LG Struggles Through First Half Of 2011, Cuts Smartphone Sales Target By 20%

LG has thrown in the towel, as it were, on its original goal to sell 30 million smartphones in 2011.

After having delayed the worldwide launch of it’s beastly Optimus 3D smartphone, and losing its smartphone boss to Apple’s South Korean unit, LG hasn’t exactly been thriving. The new goal for 2011 is 24 million smartphone units sold, and overall handset shipments falling between the 114 to 150 million marks.

Cincinnati Bell rolls out HSPA+ service, speeds past other 4G competition

Regional carriers don't often get to brag about their accomplishments. It's even rarer that their servicesbest a handful of wireless industry titans, but Cincinnati Bell's managed to do both with its recent rollout of 4G service. Available to subscribers in the Greater Cincinnati area, the operator's HSPA+ offers download speeds up to 10Mbps -- that's twice as fast as T-Mobile's similar network, as well as 4G from Sprint and AT&T. If you've got an AWS-capable HSPA+ smartphone lying around -- like the HTC Sensation -- now would be the time to unlock it. And don't worry about having a limited service area, the carrier's inked deals with national wireless operators to ensure you cruise the 4G wave even while you roam. To get you hooked on the speedy new service, Cincinnati Bell's offering a limited time 'buy one, get one' for the Huawei Ascend X 4G (say that three times fast). Sure, the Froyo handset may not be the envy of high-end, dual-core Android purists, but its 1GHz Snapdragon processor will do -- until the operator expands its offerings, that is.

Kingston Wi-Drive wireless storage for iOS

With nearly 350,000 apps and counting, the iPhone's maximum capacity of 32GB doesn't allow you to even scratch the surface of the App Store's catalog. Throw in an HD movie, some TV episodes, hundreds of tracks and a few thousand photos, and you'll be chewing through those available bytes in no time. Most manufacturers compensate this limitation by including a microSD slot for additional storage, but not Apple -- you're stuck with that original capacity until you're ready to upgrade to a new device. Luckily, for those who need more storage now and don't mind paying for it, AirStash, Seagate's GoFlex Satellite, and now Kingston's ultra-slim Wi-Drive allow you to boost gigs without upgrading, or switching to another platform. None of these pocket servers come without compromise, however -- you'll be spending over $100 for even the most basic option, while adding yet another device to your portable mix.