Hasta La Gadget!

There’s not much surprise left to LG’s Optimus G Pro reveal set for next Wednesday in New York. We’ve already seen the device slip through the FCC and recently had a previewed glimpse of the potential hardware. But thanks to a trusted source, we now have more insight into the the upcoming AT&T variant’s specifications. Based on the official doc we had a look at, LG’s managed to keep this US model mostly in line with its global sibling, porting over the same 5.5-inch form factor, 3,140mAh battery, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor paired with 2GB RAM, a healthy 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSDXC to 64GB), 2.1-megapixel front-facing / 13-megapixel rear cameras, NFC and WiFi a/b/g/n. What has changed is the actual screen technology used: the AT&T G Pro employs a Full HD IPS panel as opposed to the True HD-IPS+ in the original. Additionally, and unsurprisingly, the device’s radios have been tweaked, with the AT&T G Pro now supporting the carrier’s flavor of LTE (700/1700 MHz), HSPA+21 (850/1900/2100 MHz) and quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz).

Though it would be nice to see LG bump this up to a more current version of Android — namely, 4.2.2 — the AT&T model will likely ship with the more dated 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Continuing further down the software track, carrier bloat looks to be at a minimum as only two automobile-specific apps are mentioned in the document: AT&T DriveMode and Navigator. Aside from that, LG’s own software suite makes the transition, bringing along QSlide 2.0 (a multiwindow feature), Dual Recording (for the picture-in-picture effect), Tag+ for NFC, VuTalk (a note sharing app), QuickMemo, Notebook and the ability to preset the Home Key’s LED. That enough of a preview for you? Stay tuned for formal unveiling next week.

[Image credit: @evleaks]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T, LG

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Space debris that could potentially disrupt future satellites or even space travel must be actively cleared, with nets, harpoons, and other collection methods all under consideration, the European Space Agency concluded today. Although expensive, the tidy-up of space is essential if we’re not to face even bigger bills for replacing damaged satellites, the ESA warned after the 6th European Conference on Space Debris held this week; in fact, the agency argues, the issue is akin to the problems recognized around climate change two decades ago.

The problem is twofold, the ESA said. First, new missions into space must be sustainable, with designs that take into account safe disposal of spent rocket stages and other components that might traditionally have been left to orbit the Earth.

Second, though, is the work needed to actively clear what debris has already been abandoned. The ESA has called for pilot missions to clean the area of localized space around the planet, so as to mitigate the potential for satellites to be knocked out of the sky.

Space Debris overview:

“While measures against further debris creation and actively deorbiting defunct satellites are technically demanding and potentially costly,” ESAT Space Debris Office chief Heiner Klinkrad said in a statement, “there is no alternative to protect space as a valuable resource for our critical satellite infrastructure.”

Replacing 1,000 active satellites, for instance, would carry a cost of around €100bn ($131bn), the group estimates. That ignores the knock-on effect of navigation, broadcast, weather, telecoms, and other satellite infrastructure to business and operations on the ground.

Potential methods to actively gather up debris include the space equivalent of nets and harpoons, the AP reports, as well as more outlandish proposals that include deflecting rogue objects with laser light, and even repositioning them with robots, such as a 2011 suggestion by an Italian aerospace engineer. His idea was to actively chase down objects, seize them, and then glue rockets to them that would blast them back down to Earth. Last year, Swiss scientists revealed plans for a hunter-gatherer satellite that would cruise through its orbit like a shark, swallowing up abandoned materials.

However it’s done, the problem has already had an impact on space projects. A Russian satellite collided with debris earlier this year, believed to have been left behind by a Chinese mission, and became the fourth satellite known to be destroyed after a crash. Last year, meanwhile, NASA was almost forced to reposition the International Space Station, after fears debris could hit it.

Clean up space or suffer satellite destruction warns ESA is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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It’s not often you get to hear with the 19th century sounded like, but thanks to 3D scanning and old wax cylinders, it’s possible. And now, for the very first time, we know what Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the all-important telephone, might have sounded like when he made that historic call. More »

LG has been working on flexible OLED displays for several months now, even going as far as predicting it would begin selling 60-inch flexible OLEDs by 2017. But before they can do that, they need to get these flexible OLEDs in the hands of consumers on a much smaller scale, which is why they’re reportedly planning to launch a smartphone equipped with a flexible OLED some time this year.

The report comes from The Wall Street Journal where they spoke with LG’s vice president of mobile Yoon Bu-hyun. Yoon has stated LG’s first flexible OLED smartphone will be released during the fourth quarter of 2013. The flexible OLED display is being made by LG Display, but just how flexible these displays are is yet to be seen as we imagine a screen that we can bend and twist as much as we like, which we doubt will be the case in this upcoming consumer product. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nokia Chat For Windows Phone In Beta Released, Sprint Samsung Galaxy S3 Gets Multi-View Update,

As a recovering food addict, I’ve been told on numerous occasions that washboard abs are created in the kitchen, not in the gym. That’s why we were intrigued to take a look at Nutrino, an iOS app that promises a “virtual nutritionist” service to help slice away the adipose from our stomach. We spent some time putting the software through its paces, and if you’re thinking of making the leap, head on past the break to learn more.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Nutrino