We would try to explain what the video is and stuff, but, well, we haven’t quite recovered from it. Don’t worry, it’s lots of fun, and totally SFW. Hit this LINK and watch it. You can thank us later.
LG unveils Optimus L9, 4.7-inch IPS display, 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 ICS
Just when we thought LG had closed the book on the L-series of devices, out comes the newest member of that stylish family, the Optimus L9. This particular smartphone addresses the I-want-a-gigantic-screen segment of the market, sporting a large, 4.7-inch IPS display, not unlike that on the Optimus 4X HD. Unfortunately, it won’t be as fast as the Optimus 4X HD, as it only packs a measly 1GHz dual-core processor, which makes us theorize that this particular product will slide into that untapped budget-large screen market.
Other specs include Android 4.0 ICS and a 2,150mAh SiO+ battery which, when combined with the 1GHz processor, means that the Optimus L9 might have a longer battery life than comparable devices. No word on price or availability in the Philippines yet, though we’re sure to hear about it once the local LG folks decide to ship it here.
OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Chipset: 1GHz Dual-Core
Main Display: 4.7-inch IPS Display
Memory: 1GB DDR2 (RAM) / 4GB e-MMC
Camera: 5MP rear / VGA front
Battery: 2,150mAh SiO+
Size: 131.9 x 68.2 x 9.1mm / 125g
Others: DLNA, QMemo, QTranslator function, My Style Keyboard function
Curiosity beams will.i.am song from Mars
In the first planet-to-planet music broadcast, NASA’s Curiosity Rover beamed an uplifting song called Reach for the Stars by former Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am. You can watch the video HERE.
“I had no idea that one day I would have a meeting at NASA, and I never thought that in a billion years a song would hitch a ride on a rocket and when it lands on Mars it would be beamed back to earth,” says Will.i.am.
We know what you’re thinking. No, the Martians weren’t clubbing to one of Will.i.am’s bass-filled electronica pop songs. For one thing, Reach for the Stars is actually backed by an orchestra and a children’s choir.
“I don’t think it’s a right thing to do to send a computer beat to Mars,” explains Will.i.am. “So I wanted to put an orchestra together to show human collaboration, exercising their skills, their craft. That robot is going to Mars but a piece of humanity, art, is going as well.”
Another reason why it’s impossible to think that the Martians were partying to this song is because the rover doesn’t have speakers to broadcast music to its surrounding landscape, according to The New York Times.
At the premiere at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, Will.i.am, together with NASA, gathered several students to talk to them about Mars, play Reach for the Stars and explain the technology NASA used in transmitting the song.
Image Source: Here.
Sony to launch Xperia acro S and Go in the Philippines this week, dares us to get wet
Are you one of the unfortunate people who accidentally dropped your smartphone into a bowl-shaped body of water or somewhere similar and regretted your smartphone’s lack of aquatic resistance? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Sony Philippines has decided to launch Xperia acro S and Go in the Philippines at an event later this week. We’ll be seeing both water resistant smartphones in their full glory on Thursday, and all y’all will get the first-hand report when we do. Until then, you can lovingly gaze at both device’s official page and specs here and here.
LG Optimus G finally unveiled, sports quad-core Qualcomm processor with LTE, next gen display
After being outed by their processor partner and teased again, LG has finally come out with the Optimus G. The Optimus G looks like the company’s next flagship device, as it sports a large 4.7-inch True HD (1280 x 768) IPS LCD display that uses their next generation in-cell touch displays which utilize a thinner body which results in the display being nearer to the LCD than ever before. LG has boldly said that when the display is off, the bezel and display look like an integrated unit, so it’ll be interesting to see how exactly they pull that off. Other specs should be familiar to most readers now: a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Pro S4 quad-core processor will be powering everything, along with Android 4.0. A 13-megapixel camera rests on the back of the device, and there’s 2GB worth of RAM on tap, which should ensure a speedy user experience. All of that is encased in a body that’s only 8mm thick, which makes the Optimus G one of the thinnest, fully packed smartphones we’ve seen yet. LG says that it’ll be landing in Korea first and they will be offering an LTE version, which should be arriving in NTT DOCOMO’s doorstep soon. Hey Smart, how about picking this up and offering it here under your LTE service?
Source: LG via Engadget
Adidas debuts “Twitter shoes”
Forget Marty McFly’s self-lacing shoes that should be out in approximately three years (if the Back to the Future series is historically accurate). Adidas has decided to merge footwear with social networking.
It was created for the 2012 London Olympics, but it seems to have gained enough interest to warrant a possible market release. These “Twitter shoes” basically were made by Adidas in conjunction with shoe designer Nash Money after taking apart a pair of Barricade shoes and adding an Arduino processor, a USB port, and a small display on the side that reads out tweets sent to @adidasbarricade.
Adidas’ trademark three stripes have also been given a glowing light-up makeover. A matching smartphone case made from shoe material brings the whole ensemble together.
Your kid might learn how to tweet before they even learn how to tie their shoes, which may signal a whole new era (and demographic) in social networking.
Apple identifies which devices it wants to get banned in the US
After Samsung’s crushing defeat in the courtroom in the hands of Apple, the Cupertino company has identified which infringing products of Samsung it wants taken off the market. Right now, the company has identified 4 Galaxy S2 variants, 2 Galaxy S variants, Droid Charge and the Galaxy Prevail as the likely victims of the trade ban. Check out the complete list below:
- Galaxy S 4G
- Galaxy S2 (AT&T)
- Galaxy S2 (Skyrocket)
- Galaxy S2 (T-Mobile)
- Galaxy S2 Epic 4G
- Galaxy S Showcase
- Droid Charge
- Galaxy Prevail
Of course nothing is ever that simple – the company will still have to prove that these products will cause irreparable harm to them, so the ban isn’t automatic. Check out The Verge’s complete analysis of the issue below.
Source: The Verge
Sony VAIO Duo 11 leaked, convertible Windows 8 tablet with stylus
IFA is fast approaching, and as a direct result we’re seeing more and more product leaks from different manufacturers. This time ’round it’s Sony and their unannounced VAIO Duo 11. From what we can guess from the pictures, the VAIO Duo 11 is a 11-inch convertible tablet that has a sliding keyboard underneath, much like Asus’ Eee Pad Slider. It also apparently has a professional looking stylus for writing and creating content.
PocketNow guesses that the VAIO Duo 11 is aimed at the more upscale of markets, thanks to the backlit keyboard. Unfortunately there’s not much detail to go on (like processor used (ARM or Intel), so we’ll be waiting with bated breath till Sony officially announces this bad boy.
Source: PocketNow
Samsung officially releases Galaxy Player 5.8, baggy pants mandatory
We reported on the possible release of Samsung’s Galaxy Player 5.8 during IFA a few days ago, and what do you know, the Korean company has officially launched the absolutely gigantic media player today. This particular Galaxy Player has a pocket-ripping 5.8-inch 960 x 540 LCD display, is powered by Android 4.0 and Samsung’s own special sauce in the form of their TouchWiz UI.
Samsung has stated that this particular device will come in 16 and 32GB flavors and will pack a 2500mAh battery for long battery life. Unfortunately, no solid word on what processor this thing will pack, although rumor has it that it’ll bring a relatively modest dual-core 1GHz CPU to the table. We’ll find out more once IFA rolls around in about a week’s time.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow via Engadget
Dropbox rolls out two-step verification option for enhanced security
After admittedly being hacked last month, cloud storage service Dropbox has decided to amp up its security features. We mentioned in our previous post that one of the changes that it plans to implement is two-factor authentication. Just recently, the Dropbox team rolled out its two-step verification option to add an “extra layer of protection” to your account.
To enable this feature, go to your Dropbox security page (in the Account Sign-In portion under the Settings menu) and enable the Two-step Verification option. After which, a setup wizard will guide you in allowing your Dropbox account to be associated with your mobile phone number. Once you’re done with that, you will then receive a text containing a six-digit verification code that you must use anytime you attempt to log in to your account.
Here’s another option: if you have a smartphone—whether it’s Android, BlackBerry, iOS or Windows Phone—you can download the authenticator app and generate a new time-based one-time passcode. You can choose to either scan the barcode or to enter your secret key manually to generate a security code you must type into the app.
Digital Inspiration suggests that if you already have Dropbox setup on your mobile device or devices, it would probably be a good idea to unlink them from your Dropbox account and relink them again. This will activate two-step verification on these devices.
After setting up the two-step verification feature, Dropbox will provide you with an emergency backup code that you can use if ever you lose access to your phone or cannot receive or generate a security code. If the phone that’s linked to your account gets stolen, you will need the emergency code to regain access into your account.
Once the feature is enabled, you must download the latest installers for the Dropbox desktop client (1.15.12), as the latest version now has a new software build to support the two-step verification login process.
Another interesting security feature—which is similar to that of Facebook—is the email notification you can opt to receive every time an unrecognized device logs in or when a new device is linked to your account.
With these new improvements in security measures—although they don’t assure total security—we hope that they could be enough for us to finally sleep soundly at night, without fear of our files being hacked in the cloud.
Sources: Mashable, TheVerge, SlashGear, Digital Inspiration
LG confirms Optimus G, purported to have a next generation G2 Touch Hybrid Display
Since its partner, Qualcomm, has spoiled its recent release, LG has decided to come clean with its next generation smartphone, the Optimus G. The device will use LG’s next generation G2 Touch Hybrid Display, which promises a native display resolution of 1,280 x 768 pixels. Combined with the next generation quad-core Qualcomm S4 processor, the Optimus G would probably be one of the speediest devices that the Korean company has ever made. We’ll find out more next week in IFA.
Samsung supposedly releasing their own Android-based camera
Seems like Samsung isn’t going to take Nikon’s challenge in the Android-based camera lying down. GSM Arena is reporting that the Korean company is gearing up to announce their own Android-based point-and-shoot during IFA next week. The Android device is supposedly based on a Galaxy S III, and GSM Arena describes it as a “Galaxy S3 glued to the back of a point-and-shoot camera.” Judging from the rumors, you’re looking at a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display on the back, along with Android 4.0 and a 16-megapixel sensor. GSM Arena has helpfully added their own mockup of the device that we’ve attached above.
Source: GSM Arena
Apple launching iPad Mini in October, seperate launch event for iPhone 5
Another Apple rumor today, and this time it’s about the launch of two of their hotly anticipated products. The iPhone 5 will be unveiled earlier, in September, with the iPad Mini launching a month after that. Analysts speculate that Apple does not want to dilute the power of the branding of both devices thus the two separate launch events. Apple’s iPad Mini is supposedly less than 8 inches and will have a lower price point than the larger iPad.
Source: All Things D
Need another reason to work out? Here’s one.
One of the bigger reasons not to work out is the presence of the personal computer. It keeps us tethered to its warm glow, and kills time before we know what is going on. Students from the University of Munich have kindly provided an answer in the form of glowy ball that sits on your bike, and connects to your computer. On its own, it isn’t much more than a pretty light. As you charge, the orb slowly “charges” itself to a green-light state. When it is full, everything on your computer works just fine. As you use the charge, though, it slowly makes its way tot he discharged red-light state, and drags your computer’s mouse sensitivity all the way down to the lowest setting. This will hopefully inconvenience the user enough to get off their butts and raise their heart rate a little. Read more about the project HERE.
(Image via http://www.psfk.com)
