News Byte

BlackBerry’s BBM Chat Software to Come Preloaded on Some LG Phones

Struggling phone maker BlackBerry said on Wednesday that its BBM instant messaging software will soon come preloaded on a phone from Korea’s LG Electronics. BlackBerry, which recently made BBM freely available for iOS and Android, said that the software will also come preinstalled on the LG G Pro Lite phone in various markets around the world.

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LG Profit Falls, TV Business Weighs

LG Electronics Inc.’s first-quarter net profit slumped 91 percent from a year earlier, weighed down by the lackluster performance of its television business, but the company predicted a better second quarter with the global rollout of its latest smartphone.

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LG to Expand Retail Stores

LG Electronics Inc. is expanding the number of its retail stores in emerging markets as it seeks to increase market share in smartphones and gain a stronger global presence in consumer electronics.

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Smartphone Math Doesn’t Add Up

For every winner, there has to be a loser. Smartphone sales have defied gravity in recent years, but there’s no defying simple math.

What LG Will Do With webOS

First TVs. Then refrigerators and signage.

Big Blue Is Still the Big Dog of Patents

IBM dominates the patent race for the 20th consecutive year.

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EU Fines Seven for TV-, Monitor-Tubes Cartels

Electronics giants Philips Electronics N.V ., Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. and Panasonic Corp. are among seven companies fined €1.47 billion ($1.92 billion) by European regulators Wednesday for operating cartels in television- and computer-monitor tubes over two decades.

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LG Profit Jumps, but Hopes for Turnaround Dim

LG Electronics Inc. on Wednesday posted a 47 percent increase in its second-quarter net profit powered by stronger profitability in its flat-screen television and home appliance operations, though the result was still short of analysts’ expectations as sales at LG’s handset business languished.

News Byte

Microsoft, LG Sign Patent Agreement Covering Android, Chrome OS

Microsoft and LG Electronics said on Thursday that they have signed a patent agreement covering LG devices running Android and Chrome OS. It’s the latest in a string of such deals that Microsoft has signed, though it has also sued both Motorola Mobility and Barnes & Noble over Android-based devices.

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Google Says LG, Samsung, Vizio, Sony Planning Google TVs

Google Inc., seeking to reboot its flagging efforts in television, said consumers will soon have a broader choice of TV sets using its software — with lower prices also a likely outcome.

iPhone Headed to South Korea in November