Napster is already a familiar sight from phones and tablets, but the new app for LG smart TV will bring the same 17m title catalog and playlists to your living room. That app will hit sometime in December, LG says; it’ll be accompanied by the similarly subscription-based Deezer.

Midway through the month, meanwhile, Eurosport Player will be added to LG’s smart TV app range. That, also subscription based, will offer live Eurosport channel events, such as the Tour de France and Australian Open. LG had already been offering the BBC Sport App.

Meanwhile, to try to boost adoption of the on-demand Acetrax Movie service, new LG smart TV buyers in the UK will get £50 of credit to use; it’s worth noting that Samsung is also offering a similar promotion if you’ve got your heart set on an ES9000. You’ll have to buy the LG set by December 24 to qualify, however; Samsung’s promo runs until the end of 2013.

Before I tell you exactly which one (have you guessed yet?), let me define what I want in a music service. I want good music. I want the music I am in the mood to hear. Sometimes that’s a song I already own. Sometimes that’s a song I’m familiar with, but haven’t gotten around to downloading. Sometimes it’s a song I didn’t know I would like until I heard it. Never do I want to hear another cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as long as I live. I’m looking at you, Pandora. Enough with the “Hallelujah.”

My favorite music service, by a long shot, is SiriusXM. That’s right, satellite radio. I love it. I knew I would love it from the start. I love it so much that when I bought a car that had Sirius radio installed, I called up and bought a full year’s subscription with all the bells and whistles, before the 3-month trial period had ended. That’s support for 1 car stereo, plus access to the Web site and the mobile app for streaming.

I don’t know exactly how much it costs, and I’m not going to Google it for you. That’s not the point. It wasn’t so expensive that I balked at paying for a year. The music was much more important to me than the total cost over a year. If you’re looking for a bargain, look elsewhere. But if you want to know why I think this is the best service available, keep reading.

First, an unnecessary disclosure. My day job is with Samsung. As far as I know, we’re not connected to SiriusXM in any way, and I’m not being paid to promote the service. In fact, I’ll bet there are a variety of ways we’re connected to other music services. For some people, those others may be the right choice. There are lots of ways they can serve up music that Sirius can’t match. But those are not my favorites.

One exception is Google Music. I use Google Music in addition to Sirius. When I need to satisfy the itch for just that one song from my library at the precise moment, Google Music comes to the rescue. But I’m not married to Google Music. If another cloud-based storage option came along offering even slightly better service, I would jump ship without regret.

I joined SiriusXM first for Howard Stern. I’m a long time fan. Don’t judge until you’ve tried him for a month. Howard Stern operates two channels on SiriusXM. One plays his main radio show, which is broadcast new three days a week, and then reruns of the show for the rest of the week. The other station plays shuffled clips from his 30+ year history on the radio, as well as shows from other broadcasters Stern has culled.

There is every indication that when Stern’s current contract is up, he will retire from radio. His success on “America’s Got Talent” is probably not helping my chances of hearing him live on my morning drive. When Stern leaves Sirius, I will miss his show more than I have missed any other show that disappeared from the airwaves. But I will remain a loyal SiriusXM subscriber.

Sirius has an excellent collection of curated radio channels. The first 10 channels correspond to decades. Channel 6 is all Sixties music; channel 9 is all nineties music, and so on. There are channels themed towards certain bands or personalities. Jimmy Buffett has his own channel, and so does Eminem. There is a Bruce Springsteen channel, and Sirius recently added a Pink Floyd channel. The best thing about these personality-inspired channels is the bonuses they offer. There are clips of interviews, outtakes, B-sides, and live recordings that even true fans may have missed.

In fact, this is the best thing about all of Sirius. The channels are well-curated. Sirius has employed plenty of old school DJs from the bygone days of radio. Almost all of the original MTV VJs are employed at Sirius. Video killed the radio star, but satellite radio resuscitated the video star’s career.

Tune to a station you like. I love “Lithium,” which is likely named for the eponymous Nirvana song, and which plays mostly alternative music from the early nineties. If you’re a true fan of this genre, on any given day you’ll likely hear songs you already own, songs you never got around to downloading from Napster in its heyday, and some songs you’ll swear you’ve never heard before.

The genre selection could use a little more variety. You won’t find the most obscure genres to quench your thirst. If you’re into underground hip-hop, or pop a cappella, or other less popular genres (as I am), you won’t find stations to support your habit. But there is still plenty to like. I have 6 channels programmed into my dashboard shortcuts, and each of those is a starting point. Sirius channels are nicely grouped. So, if you start with a singer/songwriter channel and work your way up the board, you’ll branch out in ways that make sense: through coffeehouse music; to early alternative rock, with its smooth vocals and padded synths; to the nostalgic Lithium station I mentioned; through college rock and new alternative.

There are blocks of comedy channels, from family friendly through the ultra-raunchy Raw Dog and Howard Stern channels. There are news and political channels that cover a wide spectrum. I still donate to my local public radio station, but I can’t stand listening to it because of the ubiquitous membership drives. On SiriusXM’s NPR station, I get most of my favorite shows with none of that nonsense.

There are occasionally cool special events, but SiriusXM would do better to have more of these. Sirius broadcast live Bruce Springsteen’s first ever show at the Apollo theater in New York City. A special tribute channel will pop up frequently to correspond with an anniversary or a death. The Pink Floyd station seemed to start as a special feature, but now seems like an awesome permanent fixture. Still, when Stern vacates his channels, Sirius will need more original programming to fill in the gap.

There are other small problems, too. The service doesn’t work in tunnels. It cuts out briefly when you drive under a large overpass. Sometimes, it just stops working for a moment or two. Sirius depends on a direct line of transmission from a satellite in space. It doesn’t quite penetrate yet. It would be nice if the service could buffer better, or perhaps pair the satellite component with an online, connected component in the car for a hybrid service that was much more reliable. It doesn’t hamper my enjoyment, but it is annoying when I miss the punch line of a joke because I drove under an exit ramp.

Sirius has been growing steadily, but not quickly enough. It is competing with free terrestrial radio, after all. Free radio gets worse and worse by the day, but hey, it’s free. Plus, most cars have an audio input for your phone or MP3 player, as well as CD players, DVD players, and even Blu Ray built-in. And that’s just in the car. On the desktop and on mobile devices, competition is even more fierce.

I would still recommend SiriusXM above all. If you miss the old days of radio, when a DJ you could trust and enjoy would pick out an interesting selection of music, then SiriusXM will bring you back.

There’s also a speed and performance boost promised, including higher offline music playback quality. Better playlist management tools are also in the pipeline. However the Napster brand will continue in the UK and Germany, as Rhapsody reckons it’s better known there, and the existing Napster staff will keep their jobs.

Rhapsody has over 1m paying subscribers in the US, spending at least $4.99 per month on the streaming music service. That figure was bolstered by acquiring Napster’s US operations from Best Buy last October, leading Rhapsody to go on to claim it had the highest number of US subscribing users of any paid-streaming service.

Financial terms of the deal between Rhapsody and Napster International have not been revealed.

What the folks at Rhapsody are saying this week is that 2011 has not only been a big year for them, it was more than likely their biggest year yet. The 1 million paid subscribers mark has also tipped the scales for another item of interest: the president of Rhapsody promised his team that if they ever reached that mark, he’d shave his head. That’s what you’re about to see a photo of below this loving quote from the man himself:

“We’ve accomplished quite a bit over the past decade, so it’s no small statement to say that 2011 was probably our biggest year yet. I told our team that when we topped one million paid subscribers, I’d shave my head… it was probably the best free haircut I’ve ever had.” – Rhapsody President John Irwin

The team at Rhapsody also listed out their other big accomplishments for the year, another impressive list for the masses:

2011 Rhapsody Milestones

1/07/2011: Verizon Wireless announces Rhapsody will ship on its LTE devices, with integrated billing

3/1/2011: MTV and Rhapsody launch the “60-Day Free-For-All,” giving new subscribers two months of free music and the largest free music promotion of its kind

3/18/2011: Rhapsody hosts Rhapsody Rocks Austin, with Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, Ty Segall, Small Black and Glasser at SXSW

3/31/2011: Rhapsody hires Rob Harvilla, former Village Voice music editor, as managing editor of The Mix

3/21/2011: Rhapsody launches on Windows Phone 7

7/11/2011: Rhapsody announces 800,000 subscribers

8/17/2011: Rhapsody announces partnership with MetroPCS for Rhapsody Unlimited Music

9/14/2011: Rhapsody announced remixed and remastered social Web experience

9/22/2011: Rhapsody launches in Facebook Music

10/3/2011: Rhapsody announces acquisition of Napster

12/7/2011: Rhapsody celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a concert with Built to Spill in Seattle

12/22/2011: Rhapsody surpasses one million paying subscriber milestone

Rhapsody is currently able to be experienced on apps on over 60 unique devices, this year also marking the first time playback was bigger for non-PC than for a PC, 40 percent of this being mobile. It’s time for the future of music to continue through battle! Let the streaming music wars continue!

“This deal will further extend Rhapsody’s lead over our competitors in the growing on-demand music market,” said Rhapsody president Jon Irwin in a statement. “There’s substantial value in bringing Napster’s subscribers and robust IP portfolio to Rhapsody as we execute on our strategy to expand our business via direct acquisition of members and distribution deals.”

When Napster was acquired by Best Buy in 2008 for $121 million, it had about 700,000 subscribers but then faced a large decline. The current Napster subscriber base hasn’t been revealed, but it will add to Rhapsody’s subscriber base of 800,000.

Although both companies were among the earliest music service providers, they have struggled in recent years to gain more users and especially so with newcomers like Spotify that offer a significant amount of music for free. Spotify is also now tightly integrated with Facebook, giving it even greater access to a large pool of potential subscribers. Its been reported recently that since its integration with Facebook, the service adds about 250,000 new subscribers each day and has already hit over 4 million users.

[via PCMag]

Playlists are automatically synchronized between Napster’s desktop and mobile clients, and there’s access to the company’s recommendations, official music charts, top 100 charts and Automix. Streaming over WiFi or 3G is supported, though it’s probably a good idea to have an unlimited data plan if you intend to use the latter.

There’s also a £5/month home entertainment streaming-only package, which allows you Napster catalog access on your smart TV, Sonos or other streaming audio system. Both Android and iOS apps are available to download now; more details in the videos below.

Press Release:

Napster extends music streaming service to mobile devices

Instant unlimited access to over 15 million tracks through your mobile

LONDON – 19 May, 2011 Napster, the pioneer of digital music, announced today the launch of its new mobile music streaming service, Napster Unlimited plus Mobile. The new service will give users instant access to the full Napster catalogue of over 15 million tracks through their mobile device.

Available today, the new £10 per month subscription plan provides unlimited access to the Napster service on mobile platforms including iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices. The subscription service allows users to combine mobile on demand streaming from Napster’s music catalogue, one of the largest collections of music available and the ability to save music to play offline. Members will also have access to all of Napster’s great music discovery features, including playlists, radio stations and recommendations from the Napster music team.

Napster Unlimited plus Mobile allows subscribers to widen their access to the music they love with auto synchronisation across multiple platforms and devices. A range of tiered subscription plans are available:

For £10 per month members will receive:
Unlimited mobile streaming over both Wi-Fi and 2.5/3G.
Intuitive and easy to use navigation enabling instant music playback on mobile devices
Mobile access to Napster’s rich feature set including new releases, recommendations, official music charts, Napster’s top 100 charts, and Automix
Offline mobile access to the last 100 played tracks and saved playlists, albums and artists so music is always available even without a mobile connection
Web-based access from any computer, without having to download any software
Automatic synchronisation of playlists on PC, web, mobile and integrated audio devices, with instant and automatic update of changes

There is also a £5 per month home entertainment streaming-only subscription option, allowing users to gain access to the entire online catalogue via PCs, internet connected TVs and wireless home audio devices.

Thorsten Schliesche, Napster’s Vice President Sales and Marketing Europe, comments: “Napster strives to offer music lovers the opportunity to listen to music without barriers and with complete freedom, empowering users to take the music they love and discover on the move and access via multiple platforms. We are also committed to expanding freedom of access to streaming devices around the home and entertainment systems by integrating Napster services with devices such as internet connected TVs and wireless home audio systems.

“Napster Unlimited plus Mobile is the culmination of listening to our members’ feedback and providing what they have asked us for. We are proud that Napster’s music catalogue of 15 million tracks is one of the largest available and can now truly be accessed anywhere — complete with the tools to make it easy and fun to navigate such a large and diverse catalogue of continually expanding music.”

The mobile application is available for download in the Apple App Store and Android Market. For further information please visit the website at http://www.napster.co.uk/

About Napster

Napster (www.napster.co.uk), the pioneer of digital music, offers the ultimate in interactive music experiences, creating better ways to discover, share, acquire and enjoy the universe of music – anytime, anywhere. The Napster service is the easiest way to find, discover and enjoy the universe of music online, on the go and around the home. With unlimited, on-demand access to music from a computer, mobile and home entertainment device, Napster lets you enjoy music your way anytime, anywhere. The service is available at www.napster.co.uk in the UK and is also available in the US, Canada and Germany. A wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY), Napster is headquartered in Los Angeles.

All of LG’s LED models also support DLNA streaming via ethernet, and the company will also happily sell you a USB WiFI dongle so you can cut that network cord.  LG’s NetCast sets, meanwhile, will work with the company’s Wireless Media Hub, capable of streaming 1080p up to 98 feet; again, you’ll need to buy that separately.

The LE9500 also gets LG’s “magic wand” remote, which responds to movement and gestures, and various models have USB ports for playing digital content from attached storage and PMPs.  No pricing or availability for any of the sets at present.

Press Release:

LG ELECTRONICS REDEFINES HOME ENTERTAINMENT EXPECTATIONS WITH BROAD LINE OF STUNNING, SLIM LED AND LCD HDTVs

New LED Technology Combined with Local Dimming Enhances Picture Quality, Black Levels and Utilizes Less Power

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2010 – (Virtual Press Office) – INFINIA, an innovative new family of LED LCD HDTVs from LG Electronics that delivers “freedom through infinite possibilities,” highlights the company’s 2010 lineup of LED LCD HDTVs introduced here today at the International Consumer Electronics Show (Booth #8205).

LG INFINIA HDTVs (the LE9500, LE8500 and LE7500 series) combine a slim design and thin bezel with enhanced connectivity and abundant content options. Leading the way to the ultimate home entertainment experience, the 55- and 47-inch class* LE9500 sets will be LG’s first 3D-ready models available in the United States.

INFINIA is the flagship of LG’s 41-model LED LCD HDTV line – six new series of LED LCD HDTVs and five new series of LCD HDTVs. Leading these introductions are two new LED technologies – Full LED Slim and LED Plus – that provide cutting-edge picture quality. The unique backlight structure on its Full LED Slim models (LE9500 and LE8500) allows for the INFINIA line’s ultra-slim depth without sacrificing picture quality. Together, these features provide consumers with infinite possibilities in home entertainment.

“We’re removing barriers to entertainment with very slim LED LCD TVs that couple wireless connectivity with the most access to online content,” said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing, LG Electronics USA. “With seamless connectivity and limitless content, LG INFINIA is resetting the standards for design and entertainment as LED LCD TVs are expected to grow to more than 20 percent of the market this year.”

“Consumers will no longer have to compromise on picture quality in order to enjoy an ultra-slim design. Together this new Full LED Slim technology and our wireless connectivity options allow consumers to ‘live borderless’ with the ultimate in content access and convenient installation,” Reiner added.

LG’s new Full LED Slim technology elevates picture quality with a slim LED structure that supports detailed local dimming of up to 240 addressable segments (on the 55-inch class LE9500), resulting in an HDTV that provides the deeper black levels and uniform picture quality which typically could not be achieved on an ultra-thin set.

The LE9500 series cabinet depth is only .92 inches with a bezel width of only 8.5mm. LG’s LED Plus technology (available on the LE7500 and LE5500 series), also improves picture quality and energy efficiency by adding a basic local dimming capability of up to 16 addressable segments.

The LE9500, LE8500 and LE7500 were all recognized with CES 2010 Innovations Awards, including the “Best of Innovations” distinction in the Online Audio/Video Content category for the LE9500.

Shattering Expectations
Broadening consumer entertainment options, LG’s latest series of HDTVs affords consumers superior picture quality, advanced energy saving options and flexible access to content-on-demand. LG’s LED LCD HDTVs challenge consumers’ current perceptions of home entertainment by illustrating what’s possible with superior display technology.

LG’s Full LED Slim series (models LE9500 and LE8500) for example, join an elite group of LED LCD HDTVs that have achieved THX Display Certification* – the industry standard for having the correct gamma, luminance, and color temperature. This certification demonstrates that select series of LG HDTVs can recreate the cinema experience at home, making the picture resemble movie theatre quality. To date, LG is the only manufacturer who has attained this designation for LCD TV in the U.S. market. LG is also the first manufacturer to include the “THX Bright Room” setting on its LED LCD HDTVs. This new feature to the THX certification program optimizes the contrast, gamma and other settings for watching movies in rooms with a lot of ambient light.

LG’s exclusive Full LED Slim technology includes detailed local dimming capability, but also enables the LE9500 and LE8500 to achieve a slim depth usually limited to conventional edge-lit models. This unique technology makes it possible for these two models to achieve the picture quality worthy of THX Display Certification and helps minimize the front bezel of the TV. This works with the single, edge-to-edge panel of glass to create a design, perfect for any home environment. Boasting a thin bezel of only 8.5mm, the LE9500 brings advanced technology into the home without being obtrusive. Available in 55-and 47-inch class sizes*, this series also incorporates TruMotion 480Hz for reduced motion blur during fast moving action sequences.

Connectivity
LG’s full line of LED LCD HDTVs ― series LE9500, LE8500, LE7500, LE5500 and LE5400 (in screen sizes 32-inch class and above) ― boast a connectivity package with a variety of entertainment options, including NetCast Entertainment Access™. With NetCast, consumers can access the following content sites for an almost endless array of entertainment options**:
• Skype™: Newly added in 2010, this allows consumers to make free video and voice calls over the Internet to family members and friends (separate camera and other equipment needed).
• Netflix™: Updated with Netflix 2.0, consumers can stream thousands of movies without a PC.
• VUDU™: Allows consumers to instantly buy or rent from an extensive library of movies and TV titles, including a catalog of more than 3,000 high-definition movies – with no monthly fees or additional hardware.
• YouTube™: Offers the ability to instantly stream millions of Web videos directly from the Internet (without a personal computer).
• Napster™: Now Napster subscribers can enjoy unlimited on-demand streaming music from millions of songs on their NetCast TV.
• Yahoo! Widgets™: Enables access to various applications called TV Widgets that allow viewers to interact with popular Internet services and online media through applications specifically tailored to the needs of the watcher, such as up-to-the minute Yahoo! News, Weather and Finance, and new widgets, including CBS, Showtime and CNBC.

LG also has incorporated the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) technology across the full line of LED models. DLNA allows consumers to access content stored on other DLNA-certified devices within the home, such as computers, making content options almost limitless.

Providing easy options for connecting to the Internet, in addition to the wired Ethernet jack, all NetCast-enabled sets can integrate into a wireless home network by using a USB wireless broadband adaptor (sold separately). All models with NetCast also support multi-media playback from a connected USB device including photos (JPEG), music (MP3) and video (DivX HD).

For greater convenience and flexibility in setup and installation, all HDTV series with NetCast also offer wireless Full HD 1080p wireless transmission from a “Wireless Media Hub” from up to 98 feet. Connecting source components, such as Blu-ray players, cable or satellite boxes and video games to the media hub enables transmission to a compact receiver adaptor, which attaches to the back of the TV, hidden from view. This eliminates the need for individual components to be connected directly to the TV, making for a clean and easy installation and removal of the unsightly wires (Media Hub and receiver adaptor sold separately as a package).

Controls
LG’s LE9500 incorporates a unique “Magic Wand” remote system that provides an immersive interaction with the set. This “Magic” user interface brings together menus, component controls and even embedded games, which can be accessed using a simple remote that combines minimal buttons and gestures to control the on-screen activity, mirroring a “Wii-like” experience.

Energy Savings
Understanding consumers’ desire for products that reduce their household energy costs, most of LG’s LED and CCFL HDTVs have a variety of energy-saving features, such as Intelligent Sensor, to automatically calibrate and optimize brightness, contrast, white balance and color, based on the ambient light in the room, saving on energy output under most circumstances. Additionally, ISFccc calibration options allow consumers to work with a professional to set “day” and “night” levels for optimal viewing and brightness levels. All of LG’s 2010 LED LCD series also qualify for ENERGY STAR® 4.0 certification.

In total, LG unveiled six new series of LED LCD HDTV models for consumers – creating a robust HDTV line up of advanced picture quality, wireless technology and diverse screen sizes. Full details on the series are below:

INFINIA LE9500 Series (47-, and 55-inch class sizes*) – Full HD 1080p HDTV features uni-layer design with ultra-slim (8.5MM) bezel, Full LED Slim technology with Local Dimming, TruMotion 480Hz and THX Display Certification. Also includes NetCast Entertainment Access, DLNA, wireless broadband ready capabilities, wireless HD ready and 2 USB ports.

INFINIA LE8500 Series (47-, and 55-inch class sizes*) – Includes all the same features of the LE9500 with the exception of the 3D capability, 8.5mm bezel and the Magic Wand remote control. It also features TruMotion 240Hz technology.

INFINIA LE7500 Series (42-, 47-, and 55-inch class sizes*) – Provides consumers with a Full HD 1080p experience, TruMotion 120Hz, and LED Plus technology for local dimming capability. With NetCast Entertainment Access, Wireless HD Technology content is easier to access than ever before without the fuss of too many cords.

LE5500 Series (22-, 26-, 42-, 47-, 55-inch class sizes*) – Includes TruMotion 120Hz, LED Plus Technology, and NetCast Entertainment Access. (Except 22- and 26-inch class sizes)
LE5400 Series (32-, 42-, 47, 55, 60-inch class sizes*) – Full HD 1080p HDTV series includes LED lighting, TruMotion 120Hz, NetCast Entertainment Access, Wi-Fi ready and two USB ports.

LE5300 Series (19-, 22-, 26-, 32-, 37-inch class sizes*) – Brings the slim profile of LED technology to smaller screen sizes. Thirty-two and 37-inch class sizes are Full HD 1080p and feature TruMotion 120Hz technology, while the 19-, 22- and 26-inch class sizes provide a 720p HD picture.

Broad LCD HDTV Lines
Expanding its line of LCD HDTV options, LG also introduced five new series of CCFL LCD HDTVs, which bring consumers a variety of technology, design, and energy-saving options. These series include:

LD650 Series (47- and 55-inch class sizes*) – A Full HD 1080p HDTV, this LCD HDTV series boasts TruMotion 240Hz performance for reduced motion blur. Other features include: NetCast Entertainment Access, USB Video DLNA, and Wireless-ready technology.

LD550 Series (32-, 42-, 46-, 52-, and 60-inch class sizes*) – Also a Full HD 1080p series, these HDTVs are equipped with TruMotion 120Hz. Other features include: NetCast Entertainment Access, USB Video, DLNA, and Wireless-ready technology.

LD520 Series (32-, 42-, 47- and 55-inch class sizes*) – Combines Full HD 1080p with TruMotion 120Hz performance with a variety of screen sizes.

LD450 Series (32-, 37-, 42-, 47-inch class sizes*) – A Full HD 1080p HDTV in a variety of sizes to fit almost any room in the home.

LD350 Series (19-, 22-, 26-, and 32-inch class sizes*) – Provides smaller screen sizes for consumers in a 720p HD model.
With class sizes ranging from 19- to 60-inches, LG’s LCD HDTV models provide a variety of flat panel options for any room in the home ― most built with LG’s four core technologies:
• Picture Wizard: Provides consumers with an easy-to-use seven-step calibration process that allows them to change picture settings without hiring an expert.
• Intelligent Sensor: Automatically calibrates and optimizes brightness, contrast, white balance and color, based on the brightness and color temperature of lighting in the room – thereby saving on energy output in most circumstances. (Excluding LD350 and LD450 series and the 19, 22, 26-inch class LE5300 models)
• Clear Voice II: An enhancement to Clear Voice, this feature customizes volume settings by 12 distinct voice zoom levels without diminishing other surrounding sounds, helping ensure consumers don’t miss a single line of dialogue during action sequences.
• AV Mode II: Includes three AV modes preset to optimize picture and sound settings based on Cinema, Sports or Game content, which can be easily set with the remote control.

For more information and product images, please visit LG’s online press kit at http://www.lgusa.com/cespressroom.

About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances and business solutions, all under LG’s “Life’s Good” marketing theme. For more information, please visit http://www.LGusa.com.

About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 84,000 people working in 115 operations including 84 subsidiaries around the world. With 2008 global sales of $44.7 billion, LG comprises of five business units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning and Business Solutions. LG is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, audio and video products, mobile handsets, air conditioners and washing machines. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both A Global Partner of Formula 1™ and A Technology Partner of Formula 1™. As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit http://www.lge.com.

**Internet connection and subscriptions required and sold separately.

*55LE9500 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LE9500 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*55LE8500 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LE8500 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*55LE7500 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LE7500 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*42LE7500 42-inch class/42.0-inch diagonal
*55LE5500 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LE5500 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*42LE5500 42-inch class/42.0-inch diagonal
*60LE5400 60-inch class/59.5-inch diagonal
*55LE5400 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LE5400 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*42LE5400 42-inch class/42.0-inch diagonal
*32LE5400 32-inch class/31.5-inch diagonal
*37LE5300 37-inch class/37.0-inch diagonal
*32LE5300 32-inch class/31.5-inch diagonal
*26LE5300 26-inch class/26.0-inch diagonal
*22LE5300 22-inch class/21.6-inch diagonal
*19LE5300 19-inch class/18.5-inch diagonal
*55LD650 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LD650 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*60LD550 60-inch class/59.5-inch diagonal
*52LD550 52-inch class/52.0-inch diagonal
*46LD550 46-inch class/45.9-inch diagonal
*42LD550 42-inch class/42.0-inch diagonal
*32LD550 32-inch class/31.5-inch diagonal
*55LD520 55-inch class/54.6-inch diagonal
*47LD520 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*42LD520 42-inch class/42.0-inch diagonal
*32LD520 32-inch class/31.5-inch diagonal
*47LD540 47-inch class/47.0-inch diagonal
*42LD540 42-inch class/42.0-inch diagonal
*37LD540 37-inch class/37.0-inch diagonal
*32LD540 32-inch class/31.5-inch diagonal
*32LD350 32-inch class/31.5-inch diagonal
*26LD350 26-inch class/26.0-inch diagonal
*22LD350 22-inch class/21.6-inch diagonal
*19LD350 19-inch class/18.5-inch diagonal

* Specifications subject to change without notice.
* THX certification is pending final testing and approval by THX Ltd.

Systems including the free music service will be from the Dell Studio and Inspiron lines. Some systems with the free music will also be available through Best Buy in the US. The systems will include a year of free streaming from Napster.

In addition to the streaming access, the computers will also include 60 free download MP3s as well. The computer systems will have a Napster icon on the desktop to allow the free access to be set up. The year of free music service is a $60 value.

Best Buy has announced that Napster is now available on all web-enabled mobile phones by going to the m.napster.com URL. Any Napster account holder can now access their account regardless of what carrier they use at the web address.

The new mobile site also allows the user to download songs over the air from the Napster library. Current subscribers who pay $5 monthly to get five MP3s and unlimited listening from the PC can redeem credits, download tracks over the air, and get a MP3 backup copy on their computer as well. Best Buy is also offering $15 worth of free Napster music at no charge with mobile phones purchased in its stores.

You will gain access to as much music as you want under the new subscription plan, so long as it’s streamed onto your computer. You will also get five MP3s you can download and keep per month as a part of the deal.

If you live in the U.S., you can sign up for the new plan today. With the economy so bad and Napster really struggling to maintain a foothold, this move makes sense. However, time will only tell if this is enough to resurrect the company and keep them relevant.

This MP3 Player comes in two capacities, a 4GB version and an 8GB version, both of flash memory. You can also get this player in a range of colors including Solid Black, White, Sky Blue, and Pink, best of all it weighs a mere two ounces!

The player supports a plethora of audio and video formats, Rhapsody, Napster, and Yahoo subscription services, voice recording, text viewer, photo viewer, and more. The full list of A/V formats are as follows: MP3, WMA, ASF, FLAC, and OGG Q10, MPGE, WMV9, and XVID. The battery lasts for 5 hours of video playback or 17 hours of music. So, you get 8 or 4 gigs of storage space integrated, then you get a microSD card slot so you can expand that even further, or play movies recorded from your phone and view pictures taken from your phone. This is a fairly amazing MP 3 Player and it has a reasonable price at $109.99 for the 4GB model or $159.99 for the 8GB version.

[via iRiver]

It has Bluetooth 2.0, Quad-Band GSM, Dual-Band UMTS, and a talk time of about 3 hours. There is the 2MP cam that has up to a 4x digital zoom, and other than all the video and music services that come with it, it has Java, and SMS, MMS, AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! instant messengers built in.

It still has the 3G HSDPA/UMTS and it will work with the Video Share service that allows you to share real time video with other participating members. The phone works with the Napster service at the outrageous price of $1.99 per track for 5 for $7.49. The SLM will also work with mobile XM radio and AT&T’s MusicID service.

So, basically its still the decent clamshell, and the extremely overpriced music download service. I suppose for $150 you could do worse as far as phones go, but you could probably do better too, although I will make note of something I noticed, if you like thin phones, this one looks highly reminiscent of the Fin which was 11mm, this one measures in at .51 inches thick or close to 13mm, so it’s fairly thin.

Well, not much really, I mean, first it’s a flip phone, so it loses all the touchscreen functionality of the iPhone, then its not an Apple product, so no OSX, no HTML browser, no YouTube app, no iTunes Store, and no Google Maps. It does have 3G (HSDPA), and support for all of AT&T’s features like their music and video services as well as mobile banking from a couple of banks, and obviously it has a mobile version of Naptser.

But the tracks are crazy expensive, sure, you have to connect to WiFi to use the mobile iTunes store, but the tracks are still just 99 cents, on Napster, $1.99 or $7.49 for a 5 per month download package. Wow, good thing I only listen to 5 tracks per month. You do also get a 2MP camera with the napster phone, but that’s nothing different over the iPhone. And the Napster phone comes with a 512MB microSD card as compared to the iPhone’s 8GB of storage. You should be able to get the Napster phone on November 23rd for $150 after mail in rebate and 2 year agreement.

AT&T announces Napster phone [via tgdaily]