Venus
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Venus airplane concept could be a working prototype in a few years
Northrop Grumman has been toying with the idea of sending an inflatable aircraft to Venus since at least 2013 (PDF). Now the company feels it's ready to turn its concept into a real vessel. According to SpaceNews, Northrop Grumman is planning to enter its Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform (VAMP) aircraft into NASA's New Frontiers competition slated to begin on October 1st. The aerospace corp envisions VAMP as a large but light plane, with a 151-foot wingspan and the ability to cruise Venus' skies for up to a full year at an altitude of 34 to 43 miles. It will be able to carry between 44 and 440 pounds of of payload, particularly instruments to gather data from the planet's atmosphere.
Steve Jobs' supervillain yacht is chilling in the British Virgin Islands (not New England)
The massive yacht Steve Jobs helped design -- and which launched a year after his passing -- was recently (?) spotted looking like an amphibious Apple Store off the coast of Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands. The new photos show the ship, named Venus, with its sides and rear deck open for the first time on camera. The latest snapshots of the ship were posted to the Woods Hole Inn Instagram account. Woods Hold Inn is located in Massachusetts, which has led many outlets -- including Time -- to declare that Venus is visiting New England. Of course, by the weather, mountainous shoreline, and abundant greenery it's pretty clear that the photos were not taken in January on the east coast of the United States. Oh, and the photos actually say that they were taken in the British Virgin Islands, so that helps too.
NASA wants to build airship cities in the Venus sky
Since Venus is closer to Earth than Mars -- both in size and distance -- it would be a much more convenient candidate for manned exploration. There's just a slight hitch: the average temperature is 850 degrees F, and the atmosphere is 90 times denser than ours. In other words, you'd die in the opposite way that Quaid nearly did in Total Recall. Probes have been sent to the planet's surface, but the Russian Venera 13 survived the longest at just 127 minutes in 1982. As it does, NASA has figured a way around all that. In IEEE Spectrum, it outlined a study called HAVOC to build a floating "city" of astronaut-manned zeppelins that would hover 30 miles above the planet.
Destiny expansion map discovered on Venus
Destiny players have discovered a glitch in the game that seemingly warps them to a new map, one apparently planned as part of a DLC pack down the road. The portal to the new map is accessible on Venus, in "The Juncture" part of the planet's Citadel area. After leaping from tiny platform to tiny plaform, as demonstrated by YouTube user Nowise10, players step into a gravity lift that carries them to an area called The Terminus. Nowise10 points out that The Terminus is a level 22 story in the House of Wolves expansion, descriptions of which were leaked late last month, then confirmed by Bungie. Three dead ghosts have already been uncovered in the Destiny map, as seen in Nowise10's video after the break. Activision kicked off its week-long Iron Banner PVP event today, for those that will want a break from exploring The Terminus. [Image: Activision, Nowise10 (YouTube)]
Destiny shows off a Venus trailer
What lurks beneath the cloudy exterior of Venus? In the real world, a blighted hellscape that's about as conducive to human life as the heart of a nuclear reactor. In Destiny, though, it's a lush landscape full of ruins, plant life, and stunning vistas, though considering the large number of gun-toting robots that appear to be popping out of the woodwork, one suspects it might not be all that comfortable for humans just the same. Yes, the latest Destiny trailer is giving a quick peek at the planet, and while it's not replete with detailed information, it's enough of a tease to get fans excited. Click on past the break to see the planet for yourself before the game launches on September 9th.
Details of designing the Jobs family yacht
Last month we saw images and a video of the Jobs family yacht Venus, which features a row of 27-inch iMacs on the bridge, floor-to-ceiling glass in many places, and a very unique design. SuperYacht Times recently interviewed famed French designer Philippe Starck, who collaborated with Jobs on the design of Venus. Starck noted that at the beginning of the design process, Jobs gave him "carte blanche" to do whatever he wanted -- the requirements were just the length of the yacht and the number of guests Jobs wished to entertain on board. After that point, Jobs and Starck spent one full day every six weeks between 2007 and Jobs' death in 2011 poring over design changes "millimetre by millimetre. Detail by detail." The result of the collaboration is a design that's very much the embodiment of Jobs, something useful, yet simple. Starck notes that there is not a "useless pillow" or other object without a purpose on the entire yacht. The SuperYacht times interview is a fascinating look into both the mind of designer Starck as well as the design philosophy of the late Jobs. [via CNET]
Panasonic Lumix GH3 launches on December 13th, but pricing remains a mystery
Panasonic's forthcoming mirror-less multimedia wonder has been given a release date. Yep, the Lumix GH3, with its 'unlimited recording time' and magnesium alloy build, will arrive in the Land of the Rising Sun just over a month from now. While the Japanese press release doesn't specify pricing, you can expect this Lumix to arrive in body-only and two lens kit variants, one with a 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom lens, and another with a f/4.0 - 5.8 rig. Behind those optic options (not to mention the ability to capture 72Mbps 60p video), you'll be getting a 16-megapixel sensor, splash-proof shell and a flip-out OLED touchscreen alongside a 614K-dot viewfinder. If that leaked video sample piqued your interest, check out the full spec rundown at the source below.
Panasonic's GH3 mirrorless camera gets official: 16MP, WiFi and 72Mbps HD video in a ruggedized body (hands-on)
It's not a secret in the least thanks to a video slip-up by Panasonic a few days ago, but today the company is ready to officially announce the successor to its venerable GH2, the Lumix DMC-GH3. This Micro-Four Thirds mirrorless shooter is nearly as big as some entry-level DSLRs, but it's loaded with features to make up for it. Packed inside its dust- and splash-proof magnesium alloy body, you'll find a 16.05-megapixel Live Mos sensor that'll handle 200 to 12,800 ISO natively with extension from 125 to 25,600. Aiding it is Panasonic's latest Venus engine, which enables 6 FPS burst shooting (20 in 4-megapixel mode). Notably, Panasonic is pushing this as a "multimedia" shooter given its robust video features. Unlike many ILCs, the GH3 touts unlimited recording time, so you won't be held back by the likes of the camera overheating -- sadly, the approx. 29-minute recording restriction for PAL regions is in place however. You'll be able to shoot in either MP4, MOV, AVCHD or AVCHD Progressive, with a maximum bandwidth of "72 Mbps (ALL-Intra) / 50 Mbps (IPB)." The formats can be recorded using frame rates of 24, 30 and 60p (excluding MOV and AVCHD), and you'll even be able work with SMPTE time-codes for syncing footage easily in post production. On back, there's an articulating 3:2 614K-dot OLED touchscreen, which can be used for tap-focusing while recording video, along with a 16:9 1,744K-dot OLED view finder -- both of which provide 100% frame coverage. Thanks to included WiFi connectivity, you'll be able to control the camera from your mobile device -- although, its HDMI out may be better suited for film-making. Along the side, there's a duo 3.5mm jacks for monitoring and recording audio straight from the camera with a mic of your choosing or a Panasonic's optional shotgun mic. Speaking of accessories, an F2.8 35-100mm lens will also be introduced with the camera, touting a dust- and splash-proof design. There's no word on price just yet for the GH3 or its accessories, but we're told the camera will hit shelves for a number shy of $2,000 when it's released later this year. The unit we got eye-on time with was an admittedly rough and early build, but you can check it in detail at the gallery above while we get some more impressions at Photokina. You'll also find extended details in the press release after the break. Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Panasonic teases a 13.2MP 'Lumix phone' for October 5 unveiling
Looks like we'll soon have another heavyweight to throw into the renewed cameraphone wars, as Panasonic has put up a teaser site for its first Lumix-branded phone. Lumix is of course Panasonic's camera label, which counts among its luminary membership the likes of the GF1 and the newly refreshed LX5. The new phone shooter promises to beat both in terms of pure resolution with its 13.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, which is accompanied by a 3.3-inch LCD atop a 146-gram body. Much like Nokia's N8 and its protruding sensor compartment, this Lumix handset will have to make room for its expanded imaging equipment, which is why it'll offer a comparatively chubby 17.7mm thickness, to go along with a 116mm height and 52mm width. We'll know more next week when CEATEC 2010 gets rolling over in Tokyo. [Thanks, Anton] P.S. -- It's also noteworthy that Panasonic's press release indicates a folding mechanism for this handset, which, given current trends in Japan, makes it most likely to be a clamshell device. It's also got some DLNA voodoo inside and is coming out by the end of this fiscal year (April 2011).
Verizon scoop extravaganza: Motorola Venus with portrait QWERTY, Stingray LTE tablet, and more?
We've been tipped by multiple sources today on some interesting developments in Verizon's roadmap over the next couple quarters, and if you're a BlackBerry fan, an Android fan, or a fan of exceptionally fast data, you're probably going to want to tune in. Let's get right into the meat of it, shall we? Follow the break!
Verizon rumors: LTE, Android 3.0 tablets, a Droid Pro, and more
BGR's lined up a handful of very believable rumors for Big Red today -- and if you're an Android fan, you're going to want to pay very close attention (heck, even if you're not, you should probably take a look). First up, Motorola's said to have a full-touch Android 2.2 handset in the works with global roaming capability on GSM and presumably HSPA -- a first in the CDMA Android world -- that apparently looks a bit like a Motorola Q (without the keyboard, of course). Interestingly, we've recently been clued into a global roaming Moto from a trusted tipster of ours with the codename "Venus" that's slated to enter internal testing on the 27th of this month, so that lines up pretty nicely with this rumor -- but Venus could also be another global Android smartphone allegedly in the pipeline from Motorola, the Droid Pro. As its name suggests, BGR says the Droid Pro will be a monster, featuring a 1.3GHz core (faster than the 1GHz Droid X and Droid 2) and a 4-inch screen with a target street date in November -- just in time for the holidays. There are also apparently global Android handsets in store from Samsung and HTC; additionally, our tipster tells us that there will be a Motorola "Ciena" sans global roaming, a phone could possibly be that WX445 we saw not long ago. It's entering carrier acceptance testing on the 17th. Follow the break for the rest of the lowdown! [Thanks, HTC Kid]
Samsung's ARM roadmap lays coordinates through 2013: Aquila, Venus, and Draco (oh my)
Ah, leaked company presentation slides, they have a clarity only Mr. Blurrycam would despise. EETimes got a batch of them from Samsung dated November 2009 making the rounds, but more important than revealing its equal love for both Roman and Greek mythology, we get a glimpse at its then-planned ARM chip roadmap (yeah, another one) through 2013. In a nutshell, for the Cortex A9 crowd we've got the 800MHz dual core "Orion" due for mass production in Q1 2011, a 1GHz single core "Pegasus" for Q4 2011, a 1GHz dual core "Hercules" for Q1 2012, and for sometime in 2012 / 2013, a 1.2GHz dual core "Draco" and quad core "Aquila." Fear not, Cortex A5 fanatics, you've got gifts as well, in the form of 600MHz single core "Mercury" and dual core "Venus" chips, slated for 2010 / 2011 and 2012 / 2013, respectively. We don't expect the nomenclature to extend beyond internal usage, but frankly, who cares -- it's the devices that count, and unfortunately all we can do is doodle our future gadget hopes and dreams onto scraps of paper while we wait.
Venus wearable monitor could offer alternative to needles
It looks like folks wary of needles now have yet another piece of technology to look forward to, with this so-called Venus device promising to measure tissue oxygen and pH levels without the need to draw any blood at all. To do that, the system makes use of a relatively small sensor that's placed directly on the skin, which uses near infrared light to measure to measure the blood and analyze both the tissue oxygen and pH, as well as the the metabolic rate. As a bonus, the lack of needles also reduces the the risk of infection, and it's relatively portable nature makes it ideal for use outside of strictly medical situations, such as monitoring athletes -- or astronauts, as it was originally developed for. As you might expect, however, the device is still just in prototype form, and there doesn't appear to be any indication as to when it might move beyond the lab.
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXVII: the Toshiba TG01 doesn't deserve this kind of love
Toshiba definitely made some waves at MWC with the Snapdragon-powered TG01, but you'll have to wait a while to get the real thing -- or you can front like you're VIP with the Venus JXD318 here, which cops all the style with none of the substance. You'll have to keep your friends at a distance (and possibly a little drunk) to keep the illusion alive, however: Venus didn't see fit to clone Tosh's stripes UI, instead going with the sadly-ubiquitous "wannabe iPhone" look, and the whole thing is controlled by those five tiny side buttons, since it's not a touchscreen. That's a pretty weak effort, overall -- come on, KIRFers, you can do better.[Via PMP Today]
LG becomes 3rd biggest handset maker after moving 27.7 million units
It looks like Motorola's hard times have been particularly good for LG, as it has now moved (by some accounts at least) into the number three position among the top five handset makers, just a quarter after it passed Sony Ericsson to take the fourth spot. That comes after LG moved an impressive 27.7 million handsets in the past quarter, a full third of which were sold in North America. LG is also particularly quick to boast about sales of its pricier touchscreen phones, which totaled some seven million. Among those, the Viewty was the top seller, moving more than two million units, followed by the Venus with 1.6 million, and the Voyager with 1.3 million. It's apparently not all rosy for the company, however, with it also warning that the slowing economy could cause its average selling price to fall by 26 percent.
Telus picks up the LG Venus
Strong work, Telus! First you guys are pretty much on the ball with your release of the BlackBerry 8330 Curve and the Motorola Q9c, and now you've become the first Canadian carrier to offer the LG Venus -- and you're clearly reveling in it, too, since you point out on your product page that this is actually LG's first touchscreen phone in all of Canada. $99.99 CAD (about $100) of your customer's hard-earned savings is going to net them a 2 megapixel camera, QVGA primary display, microSD slot, GPS, EV-DO, and stereo Bluetooth, so we'd say you've done good -- for the moment, anyway. Keep up the strong work.[Thanks, Jesse]
Pink LG Venus emerges on Verizon Wireless
It's not like we haven't seen this thing in passing before, but the pink LG Venus is finally official and available now on Verizon Wireless. Feature wise, this one offers up no extras not already found on the black iteration, but just in case you needed a refresher, you'll find a 2-megapixel camera, VZ Navigator capability, a microSD expansion slot and built-in Bluetooth. Thankfully, you won't be asked to pay a premium for the new hue, so you'll be looking at $199.99 after you mail in a $50 rebate and sign your name to a two-year agreement.
LG Venus unboxing
We've been keeping our parcel carrier busy the past few days and today will be no different -- the LG Venus for Verizon just arrived at our door! LG has incorporated touchscreen navigation along with a solid music player into the latest incarnation (in spirit, if not in name) of the successful Chocolate series. From first glance, the device's slide mechanism is flawless and weighted perfectly, though there seems to be some sluggishness using the on-screen controls. But enough of the chit chat already, go check out the gallery and be on the lookout for the review!%Gallery-10656%
LG's Venus now available from Verizon -- Voyager QWERTY on Wednesday
Here they are, the product waifs, which can only mean one thing: the LG VX10000 QWERTY Voyager and LG VX8800, AKA Venus, slider are official. The dual-display Venus (2-inch main on top and 1.49-inch haptic VibeTouch touchscreen below for navigation) is up and dancing on Verizon this morning for immediate availability. Same $200 fee after online discount and 2 years of your life inked in blood that we already saw on pre-order. The Voyager with its 2.8-inch VibeTouch, external touchscreen (and 2.8-inch internal) is still on track for its 21st launch for $300 plus 2 year contract. Don't worry, we'll remind you come Wednesday.[Via LG]Read -- LG Voyager on Verizon Read -- LG Venus on Verizon
Verizon's Venus and Voyager available for pre-order
Seems to be Venus and Voyager day, first more lovely pics and now, pre-orders. The LG Venus and Voyager hit Verizon's site in all of their pre-order glory today, so if you've been itching for an update, your time is now. We've been all over the Venus a few times and as predicted, it has landed for $199 on a 2 year contract and is set for release on November 19th. Pre-orders for LG's Voyager have also started, though this QWERTY set is going to set you back $299 on a 2 year stint with availability slated for Nov 21st. Follow the links below if you've a hankering to plonk down your hard earned cash.[Thanks, lenny and anthony]Read -- LG VoyagerRead -- LG Venus
