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Monday, January 31, 2011

Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/scientists-stumble-upon-bomb-sniffing-laser-with-a-boomerang-eff/

You might think of a laser as light forced into a single, directed beam, but scientists have recently discovered that if you fire a laser in one direction, the air itself can fire another right back. Using a 226nm UV pump laser, researchers at Princeton University managed to excite oxygen atoms to the point that they emit infrared light along the same channel as the original beam, except this time pointed back where it came from. Since the return beam's chemistry depends on the particles in the air to generate the return beam, the "backward laser" could potentially carry the signature of those particles back to the source and help identify them there. That seems to be the entire goal, in fact -- the project, funded by an Office of Naval Research program on "Sciences Addressing Asymmetric Explosive Threats," hopes that such a laser can ID bombs from a distance by hunting for trace chemicals in the air. Sounds like the perfect addition to our terahertz specs, and one step closer to the tricorder of our dreams.

Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PhysOrg! | source

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Leak: Motorola Atrix 4G's Dock Will Cost Just $60? [Cellphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5747567/leak-motorola-atrix-4gs-dock-will-cost-just-60

It looks like our product-of-CES will cost $200 all-in, if leaked retailers' prices are correct. We'd heard last week that the phone itself will cost $150, and now the dock looks like it could be just $60.

This isn't just any old dock, capable of charging your smartphone. It actually connects the Atrix phone to a laptop or computer, running Motorola's apps right there on the other screen. The dock itself has three USB ports for connecting keyboards, mice or external hard drives, plus there's also a microHDMI port.

Intriguingly, the retailer which leaked the dock's price, Fommy.com, has also got a pre-order page up for a more basic dock, for $50.

Supposedly the Atrix 4G will go on sale in February (with the 11th having been bandied about before), so we don't have too long to wait before all these rumored prices are confirmed. [Fommy via WirelessGoodness via Androidandme]

NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/newertech-adapter-turns-esata-into-usb-3-0-makes-legacy-externa/

There's a powder-blue USB 3.0 port on the side of your shiny new computer, whispering your name, but you simply can't afford to replace your perfectly good eSATA external hard drive for the sake of compatibility. You could simply resist the urge entirely, but if you have the need for speed, there's a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter with your name on it, and it just might come in a NewerTech case. Sure, Addonics, Siig and Bytecc sell similar, but as Everything USB points out, NewerTech did the legwork here, benchmarking the cable to be sure it could handle 206.4MB / sec writes and 247MB / sec reads. That's enough to handle most solid state drives, and you should be completely covered when it comes to anything with spinning magnetic plates. You'll find it for $30 this week at the likes of OWC.

Continue reading NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again

NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everything USB | source

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LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan's YouTube channel (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/lg-g-slate-makes-guest-appearance-on-mysteryguitarmans-youtube/

LG's promotional strategy for the G-Slate seems to be to keep officially mum about the device, while letting random pseudo-celebrities tease it out in brief glimpses. A week ago, K-Pop artist Seungri gave us our first sighting of the dual-camera array on the back of the G-Slate, which has today made its triumphant return to YouTube, courtesy of one MysteryGuitarMan. The rear of the device here doesn't look identical to the one in Seungri's video, however the metallic strip separating the cams and its "with Google" branding look nearly identical to what LG has on the back of its Optimus 2X Android smartphone. We're also seeing a single LED flash for the first time, there are a couple of unidentified connectors at the bottom, at least one of them likely to assist docking in landscape mode, and we do get to see the tablet in profile for an idea of how thin it is. Video after the break.

Continue reading LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan's YouTube channel (video)

LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan's YouTube channel (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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@KevinLyHD (Twitter) | source

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AMD has a 5W Fusion APU to put in your future tablet of choice

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/amd-has-a-5w-fusion-apu-to-put-in-your-future-tablet-of-choice/

The same Singapore event that brought us our first look at AMD's humongous Radeon HD 6990 has also served as the stage for the company's first showing of a new, even lower-powered Fusion APU. The regular dual-core Ontario (C-50) variant requires a 9W power budget to operate, but AMD's managed to shrink that down to 5W in a chip designed specifically to be used in tablets. Clock speed remains at 1GHz and the core count hasn't bee touched, but the memory controller has been dumbed down and peripheral ports have been reduced to one of each type. This streamlined C-50 has already found a home in Acer's 10.1-inch Windows 7 tablet and should prove decently popular among manufacturers looking for an x86 alternative to the coming tidal wave of ARM-based devices.

AMD has a 5W Fusion APU to put in your future tablet of choice originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Softpedia, Netbook News | source

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