This morning, we had the opportunity to sit down with Brad Reed and Josh Corin of LG Electronics Australia to discuss the “refresh” of its popular Optimus L Series handsets, dubbed the L Series II, along with its newly announced, and soon to be launched Optimus F5 4G (of the 4G F Series). If you’d like to play a drinking game with us, the word to look out for is “Optimus”.

Early into our session, Brad and Josh told us that the Optimus G will remain the “hero” device here in Australia for the time being, and that while their handsets are in admittedly limited numbers, that they strive to continue making their handsets the very best. They commented on …

We’ve heard that Samsung Experience Stores will have the Galaxy S4 from tomorrow onwards, and major carriers will have it from April 27th.

If you don’t want to head over to a SES and want to grab it from your local carrier, than preorders are opening up from tomorrow at 9am. Optus and Vodafone have both made this official, and we’re still waiting to hear from Telstra and Virgin Mobile.

Stay tuned for more.

Update: Virgin Mobile have let us know that they have no preorders.

Update 2: Telstra has informed us via Twitter that all information will be released tomorrow.

Great news for all you readers out there who have been wondering when HTC’s new flagship One will be ending up on the shelves at your local carrier store.

It’s been confirmed by HTC’s Facebook page that the unibody aluminium wonder we had a hands-on with a little while back will in fact be available from  April 23rd, following concerns of delays with components from HTC’s suppliers.

The One will be available for pre-order tomorrow (April 5th), thankfully on all three major carriers (as well as Virgin Mobile), unlike in the U.S. where customers on Verizon, the country’s largest carrier are stuck with HTC’s alternate offering – the Droid DNA.

Carrier exclusivity for devices are always bound to make some …

Let the 4G games begin! It appears as though HTC and Optus have quietly announced their new phone yesterday, the HTC One SV. It features a 4G LTE radio, Ice Cream Sandwich and a 4.3-inch super LCD-2 screen which represents HTC’s production style.

The One SV also features a 5 megapixel shooter with a f/2.0 aperture, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor and a removable battery.

I must note that the One SV appears to be running on ICS, according to the Australian press release. However, if you head over to PhoneArena it will state that the One SV runs on Jelly Bean – we’ll confirm which is the truth with HTC Australia.

Pre-orders for Optus have opened…

THE CARRIERS

With a build up of rumours and a surprise announcement, Google has kept us on our toes. The Nexus 4 is pretty much as we expected it to be, but some have expressed huge disappointment in the lack of 4G capabilities on the phone. As such, we saw earlier today that Telstra will not be stocking the Nexus 4, because

 ..customers are increasingly demanding a high speed mobile internet experience on their devices so we are focused on bringing models that are compatible with our 4G LTE-enabled network to market

Upon hearing that Telstra would not be stocking the Nexus 4, I reached out to Vodafone for some more info.

I thought that the only network that does …

We just received a 3G unit of the Galaxy Note II and will have a review up shortly. However, it appears as though Samsung had a 4G unit of the Galaxy Note II (which works on Aussie networks) available and didn’t think to tell anyone. While this is great news, this is a great shock for those of you who purchased the 3G variant.

Anyway, MobiCity have the 4G LTE enabled variant (N7105) for pre-order on their online store for $829. While it’s a bit pricier than the 3G version (N7100), it is definitely worth the extra cash.

In other Note II news, I had a little chat with an Optus store rep today about the Note II’s availability. I …

Update: It’s also available for sale at Think Of Us for $740 and at JB Hi Fi stores (I believe through Telstra). We’re not sure of the reliability of Think Of Us, but their price just beats Kogan. Let us know in the comments below if you have any experience with them. :)

After Virgin Mobile and Optus began selling the 4G variant of the Galaxy S III in late September, Telstra and online retailers were left behind. However, this is now about to change.

If you’re interested in grabbing this bad boy on a plan then you could head over to Telstra’s online store and grab it from $66 per month for 24 months. If outright is your style …

‘Sleek, Sophisticated & Affordable’

For the past week I have been using the LG Optimus L7 P705 as my main handset. When it comes to smartphones, let’s just say LG isn’t a brand that first comes to mind.

To be honest I haven’t used an LG phone since the LG KU990 was released several years ago. That’s why not so long ago I only associated LG with fridges, TV’s and Lady Gaga.  However LG’s new sub $300 phone has left me with a surprisingly sweet taste in my mouth.

We already know that Telstra don’t have any space left in their 2012 line-up for the Galaxy Note II. However, that doesn’t mean that no Australian carriers will have the device before the year’s end – after all, Telstra does tend to release some phones late.

In any case, according to a tipster, Optus are currently testing the LTE variant of the Galaxy Note II. Let’s hope that Optus get some testing done and we can see this powerhouse device on our shores for some pre-Christmas shopping. To refresh your memory, the Galaxy Note II comes with Samsung’s 50GB Dropbox storage and these specifications:

…

HTC and Optus have today unveiled their latest offering, the HTC Desire X. Seeing as though Telstra have an exclusive deal with the Desire C, this gives Optus a phone that is that little bit more powerful.

For the price of $299 outright, the Desire X is a really great phone and will provide some direct competition for the likes of the LG Optimus L7. If you want a big screen, go for the L7. If you want a well-rounded and mature UI overlay with a decent (supposedly) camera, then go for the Desire X – simple.

Ben Hodgson, HTC Country Manager Australia and New Zealand said:

The HTC Desire X is a powerful all-round performer, with

…

After Telstra has held the title of the 4G king for a good half a year, Optus is now bursting onto the scene, and in style. After the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G for Optus earlier today, I know that you’re all wondering where is going to get 4G LTE from Optus first. Well apparently, “select areas” of Sydney, Perth and Newcastle already do (assuming you happen to be one of those rare people that bought a 4G phone outright and put it an Optus sim-card). Melbournites shouldn’t feel too left out though, as 4G LTE will be activated in Melbourne from the 15th of September.

Unfortunately a quick glance at their coverage map will show …

Well ladies and gentlemen, after the hype of the announcement of the 4G Galaxy S III this morning, things have settled down just a bit. However, we’re now looking a bit deeper into things and when we can expect to see the first 4G-toting SGS3s in the wild. Telstra has made the launch date quite clear in that it will be here some time in October. Optus, on the other hand, are getting the 4G Galaxy S III out a bit sooner.

Here’s what Telstra’s press release said:

Samsung GALAXY S III 4G is slated to arrive on the Telstra Mobile Network in October.

After looking, but not finding, Optus’ launch date in any press releases we went …