Top 10 Tech This Week (1/26/2013)

1. LG Optimus G Pro Debuts in Japan

The LG Optimus G was already a powerful smartphone, but now LG is taking it up another notch with the Optimus G Pro, which has a large 5-inch screen with full HD resolution -- 1,920 x 1,080.

Learn more about this impressive phone: http://on.mash.to/SNJf9U

Home page photo by David Becker/Getty Images News/Getty Images

2. Hands-On With Vine

Twitter launched Vine on Thursday, an app that lets you share 6-second video clips, and it has already taken the social media world by storm.

Check out our hands-on with this new social-video app: http://on.mash.to/14eaFJw

Mashable Thumbnail, Emily Price

3. 3D-Printed Building

Janjaap Ruijssenaars, a Dutch architect with Universal Architecture, is planning to build a two-story, futuristic “Landscape House” using a custom-designed 3D printer.

Learn more about this futuristic 3D printed building: http://on.mash.to/145pCxz

Image courtesy of Universe Architecture

4. IBM Creates Weapon to Destroy Drug-Resistant Bacteria

IBM created a new substance that can break through biofilms such as plaque and drug-resistant bacteria, killing them while not harming humans.

Learn more about this important medical breakthrough: http://on.mash.to/WWfO3e

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, dmbaker

5.Yolo Is Intel's First Smartphone for Africa

Chip maker Intel and mobile operator Safaricom have announced Yolo, the first smartphone for the African market with an Intel processor.

Learn more about this new smartphone: http://on.mash.to/Wzmftj

Image credit: Intel

6. Print Your Own 3D-Printed Robot

Gael Langevin, a French sculptor and model marker, has been working on a 3D-printed robot since early 2012, and is now close to having a fully functional custom made bot-friend.

Check out this amazing robot: http://on.mash.to/SBXvCv

Photo courtesy of Gael Langevin

7. Everything You Need to Know About Kim Dotcom's Mega

Mega -- the long-anticipated file sharing and cloud storage site from Kim Dotcom -- is now open to the public.

Take a look at our extensive guide on Dotcom's new venture: http://on.mash.to/SxRW8f

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8. NEC Medias W: A Smartphone With Two 4.3-Inch Screens

NEC launched the Medias W N-05E on Tuesday, and it's definitely one of the most interesting smartphones we've seen, with its two 4.3-inch LCD screens, both with a 540x960 pixel resolution.

Take a look at this innovative phone: http://on.mash.to/WSYv1J

Image courtesy of NEC

9. Privacy Visor Confuses Face Recognition Camera

At Tokyo's National Institute of Informatics, Isao Echizen, an associate professor in the Digital Content and Media Sciences Research Division, unveiled a privacy visor — a set of glasses that prevents cameras with face-recognition software from recognizing you.

Check out how these privacy glasses work: http://on.mash.to/XYG9Pi

Image courtesy of National Institute of Informatics; Photo via iStockphoto, brasil2

10. "Flying Wing" Uses Half the Fuel of a Standard Airplane

A team at NASA has now demonstrated a manufacturing method that promises to make the manta-ray-like "hybrid wing" design practical, dramatically reducing aircraft fuel consumption.

http://on.mash.to/14aHIhu

Image courtesy of NASA

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Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai5 hours ago

It was another exciting week in tech, with a wide range of exciting news. There was really something for all tastes: 3D printing, futuristic planes, medical breakthroughs and a new social video app.

The launch of Vine, a social video app developed by Twitter, took the social-media world by storm. Vine allows users to easily create six-seconds movie loops with a smartphone, and so far, it's been a hit. The other big tech announcement came last weekend, with the official launch of Kim Dotcom's new start-up Mega, the successor of the infamous Megaupload.

SEE ALSO: Previous editions of Top 10 Tech This Week

There were gadgets, too. First, the surprising debut of a new LG phone, the Optimus G Pro, which has even more impressive specs than the Optimus G. Then there was the somewhat wacky NEC Medias W, a phone with two different screens. Yes, you heard that right — the phone has two screens, one on the front, one on the back.

And in the futuristic news department, we had NASA demonstrating a manufacturing method that could eventually lead to the a manta-ray-shaped plane. — an aircraft that could potentially consume way less fuel than current airplanes.

Take a look at our Top 10 Tech This Week to see what else happened this week in the world of technology.

TOPICS: APPS AND SOFTWARE, DEV & DESIGN, GADGETS, GALLERY, HOT STORY, MOBILE, TECH, TOP 10 TECH