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We already knew that tonight’s LG party was all about the Optimus G Pro for AT&T so they decided to just go ahead and make it official. The Optimus G Pro will finally land in the U.S. with AT&T on May 10. It will be priced at $199 and pre-orders start this Friday, May 3. This is the same phone that has already been available internationally and features a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, a 1.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600, 2 GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, microSD slot for expanded memory, 13MP rear camera, 2.1MP front facing camera, 3,140mAh battery, and IR blaster. Let’s not forget the Value Pack update as well.

One thing I will say is kudos to AT&T as they now offer the three best phones on the market, the Galaxy S 4, the HTC One, and now the Optimus G Pro. On the other hand, Verizon Wireless will only offer the Galaxy S 4, and that won’t be out until the end of May. Full presser and video after the break.

Click here to view the embedded video.

AT&T and LG Unveil Powerful, Full HD Optimus G Pro

LG Optimus G Pro(TM) Enables Users to Connect and Share Like a Pro; Suite of Sharing, Multitasking Capabilities Enrich Users’ Demanding Lives

New York, New York, May 01, 2013

AT&T* and LG Electronics USA announced today the LG Optimus G Pro, available exclusively from AT&T, for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement beginning May 10. LG Optimus G Pro is a powerful smartphone offering innovative solutions designed to help users creatively and more deeply connect, express and share their lives while providing the superior power and performance required to manage life on-the-go. Customers excited to reserve their Optimus G Pro can pre-order the device beginning May 3 at www.att.com/optimusgpro. While supplies last, anyone who pre-orders will receive a free Quick Cover black folio case.

The LG Optimus G Pro comes packed with a host of high-performance features that refine mobile communication and help users better organize their lives. Backed by the powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 1.7GHz quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM, users can access content and complete tasks faster than ever:

The brilliant 5.5-inch, 1920 X 1080 Full HD IPS display (400ppi) gives users more pixels and screen real estate to view and show off content.
The 13 MP Full HD rear-facing camera and 2.1 MP Full HD front-facing camera let users zoom in on even the most intricate of details and its unique Dual Recording feature allows simultaneous recording with both cameras for an amazing dimensional perspective.
The LG Optimus G Pro runs on AT&T 4G LTE, which currently covers nearly 200 million people; with plans to expand to cover 300 million people by the end of 2014. In a report**** by independent testing organization RootMetrics, AT&T’s 4G LTE network was called “blazing fast.” The report found AT&T’s 4G LTE network delivered the fastest pure LTE speeds in markets where AT&T provided 4G LTE.

“From engagements to weddings, to newborns to family gatherings and work to vacation, active and involved people require robust mobile technology designed specifically to support and enrich their lives,” said James Fishler, senior vice president, marketing, LG Electronics USA. “LG Optimus G Pro is the ultimate device for creating, viewing and sharing media content, whether it be HD video in full 1080p or high-resolution photos. This device offers a vast collection of features and capabilities for those who want and need the best multitasking functionality.”

“The LG Optimus G Pro gives AT&T customers the ability to create and share rich content easily,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T. “There’s no better place to experience that content than exclusively on our 4G LTE network, the nation’s fastest.”

Whether users are multitasking industry professionals who require powerful recording and viewing capabilities or just want great mobile technology, LG Optimus G Pro provides the tools to capture important moments and share them with family, friends and co-workers.

With Dual Recording, users capture special and productive moments from both sides of life, all simultaneously on a single screen. The combination of a powerful quad-core processor and 13 MP video camera lets you zoom in tight on the finest of details when viewing your recordings and helps maintain video playback quality and image resolution.

LG Optimus G Pro features a stylish ergonomic design with a narrow screen bezel delivering a more comfortable in-hand experience and great “pocketability.” Hardware features enhance productivity while providing fun, entertaining moments. QuickRemote is a universal remote application that utilizes the built-in Infrared (IR) sensor, turns the device into a Universal Remote Control for use with compatible TVs, Blu-Ray players, cable provider set-top boxes and more.

The LG Optimus G Pro also comes packed with features designed to enhance and simplify your experience. With VuTalk™, users can draw and share fun and productive notes in real time*** between compatible devices, creating new ways for to express your creativity beyond traditional text-based communication*****. Using QSlide 2.0, you can also overlay up to two application windows on an existing open application, adjusting size and transparency as needed, for advanced yet convenient multitasking. For spur-of-the-moment thoughts or just to add some fun commentary to photos or screenshots, QuickMemo™ lets you take screenshots and add personalized notes, drawings and messages, then share them via social media, text or email.

Key Features

– Powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor with 2 GB RAM

– Expansive 5.5″ 1080p Full HD IPS Screen (400 ppi resolution)

– Long-Lasting 3,140 mAh Battery

– Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)

– Advanced 13 MP Full HD Camera with Dual Recording

– 2.1 MP Full HD Front-Facing Camera for Dual Recording and Video Conferencing

– Visually and Audibly Collaborate in Real Time with VuTalk

– QSlide 2.0 for Advanced and Convenient Multitasking

– Audio Zoom to enhance audio quality during video capture by focusing audio mics on the video target

– QuickRemote for Universal Remote Control

– Pocketable Ergonomic Design with Narrow Bezel

– Internal Storage: 32 GB on-board, support for up to 64 GB of expandable memory for a total of 96 GB

– Bluetooth® Version 4.0

Pricing and Availability

LG Optimus G Pro will be available for preorder online May 3 at www.att.com/optimusgpro and in AT&T retail stores May 10 for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement.

Come comment on this article: AT&T and LG make the Optimus G Pro official, pre-orders start May 3

On Wednesday, AT&T scored another smartphone exclusive. This time it’s the LG Optimus G Pro, an Android 4.1.2 handset boasting a large 5.5-inch, full high-definition screen. Pre-orders for the phone, which is $199 with contract, begin on May 3 and AT&T will sweeten the deal with a free Quick Cover folio case for the handset.

LG’s Optimus G Pro is the follow-up to the company’s Optimus G from last year. That phone was also very similar to the Nexus 4 that Google partnered with LG to design and build. As good as the Optimus G was — it has been one of LG’s best sellers to date — the new Optimus G Pro offers substantial upgrades including:

• Qualcomm’s 1.7 GHz quad-core processor and 2 GB of RAM
• Full 1080p resolution on the 5.5-inch display, which is 400 pixels per inch
• A huge 3140 mAh battery, which should easily last a full day
• Rear camera with 13 megapixel sensor and front-facing 2.1 megapixel camera
• Internal storage of 32 GB with a micro SD expansion slot

Of course, the phone uses AT&T’s LTE network where coverage allows and falls back to HSPA+ service as needed. I’m not a fan of smartphone exclusives — here’s why — but this is another solid smartphone offering from AT&T that should rival its other flagship phones ranging from the Apple iPhone to Galaxy S 4 and HTC One.

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The state of Nevada now has its first legal online poker site since its legalization in February. Online residents of the state (21 and over) may partake.

The site is UltimatePoker.com, and is run by “online poker specialists” with over 30 years of combined experience. It’s also backed by Vegas gaming leaders, but perhaps most importantly, it has the government’s seal of approval.

UltimatePoker’s team includes: Co-founder and Chairman Tom Breitling, CEO Tobin Prior, CTO Chris DeRossi, and CMO Joe Versaci. The company is a subsidiay of Station Casinos.

“Ultimate Gaming represents the next generation: A new breed of real money online gaming company backed by regulation and driven to create authentic entertainment experiences across online and social casino platforms,” the site says. “Ultimate Poker is a licensed online poker room, leading the way through extraordinary service, best-in-class rewards, and a true-to-its-roots poker experience.”

According to Reuters, the site will operate under a 30-day license while it “works out the kinks”. It will then most likely be granted a formal license.

“Ultimate Poker is a licensed online poker room in the state of Nevada, leading the way through extraordinary service, best-in-class rewards, and a true-to-its-roots poker experience. Created by online poker specialists and backed by Las Vegas gaming leaders, Ultimate Poker brings fun back to the online felt by merging entertainment, competition, and the gaming lifestyle. Ultimate Poker is the exclusive online gaming partner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the fastest growing sports organization in the world, and is the online poker product of Station Casinos, the preferred gaming destination for Las Vegas locals.”

Expect many more sites to follow Ultimate Poker’s lead. Delaware and New Jersey have also legalized online gambling, and will no doubt be keeping an eye on how UltimatePoker.com pans out for the state of Nevada.

According to UNICEF, 19,000 children die every day from preventable causes. And your Facebook like isn’t going to save a one of them.

The United Nations Children’s Fund Sweden division is calling people out with a powerful new ad campaign: we need money for polio vaccines and your slacktivism isn’t helping.

“Like is on Facebook, and we will vaccinate zero children against polio,” reads a press ad developed pro bono by ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors. “We have nothing against likes, but vaccines cost money. Please buy a polio vaccine at unicef.se. It will only cost you 4 euros, but will save the lives of 12 children.”

The campaign, which is running in print, television, radio, and online, also has a powerful video ad featuring a 10-year-old boy named Rahim.

“My name is Rahim. I’m 10 years old and I live here with my brother,” says the boy as the camera zooms in on a ragged apartment. “Sometimes I worry that I will get sick, like mom got sick. Then who will look after my brother?”

“But I think everything will be alright. Today, UNICEF Sweden has 177,000 likes on Facebook. Maybe they will reach 200,000 by summer. Then we should be alright.”

With the rise of social media, we’ve also seen a rise in “armchair activism” or “slacktivism,” the terms used to describe lazy attempts to support a cause via social media. One prime example was last year’s Kony 2012 campaign, which saw millions of Facebook and Twitter users share viral video about the atrocities of Ugandan LRA leader Joseph Kony.

But you can see fragmented slacktivist campaigns every day on Facebook. “Like this photo and this baby gets the transplant it needs” and so on. Sure, clicking like or sharing a status may make you feel good, but it doesn’t accomplish much more than that.

[Images via UNICEF Sweden]

With a tipping point in the U.S. gay rights debate seemingly reached, even Republican politicians seem to be shifting their positions. In March, Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman had a “change of heart” after learning his son is gay, and now supports gay marriage. This week Paul Ryan, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin and former vice presidential candidate, revealed that his position on at least some gay rights issues has become moderated.

According to a Think Progress report, Ryan spoke with citizens at a Town Hall-style meeting in Janesville, Wisconsin on Monday and fielded a question about gay marriage. Though Ryan stated he is still opposed to gay marriage, he told his audience that he supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban employers from discriminating in hiring based on sexual orientation. Ryan also stated that he now supports gay adoption, though he voted against it early in his political career.

“I do believe that if there are children who are orphans, who do not have a loving person or couple, you know, I think if a person wants to love and raise a child they ought to be able to do that,” said Ryan. “Period.”

USGS The National Map Topographic Data are now available on mobile devices that are using the Android or iOS operating system

Android and iPhone users can now use their mobile devices as digital topo maps, leveraging USGS maps together with the power of GPS to zoom in on their precise location while hiking, biking, running, or any other activity that benefits from precision navigation. The type of data that are available includes USGS imagery and topographic maps from The National Map, as well as road and contour layers.  

Currently, two Android applications are using USGS data, OruxMaps (http://www.oruxmaps.com/index_en.html) and AlpineQuest (http://alpinequest.psyberia.net/). These apps include USGS services in the list of available online maps.

For users that may be navigating in an area that is outside of cell phone coverage, Mobile Atlas Creator (http://mobac.sourceforge.net/) is allowing users of this desktop application to build small “mobile atlases” with USGS data. These “mobile atlases” can be built over any area of interest at multiple scales, and when completed, the small file is moved to the phone. The “mobile atlases” enable GPS applications on both iPhone and Android mobile devices. By storing this small amount of data on the phone, these “mobile atlases” ensure the topographic data is available even when cell coverage is not.

Users of mobile devices can use USGS data on their GPS-enabled phones to track their adventure or workout. This capability is new, and promises to increase awareness and use of USGS data and services, as well as increase demand for US Topos.

To use TNM data on your Android device:

1. Install either OruxMaps or AlpineQuest via Google Play App Store. 
2. USGS TNM data is available through these two applications as a dynamic, online layer. 
3. Switch map sources to view either TNM Topo or Satellite data through the application. 
4. OruxMaps manual available online in PDF format.
5. More information on Alpine Quest is available online.

To use TNM data on your iOS device:

1. Install Galileo on your iPhone or iPad via iTunes App Store.
2. Build offline map file(s) on MOBAC (instructions below).
3. Move files to iPad or iPhone.

To build map files that will allow an Android or iPhone to use USGS TNM data when data connectivity is not available:

1. Download the MOBAC desktop application (Mobile Atlas Builder). 
2. Unzip the downloaded file, and activate the “Mobile Atlas Creator.exe” file. 
3. Users can then indicate the mobile application they are using (Galileo, AlpineQuest, etc) , and highlight an area of interest to build an offline map file. 
4. Select the appropriate scales.
5. Select “Create Atlas”, and move resulting folder (and map data) to the appropriate folder on the mobile phone.
6. More information on using MOBAC is available through the “Quick Start Manual“.

The USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is continuing to work with mobile developers, to ensure our data are available to the public.

Disclaimer: Any use of trade, firm or product names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.  No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS or the U.S. Government as to the accuracy and functioning of the commercial software programs cited in this Technical Announcement, and the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the USGS National Map Topographic Data employing these software programs.

USGS TNM Topographic Data as viewed in AlpineQuest. (Larger image)	USGS TNM Topographic Data as viewed in OruxMaps. (Larger image)	Mobile Atlas Creator (MOBAC) about to create a USGS TNM Topographic “atlas” of various scales. (Larger image)

According to rumors, Motorola’s next phone will be the X phone. Unfortunately the rumors have flip flopped in so many ways, it’s hard to determine if there will be only one X phone or several. What we do know is that Motorola is working on new phones, not surprisingly. We recently saw a Google X phone in an AnTuTu benchmark, which we can only assume is made by Motorola. Now we have some details about another Motorola device with the model number of XT1055.

We don’t know if this will be an X phone or something entirely different. To be honest, we don’t even know if the image above is real since these kinds of things can be fabricated pretty easily. If this phone is indeed real, it will have a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU with Android 4.2.2. The AnTuTu benchmark of 18,252 does seem a little low, but lets not forget this result is most likely not from final hardware. We will let you know as soon as we hear more.

source: PhoneArena

Come comment on this article: Motorola XT1055 shows up in benchmarks with Snapdragon 600

CenturyLink, the nation’s third-largest telephone company, has decided to get join Google, AT&T and several municipalities and get gigabit fever as well. The company will offer a fiber-to-the-home, gigabit network in Omaha, Neb. beginning next week, with service to reach all of the Omaha CenturyLink subscribers in October.

CenturyLink is upgrading its existing fiber architecture in west Omaha using GPON and will serve homes and businesses. Residential customers can bundle the gigabit speeds with existing video and voice service for $79.95 or subscribe to standalone service for $149.95. CenturyLink competes against Cox Cable in Omaha, which offers a 150 Mbps service.

This is a pilot project for the telco, and will cover its 48,000 customers in Omaha. When I asked CenturyLink why it was upgrading to a gigabit, a spokeswoman emailed the following:

CenturyLink needed to upgrade its existing fiber architecture in Omaha and wanted to create a more robust network that delivers fiber optic cable directly to homes and businesses. …We will evaluate our 1 Gbps offer to determine further deployment of this advanced technology.

Better broadband = More innovation

As a broadband reporter with a passionate belief that more broadband is better for our society and our ability to innovate, I’m thrilled to see more and more companies testing the waters on speed upgrades.

When Google launched its roll-out plans to build out a gigabit network in Kansas City, it showed that it was willing to enter a capital-intensive business in order to protect its access to the consumer. At that time, ISPs were implementing caps and making a lot of noise about bandwidth hogs and the cost to upgrade networks for people watching video over the top.

Yet, after Google announced Austin, Texas in April as its second location for Google Fiber, AT&T issued a press release saying it too wanted to use Google’s tactics to lay fiber to the home in Austin. It remains to be seen if AT&T takes those steps, but it’s great to see AT&T considering it. A week after Austin, Google said it purchased the fiber network in Provo, Utah (it apparently cost Google $1) and planned to turn on a gigabit network later this year. In Kansas City, Google charges $70 for gigabit-only service and $120 for a gigabit plus TV.

Municipalities and smaller telcos are also getting in the game. Last Friday I covered Vermont’s telco, VTel, and its existing gigabit network that residents can connect to for $35 a month. In a talk with the CEO of VTel, he told me that the he thinks that gigabit fiber is the only way to bring residents and his business into the future. But his $151 million investment costs were offset by $94 million in government loans and grants.

Meanwhile, Century Link isn’t totally throwing its conservative talking points to the wind. In the release announcing the gigabit construction it added a note of caution:

The company will evaluate its Omaha 1 Gbps offer before determining further deployment of this advanced technology, considering such factors as positive community support, competitive parity in the marketplace and the ability to earn a reasonable return on its investment.

I’m curious about all of those things myself. If a traditional telco can invest in gigabit networks and charge a fair rate for them, then I’ll expect to see them pop up in more places. And not just in places targeted by Google.

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Deanna Durbin, who was a beloved young actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood, has died. She was 91.

Durbin was just in junior high when she was discovered and ended up starring in “Every Sunday”, a one-reel short, opposite Judy Garland. She would go on to draw in crowds at the theaters and, at one time, was a bigger star than Shirley Temple. In those days, that was a huge deal. By 1947, she was the highest-paid movie star in the country, and one of the most famous faces in the world. Anne Frank reportedly had a photo of Durbin tacked up on the wall in the attic she hid in with her family. But by 1948, she was tired of the business and made the decision to walk away at the age of 28.

“The character I was forced into had little or nothing in common with myself – or with other youth of my generation, for that matter,” she said. “I was never happy making pictures. I’ve gained weight. I do my own shopping, bring up my two children and sing an hour every day.”

Durbin retired to France with her husband, director Charles David, and led a happily married life up until his death in 1999, just before their 50th anniversary. She is survived by her two children, Peter and Jessica.

Mars: War Logs aims to be something that gaming rarely sees these days: a solid mid-budget video game with good mechanics, an interesting story and graphics good enough to keep players engaged in the long term.

The title largely succeeds it its attempt and the development team at Spiders and publisher Focus Home Interactive deserve some praise for this Xbox … (read more)

Over the past year, we’ve seen more and more evidence that Amazon sees Amazon Web Services as a real business — not a sideline or distraction. And, as AWS tries to build credibility among enterprise accounts, it’s started to mimic its IT elders by launching a formal partner program and a bona fide conference called AWS: Reinvent. Now it’s drawn up AWS certifications that would, in theory, show that a person has the skills needed to spec out, build, run and manage AWS implementations.

Here’s how AWS lists the three broad job descriptions covered by the certs:

• Solutions Architect: a technical individual who is skilled at designing distributed applications and systems on the AWS platform. A Solution Architect generally has knowledge across a broad array of disciplines, including distributed application architecture, networking, infrastructure, and security.
• SysOps Administrator: a technical individual who is responsible for the operational health of an application on the AWS cloud. A SysOps Administrator has in-depth knowledge of the application or service they operate, including how the application is constructed, deployed, and automated, as well as the controls and monitoring points available.
• Developer: a technical individual who has designed and built an AWS-based application. A Developer has involvement with or responsibility for operating the application on the AWS platform.

Older tech companies — Microsoft, IBM, VMware, Cisco Systems — have long relied on certifications as a way for people — either those inside IT shops or at third-party VARs and integrators (and those seeking jobs in either camp) — to show that they have what it takes to succeed working with specific technologies. As with those programs, AWS candidates must pass an exam to get their credentials. Testing will be administered by Kryterion.

Some of the more valuable certs in recent years include the VMware Certified Professional (VCP), Cisco Certified International Expert (CCIE) and Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP). And Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a more vendor-agnostic certification, is also a top draw for potential hiring companies.

In another nod to the IT concerns of enterprise accounts, AWS also launched a security blog this week. The news comes just after Microsoft opened up Infrastructure-as-a-Service capabilities in Azure that are more directly competitive with AWS and Google gears up for the public release of Google Compute Engine, which I expect will happen at Google I/O in May. While AWS dominates public cloud infrastructure by virtue of its head start, many enterprise customers in particular will likely test out these rivals as well — nobody wants cloud lock-in.

Still, given the traction AWS has among startups and increasingly at bigger businesses, I’d expect to see these certifications cropping up in lots of job postings going forward.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock user Mega Pixel

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Google may face bigger tax bills in the UK, according to a report from Reuters, which says that Google executives and the company’s auditor Ernst & Young, will be called to a British parliament committee to testify, after Reuters’ own investigation highlighted “inconsistencies” in Google’s portrayal of its activities.

At issue is whether or not Google makes sales to UK customers from the UK itself. According to Reuters, Google’s Matt Brittin has said that it does not, but some Google staff and UK customers believe otherwise. In light of this, the Public Accounts Committee is calling upon Google representatives to explain themselves. Reuters’ Tom Bergin writes:

Lawyers and academics say that if UK staff did sell to UK customers, that could have implications for Google’s tax status in Britain, opening the possibility of much bigger tax bills.

Brittin, Google’s Vice President for Northern and Central Europe, told the PAC in November that “Nobody (in the UK) is selling.” He said Google employs “a couple of hundred” staff at its European headquarters in Dublin who are responsible for selling to UK clients.

Ernst & Young has refused to comment on Google’s activities, for confidentiality purposes.

Google’s tax practices have been the center of controversy in Europe time and time again, perhaps most notably in France.

Bike sharing service Social Bicycles has raised $1.1 million to expand the reach of their social bike sharing service to new markets. The company, led by Ryan Rzepecki, reported the funding this morning.

The round was led by David Rose on behalf of New York Angels as well as Esther Dyson, Amol Sarva, and Karl Ulrich. David Rose and Brad Higgins will be on the company board.

The company, founded in 2011, began as a Kickstarter project and then turned into a solid rental product with a pilot launch at the San Francisco airport in December and another pilot at the University of Buffalo in March.

The company is helping launch a bike share in Hoboken, New Jersey and St. Petersburg, Florida is on track to buy 300 bikes.

The bikes have built-in GPS systems and can be unlocked via your cellphone. Users can leave bikes almost anywhere and then find and unlock them anywhere using the app. This allows bike sharing services to exist without central hubs that take up valuable sidewalk space.

Samsung has a new smart, connected camera, the NX2000: the $650 device was introduced on Wednesday with a 20 to 50mm lens. This 20.3 megapixel camera has interchangeable lenses like a DSLR camera and both integrated Wi-Fi and NFC communications like a smartphone. The back of the camera uses a 3.7-inch touchscreen and the NX2000 can shoot 3D video with a special lens. I wasn’t a fan of the company’s recent Galaxy Camera with LTE at $549 plus data fees, but I like the NX2000, even with its $100 price premium over the older models.

Why? This is more a traditional camera that has integrated connectivity. The older Galaxy Camera with LTE seemed more like an Android device with camera capabilities bolted on. You won’t find Android on the NX2000, although I suspect the user interface is similar to the camera app on Samsung’s Galaxy S 4: Company representatives told me that Samsung is trying to use the same interface across phones and cameras.

Forgetting the interface and connectivity for a second, the NX2000 offers some impressive capabilities that you won’t find on a smartphone: shutter speeds up to 1/4000th of a second, a wide ISO range from 100 to 25800, and a large ASP-C sensor that is typically found on DSLRs. The NX2000 has a burst mode of 8 frames per second, which can certainly be useful, but we are starting to see high-end smartphones rival that.

Aside from taking advantage of a common user interface, Samsung is also cleverly using its own brand of Wi-Fi sharing. What used to be called AllPlay on Samsung phones and tablets is now Samsung Link. With it, you can wirelessly share photos from the NX2000 to Samsung mobile devices and smart televisions. The camera also supports the standard Wi-Fi Direct for sharing images and videos to other Wi-Fi devices. And connecting the camera to a phone or tablet should be easy with integrated NFC.

I spent a limited amount of time with the older Galaxy Camera and found the image quality to be slightly better than a smartphone, but not even that close to what I can get from a $700 DSLR. That’s the problem with grafting a point-and-shoot camera onto an Android-based Wi-Fi device: You get instant and simple connectivity but at the cost of image quality.

I suspect that won’t be the case with the NX2000, which looks like a camera with interchangeable lenses from the ground up, with the added benefits of Wi-Fi and NFC technology.

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Final Book Now Available

Extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) can be released accidentally as a result of result of chemical spills, industrial explosions, fires, or accidents involving railroad cars and trucks transporting EHSs. Workers and residents in communities surrounding industrial facilities where EHSs are manufactured, used, or stored and in communities along the nation’s railways and highways are potentially at risk of being exposed to airborne EHSs during accidental releases or intentional releases by terrorists. Pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified approximately 400 EHSs on the basis of acute lethality data in rodents.

As part of its efforts to develop acute exposure guideline levels for EHSs, EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in 1991 requested that the National Research Council (NRC) develop guidelines for establishing such levels. In response to that request, the NRC published Guidelines for Developing Community Emergency Exposure Levels for Hazardous Substances in 1993. Subsequently, Standard Operating Procedures for Developing Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances was published in 2001, providing updated procedures, methodologies, and other guidelines used by the National Advisory Committee (NAC) on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances and the Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) in developing the AEGL values.

Using the 1993 and 2001 NRC guidelines reports, the NAC—consisting of members from EPA, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Transportation (DOT), other federal and state governments, the chemical industry, academia, and other organizations from the private sector—has developed AEGLs for more than 270 EHSs. In 1998, EPA and DOD requested that the NRC independently review the AEGLs developed by NAC. In response to that request, the NRC organized within its Committee on Toxicology (COT) the Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels, which prepared this report. This report is the fourteenth volume in that series. Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 14 summarizes the committee’s conclusions and recommendations.

[Read the full report]

Topics: Environment and Environmental Studies

Google I/O must be somewhat overwhelming for some developers. There’s a lot of ground to cover and you can only attend so many sessions in a day. That’s why a tight schedule is of the utmost importance so you better start building one now before it’s too late.

The Google I/O site has just been updated with the latest session schedule so that developers can start planning their days accordingly. All you need to do is sign in to your Google account and click on the plus button for each session you want to attend. It should go without saying, but clicking on the plus button doesn’t save you spot for that session. You might want to have a backup plan just in case your preferred session is full.

Speaking of sessions, Google developers will be on hand to discuss everything from Android to YouTube. The first two days will feature sessions on Android, Chrome, Google+, Google Cloud Platform and YouTube. The third day shaves off two categories to focus only on Android, Chrome and the Google Cloud Platform.

Beyond these official sessions, there will be plenty of developers wandering the show floor ready to talk shop with anybody else. In fact, Facebook has already said it will deploy a number of its developers at the event to talk with others about the Facebook SDK for Android.

On a final note, those who can’t make it to Google I/O will want to check out the schedule as well. The events with a little camera on them means that Google will be live streaming that session. You might want to start planning your weekend of watching Google I/O live streams now.

[h/t: DroidLife]

Based on the leaked image above, it looks like HTC is going to build upon their One design with a mid-range version, codenamed the M4. Identical in looks and smaller in size, the M4 packs 2GB of RAM, a dual-core processor and 16GB of internal memory behind a 4.3-inch 720p display (compared to the quad-core processor and 32GB of memory of the One).

The M4 will ship with a 1,700 mAh battery which cannot be removed from the device. As with the HTC One, the M4 will reportedly include HTC’s UltraPixel camera and Beats Audio-powered front-facing speakers. If the HTC One has piqued your interest but eluded your budget, or you’ve just been waiting for a smaller phone with decent specs, then the M4 may be the device you’ve been waiting for. The device is expected to ship near the end of Q2, and will sport Android Jellybean 4.2, which even the One has yet to see.

Source: PhoneArena

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