget fans, and should mean we’re about to see some swanky new kit.
16:02: It’s been a great year for LG. “Most Americans think of LG as a brand with stylish design an smart technology.” Sales for last year topped $13 billion. up 16% from last year. LG’s exceeding its goals, even in the throes of a credit crisis.
16:00: President of LG in North America, Michael Ahn is on stage. Did anyone else know he was a Vietnam vet?!
15:59: Right on cue. We’re told to silence mobiles. The show’s about to begin.
15:56: We’re in. The mobile broadband is working. Sit back and wait for the updates!
