Hasta La Gadget!

NASA‘s Kepler space telescope has made a new round of discoveries: two planetary systems, both of which are home to a total of three planets within the habitable zone. As such, it is possible that each planet could have a surface temperature capable of liquid water and supporting life. The findings were recently published in the journal Science.

The two planetary systems are called Kepler-62 and Kepler-69, with the first being home to five planets and the second being home to two. Of those, planets 62e, 62f, and 69c are the planets of interest. While all are bigger than Earth, the (probably) rocky planet Kepler-62f is said to be only 40-percent bigger, thus earning the designation of the closest habitable-zone exoplanet near Earth’s size.

The next smallest is Kepler-69e, which NASA says is 60-percent bigger than Earth, and last is Kepler-69c, which is 70-percent larger. The latter planet is the only of the three that orbits a star close in size to our sun. Like other discoveries, no one knows yet whether any of these three planets could harbor life, but such finds inspire those ideas, and take us one step closer to discovering an Earth twin.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate associate administrator John Grunsfeld said: “The Kepler spacecraft has certainly turned out to be a rock star of science. The discovery of these rocky planets in the habitable zone brings us a bit closer to finding a place like home. It is only a matter of time before we know if the galaxy is home to a multitude of planets like Earth, or if we are a rarity.”

[via NASA]

NASA discovers three Kepler system planets in the habitable zone is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Today Verizon has sent out a “save the date” announcement for this year’s Spring CTIA event in Las Vegas, Nevada. This announcement aligns quite well with the releases of both the HTC One and the Samsung GALAXY S 4, especially given the slightly-later reveals of high-end devices through Verizon over the past year. As the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has been confirmed for Verizon but not dated or priced while the HTC One has been both confirmed and denied, we’ll be placing our cash on the former.

This year’s CTIA 2013 event in Las Vegas will be taking place near the end of next month, May 21st through the 23rd. This Verizon event has been scheduled for the 22nd of May at 11AM PDT, and you can bet your bells that SlashGear will be live in-effect for the entire show. Verizon could also be revealing a new set of services, leaving the smartphone announcements to their own unique event(s) outside the convention.

Thus is the way of things with carriers, and thus has it been over the past few years with technology conventions. As we spoke about earlier this year immediately after attending Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, technology conventions aren’t dying, they’re changing. They’re evolving, and though we can guess and prod at the idea that Verizon might be bringing some smartphones to show off in Vegas, chances are they wont.

Have a peek at our HTC One full review for more information on that lovely smartphone and stay tuned for our full review of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 rather soon. These two devices are set to do battle throughout the summer as their businesses stake their name on their success. While the HTC One is a complete re-thinking of how the smartphone can be ideal, Samsung has invested in their already-successful design, further idealizing its innards.

Let us know what you’re planning on picking up, one way or another!

UPDATE: Looks like Verizon has now confirmed the GALAXY S 4 well before the event – time to get your HTC tickets out!

Verizon Teases GALAXY S 4 & HTC One Possibilities for CTIA [UPDATED] is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.