Thursday, February 16, 2012

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NASA scales back Mars exploration, Marvin the Martian thinks it's just lovely
Feb 15th 2012, 17:32

NASA scales back Mars exploration, Marvin the Martian thinks it's just lovely
NASA recently showed flashes of its old bravado by announcing plans for a lunar waypoint near the far side of the moon. Cold, hard reality brought the agency back to Earth this week, however, as it just announced a scaling back of its Mars exploration program. Thanks to funding cuts, NASA is scuttling its "ambitious" (i.e. expensive) flagship missions to the Red Planet for the near term. That means withdrawing from the ExoMars missions led by Europe and putting on hold plans to collect samples -- though the Mars Science Laboratory is still a go. NASA is slated to receive $1.2 billion for its planetary science program, down 20 percent from what it gets now, with more cuts likely on the way. In the meantime, the agency is still hopeful about sending humans -- or perhaps a wascally wabbit -- to Mars by the 2030s.

NASA scales back Mars exploration, Marvin the Martian thinks it's just lovely originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSPACE.com  | Email this | Comments

Motorola outs Android 4.0 upgrade schedule, adds Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and others to the ICS party list
Feb 15th 2012, 17:06

Ever since the debut of Ice Cream Sandwich, the masses of Motorola owners have yearned to discover when (if?) their devices would receive Android's latest and greatest. Well, Moto's finally let the cat out of the bag, setting out domestic and global timelines for its tablets and phones to get Android 4.0. Xoom WiFi owners here in the states have been enjoying ICS for a month, and Family Edition owners can expect the same tasty treat in Q2 of this year. Folks with RAZRs (including the Chinese MT917 variant) or XT928 (the Chinese evolution of the Droid X) in areas outside the US will be getting ICS in Q2 as well. Atrix 4G, Atrix 2, and Photon 4G owners around the world will have to wait until Q3 of 2012 for theirs, as will Xoom 2 and Xyboard owners. Motorola's blog, Inside Motorola, states that the Bionic, Droid 4, RAZR Maxx, and Electrify will be getting in on the action, too, but its engineers have yet to set a date for their upgrades. Head on down to the source links below to take a gander at the good news yourself.

Motorola outs Android 4.0 upgrade schedule, adds Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and others to the ICS party list originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC Mag  |  sourceMotorola Owners Forum, Inside Motorola  | Email this | Comments

CERN crew takes to Google+ for live Hangout
Feb 15th 2012, 16:43

CERN Hangout
Got questions for CERN crew? We know we do. For instance, if a Higgs bosson falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it still create a miniature black hole that swallows the Earth and destroys us all? Well if you've got queries for the folks working the LHC, attempting to unlock the secrets of the universe then hit up the source link for a live Hangout at that most nerdy of social networks Google+. The conversation starts at 1 pm eastern time.

CERN crew takes to Google+ for live Hangout originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Google (Twitter)  |  sourceGoogle+  | Email this | Comments

AT&T Galaxy Note review
Feb 15th 2012, 16:00

It was once said that if a phone or tablet used a stylus its hardware designers had blown it. It was also said that if the software on that device contained a task manager that coders had similarly missed the mark. The Samsung Galaxy Note on AT&T contains what many would consider a stylus and, if you hold down the Home button, you're presented with what can only be described as a task manager.

So the Galaxy Note, Samsung's massive 5.3-inch "superphone," is critically flawed then, right? No. It is, in fact, one of the best phones to hit the market since another Samsung powerhouse -- the Galaxy Nexus. It's a device with a lot to love and is the kind of phone that would make almost every Android aficionado swoon. However, with its massive 5.3-inch display and generally understated styling, it isn't for everybody. We reviewed it before in European guise, but now read on to see if AT&T's $300 LTE version of this big brute is just right for you.

Continue reading AT&T Galaxy Note review

AT&T Galaxy Note review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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